Two Days Down with Republic Wireless and the Motorola Moto X

The other day I received a Republic Wireless Motorola Moto X to utilize. Partly to test out how Republic Wireless’s service was and partly to take a look at the Moto X for the first time. Having seen all the talk about the device and how much people who owned one loved it, I needed to see how it really was for myself. Having cleared two whole days, and then some, of using it as much as possible, I thought now would be a good time to offer up a round of initial thoughts.

Republic Wireless is a no contract monthly service that utilizes Wi-Fi and Sprint’s 3G/4G where available for service. Their devices come preloaded with the Republic Wireless app that helps you setup the device to your Wi-Fi connection and manage your account. In the settings of the app you have various bits of information and things you can adjust. For instance, setting the activity recognition to automatically select the best networks and manage how sensitive the handover from Wi-Fi to Cellular data is. You can even set it to allow you to manually hand off from Wi-Fi to cell or vise versa.

Republic Wireless has 4 plans to choose from based on your needs. (These are just for the Moto X)

1. Wi-Fi only for $5 a month – Unlimited calls, text and data so long as you are on a Wi-Fi network.
2. Wi-Fi + Cell $10 a month – Unlimited calling & text over both Wi-Fi and Cell connections, but only data when connected to Wi-Fi.
3. Wi-Fi + Cell + 3G $25 a month – Unlimited calls, text and data on Wi-Fi plus 3G cell access.
4. Wi-Fi + Cell + 4G  $40 a month – Unlimited calls, text and data on Wi-Fi plus 4G cellular where available.

For the most part, these plans work out pretty perfectly for me. I spend a great deal of time at home on my Wi-Fi, I would say a good 80% of my day. Part of my day is spent assisting a disabled lady who also has Wi-Fi, so I am connected there too.  I am currently using the 3rd plan, Wi-Fi + Cell + 3G. From a two day experience in my more rural, and Sprint supported, area I have above average coverage. The data is obviously fairly slow, but it handles calls, texts, G+, hangouts and emails just fine which is my primary usage when it comes to data when out and about. I have only driven around a little bit, so over the next few weeks I will be running around the area and checking it against my T-Mobile service.

As for the the Moto X. This is my first hands on experience with it. I didn’t check it out at CES at all and haven’t ventured out to any stores to hold one. My first impression after opening up and turning it on is that it is TINY. It really is a tiny device compared to handling my Xperia Z. That isn’t a bad thing. The physical size is 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm (5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 in) as compared to me Xperia Z 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm (5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 in). In physical tech size the Moto X is nearly a half inch shorter and almost a quarter inch is cut from the width. It is also .10 inches thinner. You really do feel how dramatic the size is when you are holding it.

Where I really get thrown for the loop is the screen size. The Moto X is 4.7-inches while my Xperia Z is 5.0-inches. Going down in size when you have been climbing up in screen size is a bit difficult. What is sort of funny, is that I find myself reaching for the Moto X more than I reach for my Xperia Z. Even though it is smaller, it just feels so darn nice in your hands. After staring at it for a 15 or 20 minutes I can tell the difference between the AMOLED found in the Moto X and the TFT found in the Z. Something about the AMOLED in the Moto X just pops in a very beautiful vibrant way.

I don’t want to get into too much detail and go over everything just yet; I have only had it in my possession for roughly 56 hours. So I am still learning the active display, playing around with the menu, the settings and getting a good feel for what I like and don’t like. I am also thinking that some of my dislikes might be solved in the KitKat update.  I will have to do a little research on that since the KitKat update is only just now rolling out to some of the carrier branded versions.

After having it in my hands for the short amount of time, I can honestly agree with a majority of the people out there. This is a magnificent little device.