NEW wireless company .. thinking of the box : Republic Wireless

[dan330]

Republic Wireless leaves beta — pre-order your wireless freedom today!

seeing it uses Sprint CDMA wireless for backup...
does that mean some day sprint's android phones can be hacked to work on it? will they use the LTE?

at $19/month.. that sounds good... interesting.

but.. what if at the Mall there are 100 ppl on RW..
using the free wifi provided by the mall... these are not very fast...
and if 10-20 ppl are talking on the voice of data... and 10-20 are surfing...5-10 are streaming vid.. 5-10 are streaming music...
and dont forget all the other devices using that free wifi...
how well will this fly?


what do you guys think? will it fly?

 

[breadnatty08]

I don't think this will fly to be honest. My thought is, it's just TOO cheap and relies on so much that they don't provide (like free wifi). In the occasional instance I'm out and about in town (and DC is pretty urban) and need wifi for my tablet or computer, it's just not always there.
For the "mostly phone call but needs a smartphone on a budget" person, I think the pay as you go carriers like Boost, Virgin, Cricket will reign.
But, like you said, this is quite interesting...

 

[Bob Maxey]

Not sure if it will fly. Too much depends upon having an existing WiFi connection. I'll stick with my 50.00 per month "unlimited" Criket plan or VM. I can connect everywhere I go and I do not need a WiFi connection.

 

[Scur]

It doesn't need wifi to work. It will connect to a wifi if available, but if you're out and about it uses Sprint and its partners. And there's a 30 money back guarantee, so you're not screwed if you don't like it.
And there's no penalty if you don't use wifi very often, if ever. According to their data, the percentage of folks who they lose money on by using primarily Sprint networks is quite low and is more than offset by the folks who use plenty of wifi.
I've ordered mine, and plan on sharing my experiences with it in the republic wireless forum here. I'm just wondering what my chances are of ever getting it rooted.

 

[Scur]

Well, Root-Android says they can root it.

 

[Drhyde]

Meh...I'm doing the $30 - 100 min. unlimited text/data on T-Mo. I can route calls through data and my Google Voice if I need to and add about 4000 minutes or more. I avoid CDMA like the plague. I suppose it's alright, but really there are already other compelling options out there like what I have or Boost mobile for just a little more.

 

[poriggity]

Interesting concept, and I can see it working well in heavily populated urban cities with plenty of places that offer free wifi, but in the sticks or less populated areas, it could be sketchy.
Scott