Beta emails rolling out

[mchasal]

Just got my beta invite and went through the reservation process.

They list 3 phone options, not actual phones, just characteristics.

Basic Android™ phone
$199 up front fee that includes your phone plus your first month of service, new manufacturer, with a 3.5” touchscreen, 600 MHz processor, 0.5 GB storage, 5 megapixel camera

Mid-level Android™ phone
$299 up front fee that includes your phone plus your first month of service, well-known manufacturer, 3.7” touchscreen, 1.0 GHz processor, 1.0 GB storage, 5 megapixel rear camera, VGA-quality front-facing camera

High-end Android™ phone
$499 up front fee that includes your phone plus your first month of service, well-known manufacturer, 4.3” touchscreen, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 8.0 GB storage, 7 megapixel rear camera

Looking forward to more details.

[joshbrown40]

I got my email, too, and went through the sign-up process. I was assigned to Wave E, how about everyone else?

[mchasal]

I'm in Wave B, I had one of the screwed up partial orders in the first round, so get first dibs on this round.

[adam1991]

hmmmmm, the Priceline model. "We can't tell you WHAT phone you'll get, or even the name of the mfr..."

[JDubTrey]

I chose mid and high end (prefer high end) phones, and got Wave D.

[CTRobinson]

I chose low, mid, or high end (prefer mid range) and I was assigned to Wave B. I also had a partial order in the first round.

[speedlever]

Wave I here. I'm looking for 2 or more phones.

[whatcoverage]

Wave J, I'll have to see what wave my other email signs me up for. It was much earlier.
I'm still trying to figure out if this is a good idea or not. A cheaper entry method to test it out would be nice.
The ideal result is I get to substitute one of these for my landline and drop that $35 a month as even verizon's cell signal is useless inside where I live (behind a hill). I can't do that until I'm sure it works well enough. I really don't need the fancier phone.
For the moment we'll have to assume high end is a worthy iPhone competitor, so if you're in that market there will be ok choices.
I'm more worried about the low end options without more details.
PagePlus just rolled out a new low end Android phone for $200 and I'd rather get a higher end used phone for the same money on ebay.
I'm sure they're just trying to gauge interest to start as I'm sure they'd like to configure and order the correct number of each type of phone.

[mchasal]

I think the phone choices in the survey are so they can determine what phones to offer. Remember, it's not just pick a phone and ship it. They have to get their modified ROM on it and make sure things work right. For example, if only a few people pick the high end phone, they might not bother doing the work to offer that class of device. Given the details of the specs they list, I'm guessing they already have a phone in mind for each class.

[CTRobinson]

I just received an email from Republic "Re-confirming your Beta Wave":

This is a re-confirmation of your Beta Wave assignment for republic wireless. You're in Beta Wave B.

The Waves will open in phases over the course of this summer. When your Wave opens, you’ll have one week to join republic wireless. Now that you know your wave assignment, here’s what’s next:

You can keep an eye on republicwireless.com/beta-waves for info on when your Beta Wave can place orders and when you can expect to receive your phone.
When it’s time for your Wave to purchase, you’ll be notified a week or more in advance by email.
At that point, you’ll have one week to place your order and pay your startup fee. Your order will be processed and shipped based on when you paid.
Still have questions about how it works? Check out our Beta Waves FAQ.

We look forward to seeing you in republic wireless soon!

Yours,

republic wireless

No mention of the new phones though

[roll0ver]

Wave E here, I passed on the first phone. They need to offer decent models this time around.