Line2 HD is a new app turns your iPad into a phone.
It’s an easy-to-use addition that puts phone calls, texts, voicemail and e-mail on a single screen—and offers a stack of other features as well.
Like Line2’s iPhone app the HD version lets you make or receive calls over a 3G or Wi-Fi connection. You get a new phone number (like Google Voice), which can also receive texts and has voicemail.
A feature of the voicemail is that it can send an audio file to your email so you can listen over your computer, in case if you don’t have your iPad with you. You can also forward calls to another phone, such as your land line. Line2’s app also connects to your iPad contact list and features call waiting, caller ID, and conference calling for up to 20 people.
Calls can be made using the iPad’s built-in microphone, so you can use it as a speakerphone for conference-room calls, or you can use a wired mic. If you have an iPad 2, you can also connect with a Bluetooth headset.
Test calls over Wi-Fi sounded as good as a typical mobile phone call.
The app is free, however, to use the app you need to purchase an account, which is $10 a month or $100 a year, paid up front. But wait, you can make calls over Wi-Fi, you can make unlimited calls from overseas without paying international calling fees. If you use something like Skype when traveling, you’ll have to check if you spend more than $100 a year on it, in which case Line2 would be a comparative bargain. A premium service at $15 a month or $150 a year add features like call screening and caller-specific forwarding, among others.
