Republic Wireless questions

[TheCatWhisperer]

Republic Wireless sounds like a great provider based on what I've seen from MMM reviews. I've been a longtime Iphone user, and my contract is up for renewal with AT&T. Crunching the numbers, it looks like RW could save me $2000 (!) over the next 2 years. A couple of questions for people that are more familiar with this service:
1. Podcasts. Can you do them? I listen every morning to Ted Talks, Stuff You Missed in History, etc. etc. Do the Moto phones have an ap for that?
2. How is the clarity when talking on the phone? I use my phone sometimes after hours to call patients, so dependable service is critical.
3. Has anyone ever switched over, but left after using them? If so, why?
Thanks!!

[Future Lazy]

Likewise, moving from ATT to Republic saved us ~$1800 per year as well. I bought new and expensive phones, so for the first 12 months it'll only be $900 cheaper, but then after that, $1800 cheaper. That's on the $25/mo plan for two people, coming out to $58/mo for both of us in my state of Colorado.

1) Moto(rola) phones are just android phones like everything else that isn't an Iphone or a Windows Phone. Check out the Google play store to see what apps are available:
https://play.google.com/store?hl=en

I'm 110% sure you can find an app to play you podcasts.

2) Call clarity off of wifi has been great so far - it's 3G Sprint, and I've never had an issue.
Clarity on wifi depends on the quality of your wifi and the strength of the signal, of course. I live in one room so I'm generally right next to my router, and I've never had an issue.

3) Not so far. :)

[Daley]

Have you tried actually sitting down with your bills, working out your actual usage needs, and tried going on a bit of a data diet?

Odds are, you could easily save just as much money and still keep your current iPhones by moving to an AT&T or T-Mobile MVNO. You just need to sit down and separate your needs from your wants and budget accordingly, just like your financial budget.... only quicker and easier.

Start here.

[Ricksun]

I.P. Daley's guide is insanely detailed and worth a read, but to address your questions,

1. The MOTO phones have all of the applications that any other android would have.  If your app is specific to the I-phone, you won't get it, but most apps are built for both Apple and android.

2.  This all depends on how well Sprint works in your area.  When at home, Republic will work off of your own Wi-Fi connectivity in your home - I haven't had any issues.  When away from home, it reverts to the sprint network.  I'm in an area where sprint is prevalent, so no issues here. 

3. Republic Wireless's biggest rap is their customer service.  When things work, everyone is happy and that is by far what happens 99% of the time.  When there's a quirk however, (phone didn't transfer over, your MMS aren't coming through because you previously used Iphone, transfers from wifi to sprint network drops calls, etc...), there is no customer service # to actually call.  It's all done online and through their forums, which can be untimely and prone to miscommunications.  But that's also one of the reasons its so low price.   

We've been happy and reached our break-even point 6 months in and are raking in ~100 a month savings now.  This was before they had the more economical phones, so you might make out even better.

Rick