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What if you could get a top-tier, current-model smartphone with all the bells and whistles, and pay between $5 and $40 a month for unlimited voice, text and data? And there's no contract required.
不妨想像一下，如果你能拿到一部擁有炫目功能的主流旗艦智能手機(jī)，每個(gè)月只要5-40美元（約合人民幣31至244元）話費(fèi)就享受無限通話、短信與數(shù)據(jù)服務(wù)，怎么樣？而且還不需要簽合約。
Well, you can if you sign up with an innovative carrier called Republic Wireless. Republic's secret is it modifies brand-name phones so they place voice calls and send texts over Wi-Fi instead of more expensive cellular networks. That lets the company charge less per month and forgo contracts. And now it offers a top-tier phone, the Moto X from Motorola.
現(xiàn)在如果你與一家叫Republic的創(chuàng)新運(yùn)營商簽約，就可以享受到這些。Republic的秘訣是，他們對品牌手機(jī)進(jìn)行了改裝，從而讓通話和短信都基于Wi-Fi，繞開了資費(fèi)較貴的手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。這樣一來，Repubilc就可以降低每月資費(fèi)，而且無需合約限制。現(xiàn)在他們提供了一款摩托羅拉(Motorola)的旗艦手機(jī)Moto X。
When Wi-Fi is absent or too weak, Republic's phones switch to Sprint's cellular network for calling and texting. Cellular calls and texts don't cost extra. If you start a call via Wi-Fi and keep talking as you leave Wi-Fi range, the call switches over to cellular.
當(dāng)沒有Wi-Fi或者信號太差的時(shí)候，Republic的手機(jī)就會(huì)切換到運(yùn)營商Sprint的手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)進(jìn)行通話和短信。而手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)的通話與短信也不會(huì)額外收費(fèi)。如果你在Wi-Fi網(wǎng)絡(luò)下?lián)艽螂娫挘ㄔ掃^程中離開Wi-Fi覆蓋范圍，那么通話就會(huì)切換到手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
Most other smartphones can make Wi-Fi calls, but these typically require an app. Republic modifies the phone's main dialer and texting functions to work over Wi-Fi whenever possible. You don't have to do anything special to initiate a Wi-Fi call or text.
雖然多數(shù)其他智能手機(jī)都可以通過Wi-Fi打電話，但它們通常需要安裝應(yīng)用。Repubilc對Moto X的電話和短信功能進(jìn)行了改裝，只要有Wi-Fi就啟動(dòng)使用。你不需要任何特殊設(shè)置就可以通過Wi-Fi打電話或發(fā)短信。
Republic has been in business about a year, but its first offering had several drawbacks. First, it worked only with a clunky, limited phone, the Motorola Defy XT, which had skimpy memory, a small, low-res screen and only the older 3G cellular data network. Second, call quality over Wi-Fi was iffy, with audible echoes and some clipped words. Third, the handover between Wi-Fi and cellular was clumsy. The phone had to hang up the Wi-Fi call and redial over cellular.
Republic已經(jīng)運(yùn)營了約一年時(shí)間，但其首項(xiàng)業(yè)務(wù)存在幾大缺陷。首先，他們當(dāng)時(shí)服務(wù)只有一款笨重機(jī)型摩托羅拉Defy XT，這款手機(jī)存儲空間不足，屏幕又小，分辨率低，而且只支持較老的3G手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。其次，通過Wi-fi打電話并不穩(wěn)定，經(jīng)常有雜音和中斷。再次，Wi-fi與手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)之間切換也有問題。這款手機(jī)必須先掛斷Wi-Fi通話，然后用手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)重?fù)堋?/div>
Now, all that has changed. I've been testing Republic's latest, improved service on the Moto X, and it has solved all three problems. There are still a couple of drawbacks, but I can recommend it as an option for people who want to save on monthly bills and don't mind being limited to a choice of a single modern Android phone.
但現(xiàn)在一切都改變了。我一直在測試Repubile最新的基于Moto X改進(jìn)后的服務(wù)，上述三個(gè)問題都得到了解決。雖然還是存在一些缺陷，但我已經(jīng)可以將其作為一個(gè)選擇進(jìn)行推薦，適合給那些想每個(gè)月省話費(fèi)又不介意只有一款安卓(Android)手機(jī)選擇的人們。
The first improvement is the Moto X, which came out in August. The Google-owned handset maker's premier model has a vivid, 4.7-inch screen, fast 4G LTE data capability and 16 gigabytes of memory.
第一項(xiàng)改進(jìn)就是使用了8月份發(fā)布的手機(jī)Moto X。這款谷歌(Google)子公司的旗艦產(chǎn)品擁有色彩鮮明的4.7英寸（約合12厘米）顯示屏，支持4G LTE數(shù)據(jù)網(wǎng)絡(luò)以及擁有16GB的內(nèi)存。
Second, I found call quality over Wi-Fi to be very good. I heard no echoes or clipped words, and everyone with whom I tested it said the Wi-Fi and cellular calls were indistinguishable.
其次，我發(fā)現(xiàn)Wi-Fi通話質(zhì)量變得非常不錯(cuò)。我沒有聽到回音或是中斷，每個(gè)和我進(jìn)行測試通話的人都說聽不出Wi-Fi通話與蜂窩網(wǎng)絡(luò)通話有什么差別。
Third, handing off calls between Wi-Fi and cellular networks is now truly seamless. Neither I nor the people with whom I was speaking could detect the millisecond pause when I left Wi-Fi range and the calls switched to Sprint.
再次，Wi-Fi與手機(jī)無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)之間的切換也變得真正無縫順暢。當(dāng)我離開Wi-Fi覆蓋范圍，通話切換到Sprint網(wǎng)絡(luò)的時(shí)候，不管是我還是我的通話對象，都沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)網(wǎng)絡(luò)切換帶來毫秒(千分之一秒)的中斷。
I used Republic's modified Moto X in my home, in several Starbucks shops and in a few other public Wi-Fi locations. All of the calls worked fine, as did the handover as I kept talking while walking out of Wi-Fi range. My only glitch came at one of the Starbucks, where the phone had trouble with the Wi-Fi and it took several tries to connect.
我在家里、幾個(gè)星巴克(Starbucks)門店以及一些其他公共Wi-Fi場所使用了Republic這款改裝后的Moto X。所有通話都運(yùn)行順暢，我在通話過程中走出Wi-Fi區(qū)域的網(wǎng)絡(luò)切換也是如此。我只在一個(gè)星巴克店遇到了問題，手機(jī)連接Wi-Fi有點(diǎn)問題，當(dāng)時(shí)試了幾次才連上。
Battery life was decent: The phone lasted a full day on a single charge.
電池續(xù)航時(shí)間也不錯(cuò)：這款手機(jī)一次充電可以堅(jiān)持一整天。
Republic charges $299 for this Wi-Fi-centric Moto X. That's much more than what traditional carriers charge with a contract. AT&T sells the same phone for $50 with a two-year contract.
Republic為這款基于Wi-Fi的Moto X定價(jià)299美元（約合人民幣1,824元）。這個(gè)價(jià)格比普通運(yùn)營商的合約機(jī)價(jià)格高出不少。這款機(jī)型在AT&T的兩年合約價(jià)是50美元（約合人民幣305元）。
But Republic's price is considerably less than the no-contract price carriers offer. Without a contract commitment, Sprint charges $550 for the Moto X.
但Republic的價(jià)格也比運(yùn)營商的裸機(jī)價(jià)格要低很多。Sprint賣的Moto X裸機(jī)價(jià)是550美元（約合人民幣3,355元）。
If you're willing to pay more upfront, your monthly fees are much lower with Republic. The upstart carrier offers four service plans for the Moto X. The first is just $5 a month, for unlimited calls, text and data over Wi-Fi only. Under this plan, the phone can't be used out of Wi-Fi coverage. The next plan, for $10 a month, gives you unlimited talk and text on both Wi-Fi and Sprint cellular, but only data on Wi-Fi, not cellular.
如果你愿意一開始支付更多，那以后給Republic的月資費(fèi)就更低。這家新晉運(yùn)營商為Moto X提供四種服務(wù)套餐。第一種是每月5美元（約合人民幣31元），無限通話、短信與上網(wǎng)，但只能通過Wi-Fi。選擇這個(gè)套餐的話，手機(jī)離開Wi-Fi覆蓋區(qū)域就不能使用了。第二種套餐是每月10美元（約合人民幣61元），可以在Wi-Fi與手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)下進(jìn)行無限通話與短信，但只能通過Wi-Fi上網(wǎng)。
The third, and most popular, plan, costs $25 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data on both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular. Finally, for $40 a month, you get unlimited talk, text, and data on both Wi-Fi and 4G LTE cellular.
第三種也是最受歡迎的套餐是每月25美元（約合人民幣153元），可以在Wi-Fi與3G網(wǎng)絡(luò)下進(jìn)行無限通話、短信與上網(wǎng)。最后一個(gè)套餐是每月40美元（約合人民幣244元），可以在Wi-Fi與4G LTE網(wǎng)絡(luò)下無限通話、短信與上網(wǎng)。
Over time, these lower monthly fees can more than offset the higher cost of the phone. Sprint says unlimited talk, text and data on its network is at least $80 a month for the unsubsidized Moto X.
隨著時(shí)間的推移，這些較低資費(fèi)帶來的實(shí)惠會(huì)抵消掉購買手機(jī)時(shí)的較高價(jià)格。Sprint表示，如果是Moto X裸機(jī)要入其網(wǎng)絡(luò)享受無限通話、短信與數(shù)據(jù)的話，每月資費(fèi)至少是80美元（約合人民幣488元）。
And Republic offers another cool feature: Twice a month, you can change plans right on the phone and the new fees will be pro-rated for the remaining days in the month. So if you opted for the $5 Wi-Fi-only plan, but you now need cellular coverage, you could switch on the fly to a cellular plan.
Republic還提供了另一種很酷的功能：你每個(gè)月可以在手機(jī)上兩次改變套餐，而新資費(fèi)會(huì)按比例適用于當(dāng)月剩余時(shí)間。所以，如果你選擇了每月5美元的套餐，而又需要使用手機(jī)無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)，你可以隨時(shí)換個(gè)手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)的套餐。
Republic is also planning to offer a feature that lets you change your phone number, via its app on the phone.
而且，Republic還計(jì)劃推出一項(xiàng)新功能，讓你可以通過他們的手機(jī)應(yīng)用來改變電話號碼。
For the increasing number of people who are in Wi-Fi coverage most of the day, Republic Wireless might well make sense.
隨著越來越多的人每天大多數(shù)時(shí)間都在Wi-fi網(wǎng)絡(luò)覆蓋下，Republic的服務(wù)可能很有意義。
Republic says it errs on the side of caution when placing calls. It will use cellular, which costs it more, if it judges the available Wi-Fi to be too unreliable for a good call. And it doesn't try to switch you back to Wi-Fi if you start a call on cellular.
Republic表示，用戶在打電話時(shí)，手機(jī)會(huì)自動(dòng)選擇網(wǎng)絡(luò)，而這種謹(jǐn)慎卻可能導(dǎo)致一些問題。如果手機(jī)判斷可用的Wi-fi網(wǎng)絡(luò)太不穩(wěn)定不能保證通話質(zhì)量，就會(huì)選擇無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)，但這樣Republic成本就較高。而且一旦你通過手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)撥打電話了，手機(jī)就不會(huì)試圖切換回Wi-Fi網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
So what are the drawbacks? For one thing, you can't order the Moto X in colors, as you can with other carriers. And the Republic's Moto X can't be switched to other carriers, even Sprint, because it has been modified.
好了，那選擇Republic的服務(wù)有什么缺點(diǎn)呢？其中之一是，你不能像在其他運(yùn)營商那里可以選擇Moto X的顏色。而且Republic的Moto X不能用到其他運(yùn)營商網(wǎng)絡(luò)，即便是Sprint也一樣，因?yàn)檫@款手機(jī)已經(jīng)經(jīng)過了改裝。
Also, Republic has very limited customer service and relies mainly on its users to help other customers through online forums.
而且，Republic的客戶服務(wù)非常有限，主要依靠網(wǎng)絡(luò)論壇上的用戶互助來答疑。
Overall, however, Republic is offering a clever, modern service on a good smartphone, and is showing that Wi-Fi calls can be as good as cellular ones.
但總的來說，Republic基于一款出色的智能手機(jī)提供了一項(xiàng)更加智能與先進(jìn)的服務(wù)；他們展示了Wi-Fi通話的音質(zhì)可以和手機(jī)通話一樣出色。
