PhoneItiPad Turns Your 3G-Equipped iPad into a Smartphone

There’s always been an argument that the 3G-equipped iPads are just 9.7″ iPhones without a calling plan. While VoIP apps, such as Skype, can indeed turn iPads into a phone of sorts, there’s never been a way to make proper cellular calls using Apple’s tablets. Until now.

Enter a new jailbreak app courtesy of iPhoneIslam, the same guys who brought us FaceIt3GS – an app that allows iPhone 3GS users to get in on the FaceTime bandwagon.

Called PhoneItiPad, this jailbreak tweak allows owners of the iPad 3G to make telephone calls using their cellular connection just like an iPhone, making the iPad the world’s largest phone…

Available for $19.99 from the apps.iphoneislam.com repository in Cydia, PhoneItiPad will require users to hand over their device’s ICCID – a unique identifier for mobile cellular devices. Some may understandably be apprehensive about handing over such a unique and identifiable number, but it’s a necessity if you really must make calls from a near 10″ phone, writes RedmondPie.

So how do you get your hands on PhoneItiPad?

  1. Go to the iPhoneIslam website to activate your ICCID in order to make the tweak work once installed.
  2. Open Cydia and point it to the iPhoneIslam repository – apps.iphoneislam.com.
  3. After installation, your iPad should be able to make and receive telephone calls just like an iPhone.

Unfortunately, this particular tweak isn’t currently compatible with the iOS 5 beta, so keep that in mind before you hand over your money for PhoneItiPad.

Have you tried PhoneItiPad yet? How well does it work? And do you believe that hefty $19.99 price tag is worth it? Let us know your thoughts on the tweak in the comments below!