Using WiMAX To Replace a Phone?

vigmeister writes "I've decided to explore the possibility of using a netbook/MID as a phone while eschewing the services of a cellphone provider. Now that Atlanta (where I live) has WiMAX from Clear, I ought to be connected to the Internet everywhere within the city (once I sign up). Theoretically, this should mean that I will be able to use my netbook as a cell phone. Of course, there are some very real issues to overcome and I am simply putting this experiment together to see if it is something that is realistically possible. This could possibly extend to uncapped 3G connections (if they exist any more) as well. Are there any obvious problems you would foresee? Is there anything I have missed or any other questions I should attempt to answer in this 'experiment' of mine? A major issue is, of course, the fact that my pseudo-netbook has to be carried everywhere and always left on."

Comments

Pack an extension cord

[Anonymous Coward]

Even the most frugal netbooks don't run a whole day on battery power if a wireless network module is in active use. In my experience, 3G is a little less heavy on the battery than 802.11g. It still cuts the battery life of my Asus 901 by 20%.