USA TODAY International Edition
HAS REPUBLIC WIRELESS GOT A DEAL FOR YOU
Budget carrier’s Moto X delivers calls via Wi- Fi, cellular on the cheap
Republic
NEW YORK Wireless made a name for itself with an insanely low $ 19- a- month contract- free cellphone plan built mostly around Wi- Fi calling. But it offered only a midtier Android phone, not one of the higher- profile phones. That changes now that Republic starts selling a modified version of Motorola’s Moto X, with budget plans that start as low as $ 5 a month.
You will have to put up with a few quirks to use Republic’s version of the phones, but with fewer strings than before. And in the Moto X phone, you can get a really good phone at an even better price. It’s expected to be available beginning this week at the Republic Wireless website.
Republic is charging $ 299 ( plus taxes and fees) for the Moto X with no contract required. For comparison, an “unlocked” Moto X on Amazon commands around $ 600. And Republic has added four aggressively priced monthly rate plans:
For $ 5 a month, you get unlimited voice, text and data, but only over Wi- Fi. To venture into cellular- only territory, you must upgrade. That might make this an ideal “second phone” or a device you might give to a child or elderly parent to use around the house.
For $ 10 a month you can add cellular to the mix, but only for unlimited talk and texting; you’re still confined to Wi- Fi for unlimited data.
For $ 25 a month, you can add unlimited 3G cellular.
For $ 40 a month you get unlimited 4G cellular, including LTE where available ( from Sprint).
Republic says you can switch plans up to two times each billing cycle. You’re still encouraged to make calls over Wi- Fi whenever possible, which offers genuine advantages in places like my basement, where cellular coverage is often spotty.
THE WI- FI CONNECTION
Republic can sell service so cheaply in part because most of the time you make or receive calls over Wi- Fi, rather than piggybacking over the Sprint nationwide cellular network, with which Republic has a wholesale business arrangement.
With the Moto X, Republic has addressed one of the major bugaboos I faced with the Motorola Defy XT phone that I previously reviewed. Under Republic’s hybrid calling system the “handoff” from Wi- Fi to cellular worked like this: If you began a call over Wi- Fi then moved to a cellular- only area, the call was dropped and the Defy phone automatically redialed the number on the cell network. Not exactly a seamless scenario.
Republic still sells that Defy and offers the $ 19 plan. But now the com- pany is reaching out to consumers who relish a higher- end device.
When I began Moto X calls in my basement under Wi- Fi and then walked down the street beyond the reach of my router, neither I, nor the folks I talked to, detected the switch to cellular. That’s a marked change from before. Republic also now supports MMS ( multimedia messaging) and visual voice mail.
TRANSITION IS ONE- WAY STREET
There are still tradeoffs: Wi- Fi typically provides a better experience than cellular, but once you’re gabbing on the cell network you can’t return to Wi- Fi, even if you venture back into Wi- Fi territory, without someone hanging up and redialing.
When you are within reach of a public hotspot, the phone determines whether or not the Wi- Fi signal is going to provide a good calling experience, and if not, automatically switches to cellular. The only way you can tell for sure whether you’re on cellular or Wi- Fi is by looking at a green arch at the top left corner of the display.
Republic plans to add an “auto-credentialing” feature so that you won’t have to enter a password or authenticate a public Wi- Fi connection, but that feature won’t be available at launch.
Once you enter a password to connect to your own Wi- Fi network, the phone saves your credentials.
In most respects the Moto X you buy from Republic is the same as the model you’d get from any other carrier. It runs Android 4.2.2 ( Jelly Bean), has a 4.7- inch 720p HD display, and includes the Active Display feature that lets you check the time or see icons indicating that a text or e- mail has arrived by peeking at the screen, even if the phone’s asleep.
But you cannot custom design Republic’s Moto X via the Moto Maker website, as is possible with the versions from the other carriers. Republic’s model is only available in black or white, at least for now.
Republic is also selling only a version with 16GB of onboard storage not the step- up 32GB model available elsewhere. Fortunately, you get 50GB of cloud storage from Google.
You also cannot insert a SIM card from a rival provider into the Moto X that Republic sells. Republic modified the Moto X to work with its hybrid wireless system.
The cellphone world is rapidly changing, with carriers such as TMobile leading the way in relaxing burdensome cellphone contracts. But even without a contract, you’re still paying a lot. Republic’s Moto X handset doesn’t come cheap, either. But by today’s rate standards, Republic is offering a true bargain.