VoIP via your PocketPC isn’t ready for prime time, according to MercCenter’s Sam Diaz.
I’m with Sam on this one, but not for all the same reasons.
First, the cost of a PDA is equal or greater than for any cell phone. Second the audio quality on many Pocket PC’s is just brutal. It wasn’t designed to be a phone and the mic is just basic junk. Third, the codec’s need more processing power to really do their job. While they can work on a 400mhz Pocket PC, and I’ve used Skype, the comment is usually, that I’m rough around the edges.
While you can use it, I’d wait for faster Pocket PC’s or the new OQO or FlipStart. Hopefully, the Transmeta chip has been optimized for voice. The founders of both have told me, yes, VoIP will work on them, and from past experience I have had decent success on a Sony Vaio Picturebook using VoIP, so maybe….but a PocketPC as the end point, right now, it’s just entering the starting gate.