No. As our phones become more and more capable, phone functionality becomes less and less relevant.

I use my phone as a phone about once a week (I just checked by call log - I try to avoid giving people my number). If I'm making an outgoing call, it'll be via Skype, unless I'm away from home. Even for coordinating meeting up when out and about, I'll use Glympse rather than call.

I always find it strange when reviews do spend time talking about making phone calls. I got a call on my iPhone 5 yesterday, and was surprised at the UI during incoming calls, then I realized it was literally the first call I had received since I got the phone on release day. That's 6 weeks. And it was a spam call from my university asking for donations.

No, not anymore.

The notion now that you bring it up sounds odd but, I wouldn't have thought about it otherwise.

This phone uses the same radio for making phone calls as any other GSM phone.