I just got myself a used smartphone. It’s not exactly brand new, but it serves my need to have a phone with a built-in PDA (or a PDA with a built-in phone?). Before I decided on acquiring this particular phone, I was considering newer WiFi-enabled models by the major manufacturers—such as the Nokia 9500 and 9300i, among others. I was also checking out the mid-range HP iPaq model with wireless Internet.

I wanted to try out VoWiFi, just to see if it would be of use to a road warrior like myself. I was once issued a iPaq loaner (from the local HP office) for demo purposes, and I had fun using the Skype and FWD softphones within our office WiFi network. I got to call and receive calls using the PDA as a phone. I was so enticed by the idea of free calls anywhere with a wireless network.

But that novelty wore off eventually, as I realized I’m not going to be able to use my VoWiFi just anywhere. There are only a few public hotspots from where I come from, and those that are available are not able to give me the speedy connection that I need.

One limiting factor: the price. The Nokia would cost me an arm and a leg. The HP, well, would cost me less, but still an amount I’m not willing to give up for a limited-functionality computer. I can’t afford to spend that much on a mobile! Also, the phones/PDAs I mentioned were basically phones and PDAs with built-in Wifi. They weren’t actually VoWiFi phones like some phones that the major WiFi device makers are planning to release in the near future.

I guess I’ll wait for VoWiFi to go mainstream. In the future, I would expect WiFi providers to already have wide-enough networks o rival the mobile phone provders. For now, Skype on my PC suits me well.