New Republic Wireless - Hybrid VOIP/Cellular

[theEMP]

Closest comparison to this would be something like the Peel from VM wouldn't it?

[AndroidFoneFan]

Not really. The peel is just a sleeve that goes on over a IPod touch that turns it in to a wifi hotspot. It according to the video below can only access two peripherals. The Touch or whatever you are using in it and one other.
With Republic it is a phone that works off of wifi connections and mobile cell towers.
You might be able to make calls through the peel on the IPod Touch if it has a mic and you have the appropriate app but who knows.

No more searching for Wi-Fi hotspots. The PEEL™ 3200 by ZTE provides a 3G connection for your iPod Touch®. Slip it on and access the internet, email, music, and more - all at 3G speed. One simple plan, no contract.

In short the peel is a wifi hot spot. Republics phone is a wifi/cellular hybrid phone.

[AndroidFoneFan]

A bit more info on the Republic phone.

From their web sight.

The LG Optimus Smartphone


OVERVIEW

* Hybrid Calling
* Unlimited talk
* Unlimited text
* Unlimited data

PHONE ACCESSORIES:

* Standard Lithium Ion Battery
* Battery Door
* Micro USB Cable
* Micro SD memory card 2GB
* User Guide

PHONE SPECS:

* Speed: 3G
* System: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
* Dimensions: 4.47" x 2.32" x 0.52"
* Weight: 4.6 oz.
* Display: 3.2" LED touch-sensitive screen
* Connectivity: Bluetooth® 2.0;
Wi-Fi® IEEE 802.11 b/g
* Power: Standard Li-ion Battery (1500 mAh)
* Talk Time: Up to 5 hours
* Standby Time: Up to 360 hours

PHONE FEATURES:

* Android 2.3. Advanced mobile platform with speed, enterprise features and cloud-to-device messaging.
* Swype. Experience a faster and easier way to type with this innovative keyboard. Simply slide your finger over the letters you would like to type.
* Google Integration. Your favorite tools come pre-installed, including , Gmail™, Googe Talk™, Google Calendar™ and YouTube™.
* Android Market™. Increase productivity with thousands of cutting-edge apps, such as Google Translate, Action Complete, and Google Goggles.
* Mobile Email. Access your wireless email with popular commercial POP3 and IMAP accounts, as well as well-known email services like AOL, MSN/ Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! and more.
* Google Turn-by-Turn GPS with Voice. Navigate wherever your business takes you with the quickest directions, and find the coffee shop or copy center that you need along the way.
* Shortcuts & Widgets. Call or text your favorite contacts, search by voice or check the local weather with one touch.
* Voice Actions from Google. Control your phone with your voice. Texting and email has never been easier on the go.
* Document Viewing. View Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files on the go to maximize your mobile productivity.
* Instant Messaging. Chat from just about anywhere using Windows Live™ Messenger, Google Talk™, Yahoo® Messenger, AOL® Instant Messenger™.
* 3.2 Megapixel Camera/Camcorder. Capture high-resolution images and video clips with ease when getting the shot means getting the contract.
* Wi-Fi Enabled. Access high-speed data and Internet connectivity with the ability to connect nearby Wi-Fi hot spots.
* MicroSD Memory Card Slot. Safely store photos, voice notes and music for instant access. (*Supports up to a 32GB card)
* Media Player. Play video and music files right from your phone with the convenience of the standard 3.5 mm stereo headset jack or the supported Bluetooth® stereo headset.
* Bluetooth® Enabled. Benefit from the true meaning of hands-free mobility by using wireless headsets, car kits and other compatible Bluetooth® devices (sold separately).
* TTY and Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC). This device can connect to a TTY device to allow anyone who is hearing impaired the ability to communicate. This device is certified as Hearing Aid Compatible in accordance with applicable industry standards. This device has a HAC rating of M4 for hearing aids operating in the acoustic mode and has a HAC rating of T3 for hearing aids operating in the telecoil mode.

Click on the LG Optimus link under Our First Phone. http://republicwireless.com/join

Also a copy of the email they sent me this morning.

Welcome to republic wireless.

So what’s it like here?

A reward for being first:
Join now, and pay $99. That’s $100 less than the normal $199 cost. You read that right. For $99 you get a new smartphone, and a whole new kind of mobile phone network.

Freedom isn’t free. It’s $19.
Almost immediately you notice what’s missing. The hefty monthly bills, the endless nickel-and-diming, the big red contracts...yes, we can hear you now. Do you hear us? With republic wireless, you pay a flat $19 a month for everything. Period.

How is that possible?
republic is a Wi-Fi network. Anything cellular can do, Wi-Fi can do better (and for less). That’s 21st Century technology. That’s also basic economics. So let’s all use Wi-Fi as much as possible.

Change the way wireless works
Decide whether to become a member now, or maybe later. Either way, like minds for evolving the industry are wanted here, today. You have thoughts to share, ideas to spread. Bring them to our forums. Keep up with us via our blog. Tell the republic what’s up.

Next stop: republicwireless.com
There’s so much more we have to show you. So visit, look around. Oh, that $99 offer we told you about? To get it, use the code welcome19 to join before November 27, 2011 at 11:59 pm ET.

Looking forward to being your new wireless network!



Yours,
republic wireless



P.S. We’re in beta, and seats are limited. First come, first admitted, and first shipped. How very egalitarian.

If your interested in this and want to save 100.00, note the red/blue in the email.

[firebrain25]

Was anybody able to order yet?

[MellowDog]

I will try Republic Wireless.
The catch is, only if their LG Optimus has virtual qwerty for all purposes, not just texting. Does anyone know?

My current Net10 LG 800G is going back because it only has virtual qwerty for texting. The 800G is limited to a virtual keypad for notes, contacts, and web, which is an unacceptable waste of my time.

[AndroidFoneFan]

Was anybody able to order yet?

I would say no. They still don't have their sight ready. I have been checking it all morning and it is still pending.

[tmotk]

here it is.

How much cellular usage is too much?
It depends. Even assuming 0% wifi usage, for example, you could consume 550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data without crossing the community’s fair use threshold. Everyone's usage patterns will be different, but we're confident you’ll be amazed at how little cellular you actually use when you have a phone that makes it easy to leverage the power of your Wi-Fi networks.

So this isn’t really an unlimited plan?
It is in fact an unlimited plan. We’ll never charge you overages, limit your download speeds, or restrict you to calling circles. Hybrid Calling makes it easy to stay within the community’s fair use guidelines.

What happens if I use more than the suggested guideline?
First, you’ll be reminded of the guidelines and to what extent you’ve crossed the fair use threshold. We’ll provide you with tips for reducing your cellular footprint and plenty of opportunity to get back on track. When we contact you about your usage, we’ll let you know how much time you have to correct your problem.

SO

it looks like

550 minutes
150 texts
300mb of data

May be the "fair use threshold"

If so,

PASS.

The minutes are OK

But the text usage is way too low and 300mb of data won't go far if you are someone who likes to stream anything.

From their explanation, the stated limits appears to be the minimum cellular limits for no wifi. It appears you are allowed more cellular if you also use some wifi, but they do not tell the ratio required as total usage increases. How many percent wifi does a person need to use to allow unlimited total usage?

[huntm856]

I will try Republic Wireless.
The catch is, only if their LG Optimus has virtual qwerty for all purposes, not just texting. Does anyone know?

My current Net10 LG 800G is going back because it only has virtual qwerty for texting. The 800G is limited to a virtual keypad for notes, contacts, and web, which is an unacceptable waste of my time.

My son has an LG Optimus S(print). QWERTY pops up for all text entry except the dialer.

[tmotk]

Will the phone allow tethering (provide cellular Internet as a wifi signal for a laptop) when user is not in range of an existing wifi network?

[The Beet]

Will the phone allow tethering (provide cellular Internet as a wifi signal for a laptop) when user is not in range of an existing wifi network?

Well I think the key there is IF you can root it... then secondly they can't detect it then third you stay under the community average of data useage off wifi.

I think this is a GREAT idea the CUI... keeps people who think unlimited data means root and bleed it dry in check.

[SteveNYC]

...It will be interesting to see how much of a cliff dive it takes with Wifi on all the time (rated 5 hours normally).

I agree completely. That will be (one of) the real deciding factors. The first thing I did was look at the price of extended batteries. This is the saving grace of the Optima line. There are so many variants of this phone that there are tons of inexpensive accessories.

[SteveNYC]

I think this is a GREAT idea the CUI... keeps people who think unlimited data means root and bleed it dry in check.

You're right and the carriers know it. That's why T-Mobile's otherwise great $30 unlimited data plan only has 100 minutes. Unlimited for everything with no compromises doesn't exist. If people accept that, then there are a lot of great deals out there (VM 300 min plan; T-Mobile 5GB w/100min).

tmotk, one thing to keep in mind is that VM blocked "Quick Settings" in their 2.3 OS update to the Optimus V. It's a safe bet that RW's Optimus will be the same since it's all part of the same carrier family. So rooting becomes necessary and the hackers will have to figure out how to do that without banging up RW's WiFi hybrid software (shouldn't be too hard). Finally, anything more than limited tethering will likely get you knocked off of the RW network. But that's all hypothetical anyway. No one has the phone, much less the service, right now.

[tmotk]

anything more than limited tethering will likely get you knocked off of the RW network.

Of course any tethering would be subject to the CUI. And that would be met as long as there was wifi use in proportion to cellular use. What would happen if both wifi use and cellular use are high, but CUI does not show excessive cellular percentage?

[SteveNYC]

Ultimately, assuming this thing works as advertised, it's a really good offering for people who are not looking to abuse service. My parents would be a perfect example. They are retired. They use old basic phones. They've thought of the cheaper smartphones but couldn't justify the cost. They don't use the service a lot and reception matters to them.

So then there's RW. Reception by any carrier is going to be inferior to what your own WiFi is capable of. So that's a huge plus. Then, when you're out and about, you've got generally good (not great) Sprint service. That's not a bad deal for $19.

The negatives...how inconvenient is this hybrid software they are using? That's the biggest question. Then battery life will matter a lot if you're living la vida WiFi. That's the second biggest question (might even be the first).

For those that like this plan but don't like the idea that they can't bleed it dry without getting kicked off, go get yourself the old grandfathered $25/month Virgin Mobile plan off eBay, buy an Optimus V and put GrooVE IP on it. Use it on WiFi as often as possible like RW plans to and your can have unlimited everything to your heart's (and battery's) content. Heck, if you live on GrooVE IP on VM, you can even do simultaneous Voice and Data all the time over 3G (though you better have awesome reception when you do it).

[tmobiley]

My question would be. I have unlimited messaging/internet (no caps) on T-Mobile.

Could I get a T-Mobile phone that would allow me to run my phone as it's own hotspot, and then run RW through my T-Mobile "hotspot"... making for unlimited "wifi" off of my T-Mobile internet?

I have Unlimited T-Zones on T-Mobile... but I'd need to find a phone that allows me to turn it into a hotspot and is also compatible with the old $4.99 Unlimited T-Zones.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

-tmobiley