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224 points guerrilla | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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pkphilip ◴[] No.41886312[source]
It is not really a phone - it is more like a Wifi connected device which makes all calls over VOIP. There is no GSM connection and therefore no SIM etc. I like the project but calling this a phone is inaccurate.

If a GSM module is also included, this would be a lovely device to have. Also, would be nice to have a much larger screen.

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esperent ◴[] No.41886492[source]
I don't think that's fair. Phones used to be connected by wires, then there where a few satellite connected phones, and nowadays most are connected by cellular. But they're all phones because that's what we call a device used to connect and talk to people at long distance using a registry of numbers or names. This one connects using WiFi, which is unusual. But it has the same basic functionality of being a phone.
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lolinder ◴[] No.41887851[source]
For the last 10 years the default definition of "phone" (unmodified) has been "cell phone". These days if you want to refer to a landline you call it that. If you want to refer to a WiFi phone you call it that.

The primary function of a "phone" in the modern sense is to allow people to reach you (by means of SMS or voice) wherever you happen to be at the time. Something that doesn't meet that need isn't an unqualified "phone".

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sophacles ◴[] No.41891037{3}[source]
How about we define "phone" as a voice capable device that is reachable by its assigned phone number. It's the unifying factor for dozens of different technologies that have been called "phone" for decades.

Anything else seems absurd.

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lolinder ◴[] No.41891569{4}[source]
Unfortunately you can't actually just pick a definition for a word based on what makes sense to you. Definitions are decided collectively by all speakers of the language, and the definition I gave is actually a fairly conservative one.

Plenty of people actually use "phone" to mean not only "cell phone" but specifically a "smart phone" and feel the need to qualify it if they mean a "dumb phone". Like it or not, that's the way the word is going.

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1. pcdoodle ◴[] No.41894590{5}[source]
Can I use your phone?

They are asking to make a phone call, not play angry birds.

Phones make phone calls. End of story.

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2. lolinder ◴[] No.41894934[source]
In most settings that question includes an implicit "cell"! They're not asking if they can go home with you and use your landline, they're assuming you have a phone in your pocket with service.

A landline is a type of phone in the same way that a panda is a type of bear. Technically it's true, but if you say you went to see the bears at the zoo it's your own fault that people aren't picturing something with black and white splotches.