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Motorola announces a new Edge+ with a borderline ridiculous price tag
Going toe-to-toe with the big boys again
Motorola sells a lot of phones, but they're mostly the cheap ones you can get for a pittance at your nearest carrier storefront. It did not release an updated flagship phone in 2021, but that changes in 2022. Motorola has announced a new Edge+ smartphone with the latest hardware and software. However, it's even more spendy than the last Edge phone at $1,000. Moto is promising a $100 discount at launch, but we don't know when that will be yet.
Republic Wireless dishes out new look, new plans, and disappointment
Loyal fans aren't happy with some of the changes
Dish has made its mark on its newest acquisition with a new logo and new plans for virtual carrier Republic Wireless and by how people are reacting to it all, we think this will leave a stain.
Dish buys Republic Wireless, continuing its carrier shopping spree
It's the third MVNO the company has purchased in the last year
Dish, the parent company of Dish Network, Sling TV, and both Boost Mobile and Ting as of last year, is still very much in the M&A mood. It's just purchased Republic Wireless, yet another Mobile Virtual Network Operator. News of the acquisition was posted to Republic's forums by CEO Chris Chuang.
Republic Wireless is offering an interesting new product: SIM cards that come pre-loaded with either 30 or 90 days of (technically) unlimited data. The new cards don't require activation, an account, or even a payment method after purchase. There are a few caveats, though.There's always an asterisk when you're talking about unlimited data, and it's no different here. The cards do provide as much data as you want, but only a portion of it is at usable speeds: for the 30-day card, the first 20 gigabytes are at 4G speeds, and the 90-day card is allotted 20 gigs per 30 days (so 60 total, but divided into thirds). After you hit the cards' limits, any further data used will be 2G. Roaming also isn't included, so don't go buying one of these cards to take overseas.Strangely, the cards are activated when they're delivered, not when you pop them in your device, which limits their utility even further. But if you have a device that only needs data, these are a pretty solid deal, particularly the 90-day variant. They're not reloadable, though, so once your card expires, you'll need to get a new one if you want to continue getting service.You can buy the cards now exclusively on Amazon. The 30-day card is .99; the 90-day will run you .99.Source: Republic Wireless, Amazon
In this age of smartphones, there is some legitimate concern over how much screen time is safe and/or healthy for children. Wherever you fall in this discussion is your business, but Republic Wireless is taking a step in helping families stay in on-demand communication without the need for a display. That initiative is called Relay, a small LTE/Wifi-enabled walkie-talkie that works wherever a phone does (including location tracking).
The announcement for the Moto E4 earlier this month had us pretty psyched. There's a lot to love about the phone, as the specifications for Motorola's latest E series devices are great for the price. And, now the wait to get your own is over. As of today, you can pick up the Moto E4 at carriers like Republic Wireless and Ting, and you can even buy it unlocked directly from Amazon for use with other carriers. There is no word yet on the power capacious Moto E4 Plus, so if you were holding out for that, the wait continues.
Every day we seem to be inundated with ads about who has the absolute cheapest data plan. Online, television, billboards, junk mail, even old-fashioned radio - it seems I can't go five minutes without each carrier telling me how much cheaper they are than everyone else, going so far as to hire old Verizon spokesmen and make dubious claims about reliability.
Republic Wireless, the mobile virtual network operator that was doing hybrid Wi-Fi service before it was cool, is now an independent republic. The company received a $30 million capital investment from its parent corporation Bandwidth, according to The Verge, which allowed it to become its own separate entity. The Republic Wireless blog says that aside from a necessary change in names on customers' Terms of Service agreements, no significant changes to the service or business model are planned.
Republic Wireless unleashed a raft of new phones to go along with its new GSM network agreement recently, and now the other shoe drops. In addition to buying a phone from Republic, you can bring your own. It still has to be on the approved list, though.
For years, Republic Wireless has offered inexpensive plans and interesting WiFi calling features, but the selection of phones was extremely limited. That changes today. After announcing a new GSM network partner and smartphone portfolio, both are live today. You can pick up devices like the Nexus 6P and Galaxy S7 for use on Republic Wireless right now.
Republic Wireless recently announced it was finally changing the way it runs its service with a GSM partner and support for a number of unlocked phones like the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Galaxy S7. To go along with this v3.0 revamp, the carrier has announced new plans with simpler pricing and higher data tier options. However, the cheapest plan is getting more expensive.
I never thought there would be a day when I'd know this much about US carriers and MVNOs, but this is what happens when you work on a US-based site like Android Police. Republic Wireless though comes a lot less often on our radar, and I just discovered why. Until now, the MVNO only had a couple of devices to choose from. Literally, a couple: the Motorola Moto G (3rd Gen) and Moto E (2nd Gen). It also seems to be ahead of its times, relying on Wi-Fi calling and piggy-backing on Sprint's network when Wi-Fi isn't available.
Many carriers now offer some form of WiFi calling, but Republic Wireless bases its entire business model on making WiFi calls a seamless part of the experience. A new feature of Republic Wireless' hybrid MVNO network called Bonded Calling aims to improve call quality by using both WiFi and cellular data at the same time to fill in the gaps when you're stuck on a spotty WiFi network.
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The hybrid cellular-WiFi carrier Republic Wireless is launching a new budget device this month, and it's a good one. The 3rd generation Moto G will be available for purchase from Republic on October 27th in both 8GB and 16GB versions. The pricing isn't as competitive as past Republic Wireless phones have been, but the Moto G is a crazy-good deal already.
Republic Wireless has one big selling point—the ability to seamlessly switch from a call from Wi-Fi to cellular without getting dropped. This enables it to offer low monthly bills, as customers tend to offload most of their usage onto Wi-Fi when they're at home.
Republic Wireless is a good option if you really want to save some cash on your monthly bill. The MVNO's hybrid WiFi-cellular plans cost between $5 and $55, depending on what you want. However, you need to buy phones directly from the carrier. Now you've got another phone option on Republic—the 2nd Gen Moto E with LTE.
Republic Wireless is changing up the way it charges for data. Today the company has unveiled its new refund plan that encourages customers to use less cellular data and save money.
Folks who are drawn to the idea of reducing their monthly bill by offloading most of their usage onto Wi-Fi may be happy to know that Republic Wireless has dropped the price of its 2nd gen Moto X by $100. Customers can now pick one up for a mere $300. Though approaching a year old at this point, this remains the best phone the MVNO offers.
Republic Wireless, the Sprint MVNO that burdens as much cellular load as it can onto Wi-Fi networks and seamlessly switches between the two, is changing the way it handles plans. Starting later this year, the company will charge you based on how much you use rather than the speed of your data connection. It will also offer refunds if you don't use up all the data you pay for each month. The carrier is calling this project Maestro.
Republic Wireless' hybrid WiFi-cellular calling system requires a number of changes to the firmware of phones, so updates tend to take a little longer. Case in point, The Moto G and Moto E are about to get Android 4.4.4 on Republic, but the Moto X is delayed a bit longer.