A company called UTStarcom announced today that is going to roll out the first portable WiFi handset, that would interface with VOIP providers such as Vonage. This effectively makes the phone a VOIP Cellular Phone that uses WiFi hotspots as its "towers."
As more and more hotspots become available, these types of phone will become more and more useful. Think about it. with no additional charges beyond the average Vonage monthly costs, you can chat all day from a hot spot in Germany to anyone in the US and Canada for free. I wish I had this when I lived in Frankfurt.
The landline carriers are already obsolete and soon the wireless carriers may also go the way of the chimney sweep.
[found via Gizmodo]