NorthStarNerd.Org

Republic Wireless Test: Appendix (battery life)

I had not planned another post in my review series of Republic Wireless, but one of my readers, Andrew, asked about battery life. I decided that was a good question, and thus here is my answer.

• See earlier posts in this review series

Before commenting about my battery life results given the combination of the Motorola Defy XT and Republic Wireless, let me note I am not a heavy user of my smart phone. The screenshots presented below represent a day working in my home office. I used my cell phone for about 30 minutes of talking time. In addition, I read my GMail messages, and downloaded the new Facebook app. I did not watch any videos, or browse the web. In general, I have been very satisifed with my battery life. Over the past month I have never had a day where my battey dropped below 60%. My usage tends to be for reading email, talking of the phone (at most 45 minutes), sending some text messages, and occasionally using Google Maps while riding my bike.

With respect to working at home, the reason I don't use my cell phone more is a combination of using my company's VOIP via Microsoft Lync, and Skype on my iPad for telecoms (Skype is free for toll free calls).  The final fact, all of my communications (data and voice) was via my local wifi; thus I was not using the 3G connection.

These screenshots were just taken at the end of the work day which I defined earlier in this post. Click to maximize any image.

Root Screen ... including battery usage app

------------------------------------------

1st Screen ... battery usage app

------------------------------------------

2nd Screen ... battery usage app

------------------------------------------

2nd Screen (farther down) ... battery usage app

Birkie Fever Trash Talking Rights!

The temperature last night in northern Minnesota dipped into the high 30's and the low 40's. With this event, Nordic Skiers started to dream of Winter. For some of us, Winter in the Northland means cross-country skiing and the American Birkebeiner ... otherwise known as the Birkie.

Here in Duluth, four of us have a problem. Who should have Birkie Fever Trash Talking Rights AFTER this coming Winter's race? Let me describe the competitors, and maybe you can help us handicap the race in advance and solve our dilemma! This coming February, we four hardy Minnesotans shall bravely venture forth into CheeseHead Land and ski American's top cross-country ski marathon.

Pastor Greg: The salutation says it all.  Any Lutheran pastor in Minnesota obviously has God on his side, which is an unfair advantage. In fact, while out on the local trails, Greg is known as the "Flying Pastor". You will never find him in the church office till he has completed a "quick 20k". 

In fact, when we decided to join Pastor Greg's church, we were not surprised by his questions on whether we understood the Holy Trinity, but the requirement to submit our most recent top 15k splits while out on the Lester Amity Trails caught us off guard. Then we learned, FRLC does not stand for French River Lutheran Church, but instead French River Loppet Club. Pastor Greg will be skiing the 50k skate race.

Our next competitor is my son, Erik. Although he has experience a four year hiatus from serious cross-country skiing due to obtaining his college degree at a school w/o snow, this newly minted engineer has three advantages over us. First, he is over 30 years younger than any of the rest of us, was rated as one of his high school's top skiers upon graduation, and as an aerospace guidance engineer should understand both aerodynamics and how to achieve the perfect "technical" linkage with the Birkie's hilly trail. Erik will be skiing the 50k skate race.

Of course, then there is my wife Molly. What can you say about a woman who upon her retirement at the end of this past Winter decided to become a full time athlete at age 57? Even though she "already" had two Boston Marathons under her belt, in the intervening months she has hiked the Canandian Rockies. skied the Wabos Loppet, biked the 500 mile Trans-Superior Tour, and just finished a four day wilderness canoe trip in the BWCA. Her new bike this Spring already has over 3,000 miles! She will also ski the 50k skate race.

Unlike everyone else, I am at a disadvantage. My Birkie is the "classic" race, which means I ski a longer race by 4 kilometers, and classic skiing by definition is slower than skating. However, at 6 feet 2 inches (height is an asset), and an old Nordic Ski instructor from my college days, I tend to know what I'm doing. Even though I'm getting older, my times are still getting better. I will start in Wave 3 out of 10 this Winter. I will ski the 54k classic race.

Thus, the gauntlet has been thrown down on the snow. How do we decide who has the best Birkie Fever trash talking rights for this Winter's Birkie? Can you help us decide? Each person in our group has unique advantages! Finally, how do we compare times, or is the obvious answer each of us will be a winner for finishing! Think snow!

Republic Wireless Test: Day 11 (final post)

My evaluation of Republic Wireless is complete, and I have happily decided to keep the service. While not everything from Republic Wireless exceeded my HTC Incredible + Verizon, it is hard to argue with the combination of a good phone (not great ... but I'm not a power user when it comes to smartphones) and unlimited data, calls and text for only $19 per month + tax.

In my prior post, I mentionned I would be testing my new Republic Wireless service in northern Minnesota over the weekend. My cabin is "off the grid", and I was curious how Republic + Sprint compared to Verizon. Here is that report, but make certain you see my prior posts in this review series (Initial Post | Post #2 | Post #3). While Republic is challenged by my trips into the wilderness, when I was in more civilized area ... their service was a clear hands-down winner. My northern Minnesota analysis:

• Verizon: While my cabin near Marcell, Minnesota is off the grid ... a walk down to the lakeshore and out on to the dock meant a call was possible. Sprint (Republic) has zero coverage in the north country. Thus, Verizon definitely wins out on the coverage map. Consider this fact depending upon where you live. However, an early morning trip to the local bait shop which has free wireless allows me to make crystal clear phone calls. Those of you who have never purchased leeches, the morning paper, and your morning Diet Coke while using a wilderness "hot spot" have not lived! (Frontier Sports)
• My other test was "off the grid" cyling. I like to take long distance bicycle rides. With my Verizon phone I use Google Maps, and download maps for use when I do not have a cell connection. The GPS chip still works in conjunction with a pre-downloaded map. Although my Republic Wireless Motorola Defy XT has the same capability as my Verizon HTC Incredible, the Mototola phone had a much more difficult time getting a location lock. For most people this would not be a problem, but I live to play in the northwoods! See my post on cycling off the grid to learn more. I am working on improving the GPS lock, but a review of the Republic Wireless end user forum indicates I am not alone in terms of addressing this issue. For the moment, I am trying the free Android app, GPS Status and Toolbox. However, at the end of the day, it is hard to overcome hardware GPS limitations.

Thus my test is complete. Republic Wireless uses a combination of VOIP when I'm at home on wifi and Sprint when I am away from a known wifi network. My call quality has been good and my monthly bill for unlimited calls and data has dropped from $70 to $24 (tax included for each).

I would remiss in not reporting that on occasion the people I phone report hearing an echo. In my case, I have turned down the "in call audio". This seems to have helped.

• This is post #4 in the series
• Prior posts in this series: Initial Post | Post #2 | Post #3 
• Series Update / Appendix: Battery Life

Here are three final screenshots of my Republic / Motorola Defy XT phone. Click to maximize.

My Defy XT Home Screen

------------------------------------------

Republic Wireless Wifi Setup Screen #1

------------------------------------------

Republic Wireless Wifi Setup Screen #2