Walmart HTC Wildfire S Virgin Mobile $69.99, LG Optimus Slider $99

Quote from dkraut : um, yes you can. T-Mobile offers prepaid unlimited everything for $50 per month.

*UM* ...Incorrect. T-Mobile only offers 100MB at 4G only. So not really unlimited.. they still have a data-cap VS. Virgin unlimited 4G service for $5 more.


Unlimited* = *First 100MB at up to 4G speeds

Link [walmart.com]
compare at $119.99
Free In-Store Pickup

Repost. Deal already posted at http://slickdeals.net/f/5100724-W...-Slider-99

Quote from twostepopper : How so? ..you can't take calls in your car or half the places in the country with that even. You have to be connected to a Wi-Fi network in order to make or receive phone calls. Seems like that would get really annoying.. unless I'm missing something here thats my understanding of the service that they offer. Please correct me if I'm wrong. thanks

yes you can. I have and use Republic. When not on WiFi it uses the Sprint service for calls, text and web.

What they don't have is the latest phone which is my big downside. They also don't have phone in customer service but they are reasonably good with the email response and community forums.

Quote from cpcollector : That's a bit ridiculous to compare a full service carrier with a good selection of phones to a relatively new start up with only beta access and only two devices, don't you think? There are plans that beat VM's unlimited but the $35 plan is pretty awesome for those who need more than the 100 mins that T-Mobile offers.

Not at all. The question is deal and price. I can do everything on Republic that can be done on the VM service at significant cost savings.

Quote from bioGuru : yes you can. I have and use Republic. When not on WiFi it uses the Sprint service for calls, text and web. What they don't have is the latest phone which is my big downside. They also don't have phone in customer service but they are reasonably good with the email response and community forums.

Very interesting service.. the key thing that sucks is noted in this article excerpt.

"There is no handoff
The one big thing users of Republic Wireless need to keep in mind is that there is absolutely no handoff between service on the wireless network and the Sprint network. If you are in the middle of a phone call and you move from your house to your car, the call will drop before you leave the driveway. If you are on a call on the Sprint network and you return to a wireless network that the device is familiar with, the call will remain on the Sprint network. When the call ends, the phone will connect to Republic Wireless again. As long as your a mindful of this, it isn’t really a issue. Unfortunately, forgetting is a frustrating thing when you are on the phone."


For $20 I'm assuming you could just say hey ill call you back in a minute and be all good. Thanks for the heads up on the service.. pretty interesting company and definitely a great option for some people to check out.

So since it runs on sprints network if youre on the road somewhere remote and break down you still have access to a phone network for help? And i'm assuming 911 support as well?

Quote from twostepopper : Very interesting service.. the key thing that sucks is noted in this article excerpt. "There is no handoff The one big thing users of Republic Wireless need to keep in mind is that there is absolutely no handoff between service on the wireless network and the Sprint network. If you are in the middle of a phone call and you move from your house to your car, the call will drop before you leave the driveway. If you are on a call on the Sprint network and you return to a wireless network that the device is familiar with, the call will remain on the Sprint network. When the call ends, the phone will connect to Republic Wireless again. As long as your a mindful of this, it isn’t really a issue. Unfortunately, forgetting is a frustrating thing when you are on the phone." For $20 I'm assuming you could just say hey ill call you back in a minute and be all good. Thanks for the heads up on the service.. pretty interesting company and definitely a great option for some people to check out. So since it runs on sprints network if youre on the road somewhere remote and break down you still have access to a phone network for help? And i'm assuming 911 support as well?

Yes, wifi handoff is still a problem. I recall T-mobile took some time to get it working with UMA when they did it. And yes, that is what I do when it drops. Usually I know when it will drop (I am waling out of a building or house) so I just warn the person on the phone or I sit there for an extra minute. Not sure why the end user would care that the active call doesn't hand back from Sprint to WiFi. You stay connected until the call is done so no problem there.

The system also doesn't support MMS (pictures, video and audio) via the SMS protocol. There is no plans to fix this acknowledged bug (or it is way down the list) since people can send stuff to you via email. I never send with MMS and only very rarely receive so its not a big deal. And the sender gets a message after several minutes telling them that the MMS could not be sent. SMS (plain text) works just fine. But if you are a heavy MMS then I would advise staying away from Republic.

Yes, as soon as I leave the house I am on the Sprint network just like my friends who pay Sprint directly. Same reception, same bars, etc.

It is like other e-911 services but yes you get the whole Sprint network, voice, text, web.

To the people wanting to keep their grandfathered $25 a month plan and get a decent phone but it takes a little work on your part.
I picked up a like new Motorola Triumph on Amazon for $100 and the phone has had problems since it's release, But the private developers have fixed most of the issues and this is now a really nice phone and should last me several years.

Quote from bioGuru : Yes, wifi handoff is still a problem. I recall T-mobile took some time to get it working with UMA when they did it. And yes, that is what I do when it drops. Usually I know when it will drop (I am waling out of a building or house) so I just warn the person on the phone or I sit there for an extra minute. Not sure why the end user would care that the active call doesn't hand back from Sprint to WiFi. You stay connected until the call is done so no problem there. The system also doesn't support MMS (pictures, video and audio) via the SMS protocol. There is no plans to fix this acknowledged bug (or it is way down the list) since people can send stuff to you via email. I never send with MMS and only very rarely receive so its not a big deal. And the sender gets a message after several minutes telling them that the MMS could not be sent. SMS (plain text) works just fine. But if you are a heavy MMS then I would advise staying away from Republic. Yes, as soon as I leave the house I am on the Sprint network just like my friends who pay Sprint directly. Same reception, same bars, etc. It is like other e-911 services but yes you get the whole Sprint network, voice, text, web.

I'm content on my SERO-30 now but definitely will be letting one friend who's been using google voice with his i-touch for the past couple years know about this. sent ya some REP points. have a good day.

VirginMobile $20 TopUp for $19.88 [walmart.com]

Just a question though...(I am new to VirginMobile -- this is the second week of my first month of PayLo $20/mo service) and I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience as the person who posted this statement on WalMart.com in regards to the $20 TopUp card:

Virgin Mobile $20 Topup Card
12/28/2011
TaintsvilleSteeler
The card is a $20 top up card as advertised. It does add $20 and 30 days to your current account. My only complaint is that it adds the 30 day extension to your current account but begins on the date you activate the card. It does not extened your current end date by 30 days. So when I activated my top up card 2 weeks before my current account expiration date, I ended up shorting myself two weeks (half) of the card's time value. So if you buy a top-up card, I suggest you only activate it the day of or day before your account expires. Otherwise, you will get less than 30 days of extended time added to your phone's expiration date.

here is the website if you prefer to read it at the source [walmart.com]

Does this person's statement still hold true? Let's say I were to buy a $20 TopUp card from WalMart today (I am still 2 weeks away from my plan's due date), would I be essentially losing 2 weeks of airtime?

Thanks a lot for 'yall help!