republic wireless has been mentioned in any number of threads, but a search didn't reveal its own thread...if i missed it, let me know and this can be locked

i just confirmed i was still interested and got this:

Quote :

"You are confirmed! Be on the lookout in the next week for your Beta Wave assignment. We will then alert you again when your wave opens up. At that time you will be able to purchase a membership to republic wireless. Check the Beta Waves page for ongoing updates."

no idea how much time there will be between the beta wave assignment and the actual point at which i can actually buy a phone and give it a shot...and i'm not sure if i'll actually do it, either

i don't mind spending the extra $19/month, but i don't know if i want to drop $250 on the motorola defy xt: http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/XP-EN/Consumer-Products-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/MOTOROLA-DEFY-XT-XP-EN

most recent blog post was today: https://community.republicwireless.com/blogs/republic

7/31/2012 12:10:30 PM

There was a thread in the lounge but haven't seen anything from it lately. message_topic.aspx?topic=620355

7/31/2012 12:12:43 PM

yeah, i only searched in tech talk

7/31/2012 1:01:19 PM

got an email from them today....should i get it?

7/31/2012 1:49:02 PM

^ the same "confirm your interest" type thing? or are you in the first wave or something (and can buy the phone)?

7/31/2012 1:57:43 PM

second wave...confirm email

7/31/2012 3:39:36 PM

i got one too

7/31/2012 3:56:55 PM

I got my beta wave confirmation about 4 months ago, I'm in wave L and they are still on wave B

8/1/2012 11:05:47 AM

I'm in wave J. By then hopefully we will know if there will be any other phone offerings.

8/1/2012 12:59:15 PM

i want them to take their time...because if it takes long enough, i may be out of contract with verizon and won't mind spending $250 on a phone

8/1/2012 2:20:48 PM

im in wave D lol

8/1/2012 2:28:33 PM

yawn.

They should call it PPC....Poor People Cellular, actually they should just call Sprint and all Sprint's MVNO's that.

LTE FTMFW

8/1/2012 10:41:13 PM

i'm in beta wave M...wave C opened 8/16 and wave D was 8/21

i can't imagine that's representative of their schedule moving forward (especially since wave E should have opened up 8/26), but i imagine there won't be more than a month (on average) between waves, so i should be able to get in on this by spring of next year

8/27/2012 10:45:59 AM

Wave E: 9/6/12 through 9/20/12
Wave F: 9/28/12 through 10/12/12
Wave G: 10/11/12 through 10/25/12
Wave H: 10/12/12 through 10/26/12
Wave I: 10/12/12 through 10/26/12
Wave J: 10/15/12 through 10/29/12

at this rate, i should have a chance to get in before christmas

10/16/2012 2:13:18 PM

^Thanks for posting the waves! Still looking forward to trying this service out

10/16/2012 2:18:30 PM

I suspect the waves are going faster since people are waiting for the dual band phone and not wanting the single band phone. Also in the N&O they said they plan on opening it up to the public for the holiday season.

10/16/2012 3:23:57 PM

Quote :

"I suspect the waves are going faster since people are waiting for the dual band phone and not wanting the single band phone. Also in the N&O they said they plan on opening it up to the public for the holiday season."

i had no idea there was a dual-band phone in the works

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/25/republic-wireless-announces-dual-band-motorola-defy-xt/

Quote :

"Republic Wireless is pretty candid that it's still learning the ropes of the mobile world, but with its monthly service cost of $19 per month, we know more than a few people who'd like to help test the water. Most recently, the company admitted an error with its deployment of a single-band Motorola Defy XT, which is compatible only with Sprint's 1,900MHz network. While this is fine for many -- especially given that subscribers are primarily expected to use WiFi -- it's presented a more tangible challenge for those who live within or travel to areas that rely on 800MHz service. Don't be alarmed, however, because the company is going to make it right. From today, Republic Wireless subscribers in waves B through E will have 30 days to evaluate their service, and if it's unacceptable, may seek a full refund from the provider. Those who are willing to wait it out, however, will receive a free dual-band Defy XT when it becomes available. Similarly, the company is incentivizing the upgrade for those in wave A with a $100 discount. Meanwhile, it will continue to offer the single-band Defy XT to those in waves F and beyond, but alternatively, it'll also keep the door open for its invitees to come aboard once the dual-band version is available -- it certainly seems wise to hold out for the dual-band version if you're able."

i wonder when it's going to become available...i would definitely rather wait and if they are, indeed, opening to the public before christmas, there's no reason for me to hand off my invite (since i'm still under contract with verizon)

10/16/2012 3:30:29 PM

The difference in the coverage maps are pretty striking so I'm holding out for the dual band.
https://community.republicwireless.com/docs/DOC-1386?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonuKrMZKXonjHpfsX56uouW6KxlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4ASMRjI%2FqLAzICFpZo2FFaG%2B6Ra4lE7v0P

They have been much better about posting updates if you want to follow them on Twitter or FB.

10/17/2012 12:28:39 PM

^yep... i posted this in the Verizon thread:

Quote :

"i think "greatly" might be a stretch...improve? definitely"

I don't think it's a stretch...



(if those images don't show up I will repost them when I get home from work)

10/17/2012 4:41:16 PM

it's definitely more than i thought...but realize that the greater coverage is largely in rural areas...where there are many fewer people (and not really republic's demographic)

don't get me wrong, that's awesome and since my parents live in a rural area, they're definitely waiting until the new phone is out

10/17/2012 5:06:51 PM

true. i'm debating signing up now or waiting for the dual band... so ready to ditch verizon.

10/17/2012 5:11:25 PM

well, i don't suppose actually have a choice, but i'd wait it out...while it won't make much difference in raleigh, it probably will if you travel at all

10/17/2012 5:35:43 PM

Apparently Wi-Fi is only available in the middle of Lake Michigan if you get the dual-band phone.

10/17/2012 8:43:54 PM

By the looks of that map the dual band device will be using VZW a lot. What are the data caps on non-wifi usage?

I just looked in my gmail and I was PWNT by the bulk filter when they had signups for beta invites. Never saw the email.

[Edited on October 18, 2012 at 1:57 AM. Reason : ]

10/18/2012 1:53:18 AM

From my understanding, there are no caps for any usage. If you do 'abuse' non-Wifi, you may be warned and eventually booted. This was their stance a few months ago. It may have changed recently since they have said in the N&O that there are small percentage of users that they lose money on, but that the vast majority of users are profitable.

10/18/2012 10:16:41 AM

just got an invite email and signed up.

10/19/2012 11:42:39 AM

Well fuck, got my invite this morning too. But I think I'm going to wait for the dual band phone... Ugh cant decide!

10/19/2012 1:26:08 PM

i've got a wave M invite, but I think I'm gonna do straighttalk instead. if i could bring my own phone, this would be awesome, but my wife and i are too spoiled to settle for a mediocre device at this point :\

10/19/2012 5:18:58 PM

^ what makes it mediocre?

serious question...i haven't done much research on it, but it didn't seem too bad

the only thing i wish it had was 4G, but i usually keep my phone in 3G for the battery life and just flip it over when necessary...i could forgo that for $50+ in savings every MONTH

[Edited on October 19, 2012 at 6:27 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2012 6:22:45 PM

it seems to be a fine entry-level phone, and i would probably recommend it to my mother-in-law or something. but like i said, i'm a spoiled nerd and will not lose too much sleep paying more to be able to use a top of the line smartphone

10/19/2012 6:53:38 PM

right...but what makes it an "entry-level" phone?

10/19/2012 6:56:04 PM

^It's a 1ghz single core CPU, 512mb of memory, 1gb of storage running Android 2.3.7 with Motorola's bloatware UI layer.

In a world where for $249 you can get an ICS (or Jelly Bean) phone with dual core CPU, 2gb of ram with 8-16gb of onboard flash, with a vanilla (or at least rootable/removable UI layer) it's not exactly a top of the line Android handset.

That said, for the price and the service, it's not a super huge issue for me either. I'm probably going to give my beta phone to one of my parents too.

10/19/2012 7:39:40 PM

my thunderbolt is only a single core snapdragon, though it has 768 of RAM and 8GB of storage

i don't love by bolt by any stretch of the imagination, but that's as much because it's a prototype phone that's buggy as hell and has crap support from HTC and verizon (though an active dev community makes that less of an issue)

while a dual-core CPU would be nice, i never curse my phone for being slow (though it's overclocked to 1.4Ghz)...the memory DOES seem low, but i'm not worried about the internal storage (though it's annoying how small that is)

i think i can get past all of that for the price, though...i'm still one of those people who uses their phone as a PHONE first and foremost

[Edited on October 19, 2012 at 7:52 PM. Reason : google suggests there's several AOSP ICS ROMs available for the defy XT, so there's that]

10/19/2012 7:48:23 PM

just got my invitation

but i think i'm gonna pass on it

10/22/2012 10:33:13 AM

Thing is, you can cant flash custom roms to this thing, or you will lose the entire hybrid calling feature than Republic Wireless is founded on.

10/22/2012 6:01:39 PM

i didn't look into past google results...figured the ROMs would include the hybrid feature (and fwiw, i would not be one of those people to flash anything else...it needs to have the hybrid)

10/22/2012 8:23:59 PM

So has anyone here actually used Republic Wireless? I have a few more days to decide between them or Straight Talk.

10/29/2012 11:53:36 PM

a coworker just got RW. The phone seems to be ok and the service is great. It's sprint's network and as long as you get wifi the service is awesome.

He has had no complaints and has been using it for almost a week.

10/31/2012 3:46:13 PM

I'ma wait until the dual-band comes out.

10/31/2012 9:50:55 PM

just received this email:

Quote :

"This is your second chance to join republic wireless, the nation's first Wi-Fi mobile network, and the thousands already enjoying $19 per month for unlimited talk, text and data with no overages, no contracts, no hidden charges. Ever. Beginning today, we’re offering a special pre-order opportunity to reserve a dual-band Motorola DEFY XT smartphone, no invitation or wave needed. Each dual-band DEFY XT phone features our Hybrid Calling technology which uses Wi-Fi where it's available and cell where it’s not. It’s a smarter smartphone, designed to offer you tremendous savings. "

it's open to everyone, now: https://join.republicwireless.com/

[Edited on November 19, 2012 at 3:04 PM. Reason : link]

11/19/2012 3:04:13 PM

Preordered mine less than 5 minutes after getting the email Here's hoping it gets here in time for Christmas!

11/19/2012 7:43:04 PM

in for 1 for the wifey

11/20/2012 9:11:07 AM

awesome. my wife has the single band version of the phone and generally doesn't have any problem with it. I'm getting in on this as soon as possible.

11/20/2012 9:59:55 AM

looks like she can order up to 4 additional lines on her account now! I think i'm going to keep us on the same account

11/20/2012 10:32:21 AM

Ordered two this morning. I'm hoping they prioritize shipping if you were in a wave, but if they don't that's fine too. Now they just have to stay in business for a about a year so I can break even.

11/20/2012 1:45:05 PM

Dual-band phones are now shipping to the trade in program users. Hopefully we are not too far behind. https://community.republicwireless.com/thread/5274

12/9/2012 11:07:22 AM

Some guy in an Enterprise rental truck just dropped mine off.

12/12/2012 1:14:17 PM

^Yea, I've been busy today.

12/12/2012 1:22:51 PM

^^ were you a trade-in/upgrade person or new customer?

got an email today that they were now shipping the dual-band XT to all non-trade-in folks, so there's that

except for the money part, and being stuck with the brick that is a thunderbolt, i'm kinda glad that being in a verizon contract has kept me from doing this...another 5 or 6 months might (though probably won't) give us a new phone, but it'll give them plenty of time to work out any kinks and upgrade software as the multitude starts using the network

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 3:24 PM. Reason : carats]

12/12/2012 3:19:32 PM

New customer.

12/12/2012 3:59:06 PM