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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 15, 2013 17:18:44 GMT -5
... to my cell phone of 15 years ... I was chatting with Scott (Shotgunner) today at the Searchers Rock Sale and somehow we got on the topic of mobile service. He mentioned that he had recently switched to Republic Wireless and gave me the skinny: 1. $19.99 per phone per month 2. Unlimited Data 3. Unlimited Phone 4. Unlimited Text For more information go to www.republicwireless.comNot the greatest or latest mobile device but, frankly, it's better than the one my wife and I are using. Here's what we're currently paying through Sprint: 1. $59.99 per month for 550 'Anytime' minutes 2. $9.99 per month for the additional line 3. No Data 4. No Text 5. Average monthly bill: $80 as we're consistently going over the 550 minutes. Last month's bill was $102 ... just for phone calls. Here's our phones: So, after years of service with the old "Star Trek" flip phone, we're finally moving up to a mobile (albeit, not the latest generation but newer than ours) device. Thanks for the tip, Scott! Paul Shiroma
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jun 15, 2013 21:42:56 GMT -5
I use NET 10 for 5 cents a minute.It has a huge problem.They must by low cost signal.It drops constantly and sick reception.
You may do well w/that system.I am starting to think you may get what you pay for
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 15, 2013 22:20:11 GMT -5
Republic uses a hybrid system. If the phone finds a WiFi connection, it'll use that for the call. If not, Republic uses Sprint's 3G network. I'm actually pretty happy with Sprint's network so, for me, this is the best of both worlds. Low price and a wireless system I'm pleased with.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 22:15:22 GMT -5
Paul did you already sign up? If you use me as referrer we both get free month.
Jim I've had the service for a month and kidelt/wifey for two months. No ongoing issues at all.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 22:18:25 GMT -5
Here is some reasons they can be cheap:
Statistics show 50% of the calls are "offloaded" to a wife call.
They have zero telephone tech support - all support is email based or community based. They have forums much like this forum;.
They only support one telephone. No needs for a HUGE compatibility department testing the software with thousands of phone.
low infrastructure costs. They are reselling sprint service.
Low cost 3G bandwidth, no 4G service available.
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 17, 2013 21:05:25 GMT -5
Paul did you already sign up? If you use me as referrer we both get free month. NUTS ... I didn't see the reference option. I signed up immediately, Saturday morning.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jun 18, 2013 9:42:48 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip, Paul and Scott. That sure looks like a sweet deal. I'm using an old Samsung like Paul's (Star Trek flip phone!) but no camera. I have T-Mobile, no contract, prepaid minutes. Got rid of the contract a few years ago. T-Mobile has decent reception in most areas (Quartzsite is pretty good), but from Ramona eastward until almost Ocotillo Wells - nuthin'! Almost 40 miles as the crow flies of dead air. Was paying about $75 for three phones, total of 700 minutes a month (never went over in three years). Now spend less than $150 a year for my minutes, about $50 for hubby's. He got a newer phone (also a Samsung) with a camera, video, etc., now wants to get internet access. Personally, I think it would be wasted on him, he wouldn't use it enough to justify it. But it would be nice to be able to look up information (telephone numbers, addresses, directions) while on the road.
My question is, what's the difference between 3G and 4G? Thanks! Jean
PS - If I do it, will be sure to refer one of you!
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 18, 2013 22:22:59 GMT -5
Jean: Interestingly, I can't tell the diff between 3G and 4G. Unless you're in a Dilbert cartoon and your 4G is better than your competition because it's: "G-g-g-good". My company equips it's managers with iPhone5 with a 4G provider and, in our building, I can only get LTE or nothing at all. My old Sprint Star Trek flip phone gets better reception than my iP5.
Ultimately, although the DEFY XT is "older" technology, it is light years ahead of what I'm using now and the plan is less expensive while providing more features and service. $38 Unlimited/unlimited/unlimited. The phones arrive this Friday so we'll be up and running this weekend. I'll let you know how they work and my first impressions.
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chassroc
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Post by chassroc on Jun 19, 2013 8:15:25 GMT -5
I'm guessing that 3G or 4G only matters if your Phone is 3G or 4G enabled
Charlie
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Post by texaswoodie on Jun 19, 2013 8:42:31 GMT -5
I have Verizon which in my opinion has the best coverage of any company. However I'm sick of a $140 a month phone bill. I would be very interested to know what kind of reception you guys get with this company. Cheap prices aren't any good if you can't get reception.
Curt
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 11:28:56 GMT -5
I have Verizon which in my opinion has the best coverage of any company. However I'm sick of a $140 a month phone bill. I would be very interested to know what kind of reception you guys get with this company. Cheap prices aren't any good if you can't get reception. Curt Curt, start asking your friends and colleagues there in your area what carrier they use. If they use sprint, inquire deeper. Republic resells sprint services. In the old days Verizon was the way to go. They are still the best but the rest are not significantly far behind. I have had my service for two months, wifey & kidlet for three months. Nobody is complaining about service. This is disruptive technology.
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billg22
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Post by billg22 on Jun 19, 2013 11:39:51 GMT -5
It's strange how dependent we get on our phones. We were with T-mobile for years. It worked great at work, if you stood next to the third lamp post on the far side of the parking lot. We upgraded to iphones with AT&T and we have no problems. I really can't live without the iphone. We've had Apple for all of our computing lives and it's just a good fit. Lots of $$$, but it fits our needs. I still like reading newspapers, books and paper maps. So I'm still not a tech-geek. Yet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 21:33:52 GMT -5
Scott, how do I sign you up as a referrer? I am using net ten at $30 for 300 minutes for two months. My net 10 would be cheaper but if I use the net the minutes go fast so I want unlimited. I will probably sign up for the $19 plan when my minutes run out. Jim
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chassroc
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Post by chassroc on Jun 20, 2013 6:51:32 GMT -5
Verizon probably has the best coverage..but I've done well with the others.
I switched to Consumers Celluler a year or two ago
They are usually advertised in AARP
I like them and you can customize your coverage.
My wife and I pay less than $60/month total for 2 lines with 750 minutes, 1000 messages and 100MB. At home and other locations we use WIFI to make that 100MB go pretty far
I've used it on the east coast and in Oregon and the black hills without issues except some outages in very remote areas which I've had even with Verizon.
Charlie
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 20, 2013 15:00:50 GMT -5
I have Verizon which in my opinion has the best coverage of any company. However I'm sick of a $140 a month phone bill. I would be very interested to know what kind of reception you guys get with this company. Cheap prices aren't any good if you can't get reception. Curt Curt, to second Shotgunner's comments, I'm a Sprint user now so I'm anticipating the service to be the same, which, for me, has been excellent. No issues with dropped calls, service coverage area has been solid. Phones are scheduled for delivery today by UPS. I'll get activated and running and will post an update. Paul
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 24, 2013 22:10:08 GMT -5
So, the phones arrived Thursday and we go them up and running that night. Republic Wireless took care of transferring our existing phone numbers from Sprint to our new phones and cancelled our Sprint service for us. By Friday night, we had our numbers transferred and Saturday our Sprint service was cancelled. Whoo hoo! Excellent customer service from Republic. They made the transfer process amazingly simple, quick and painless. The DEFT XT is smaller than my iPhone5 Company phone and, frankly, easier to carry. I really don't like the size of the iPhone. Obviously, the DEFY is considerably larger than my old flip phone. Here's a quick run down on my purely subjective impressions, thus far: Phone Service: While on cellular service, I can't tell the difference between the three phones. All three perform just fine - no dropped calls, no interruptions, etc. I do notice that my Cable internet service isn't up to handling VoIP. I do have the base level ATT service so that's no surprise. I may upgrade my internet service but we'll see. I don't live on my cell phone so this may not be an issue. Data Service: Works just fine. Our office building is notoriously difficult on data via cellular service and the Republic Wireless (Sprint) 3G network performs just as well as the iPhone5 Verizon 4G network inside our building. Can't tell the difference - download speeds were equivalent and I was able to send email and check baseball scores with ease on either phone. There was no discernible difference between my iPhone5 and my DEFT XT. I'm sure there is some techie who will disagree with me and be able to prove a difference, but to my subjective impressions, they were equivalent. I will say it was great being able to check baseball scores while we were all having lunch following church services. Text: I haven't figured out texting yet. Not the phone's fault; it's actually me. I've never had a phone that could handle texts until now so I haven't tried this option yet. Actually, I haven't had the need to text anyone yet either. So, for $19 a month (per line) I'm quite pleased. I also prefer the overall size of the DEFT XT to my iPhone5 company phone. I like the screen resolution and screen size of the iPhone but not enough to make me want to get one. And, frankly, the Sprint plan to upgrade to a Republic equivalent was obnoxious (over $200 per month for Barbara and I). Poor photo of a side by side. Sorry for the resolution. Rushed this on in low light tonight. I will say that moving between and Android OS and the Apple OS sometimes causes me to cross mental wires but that's not a big deal. Just my age showing. LOL
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2013 23:30:01 GMT -5
paul, text is the envelope. I just sent you a txt. If you respond you are a maven!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2013 12:06:11 GMT -5
I was going to sign up but I would have had to change my number (something about being in Wyoming). I am willing to change it now to save some bucks. Can I connect it to my computer? I will have to have internet connection through my phone because I hate McDonalds. Jim
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Post by paulshiroma on Jan 1, 2014 23:06:24 GMT -5
Hey Jim: Sorry, I've been out of the forum for a bit and just noticed the post. Can you setup a wireless router, like a DLink or something? Then you can connect the computer via the normal ethernet connection and get a wifi signal for the phone.
Paul
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 2, 2014 11:10:33 GMT -5
My first cell phone ever and its a "Straight Talk" wife wants me to have it because of the areas I hunt rocks at are clueless if someone was to try to find me..I hardly ever use it... Can't stand talking on phones..
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