Project Fi - This is BIG!

Thanks, as always, for keeping us informed. I'll be waiting to see if other phones become viable or the cost of the phone goes down, as it's a hefty amount for retired people on fixed incomes.

I have already signed up to get a chance. I especially like the promise to switch back and forth between cell and wifi. Then, the whole rollover of minutes is great. But when my name is chosen, I might skip it. It's a great concept, but probably not good for Oklahoma. I looked at the Sprint and T-Mobile coverage plans, and they really aren't very good. Their idea of 'Nationwide' doesn't hold well in OK. Now I see why many of my friends gripe about their service so much.

Does this Google phone service apply to Canada?

Well, Bob, it just so happens I just signed up with Republic Wireless and thus purchased a Moto X 32Gb phone for around $450 with the additional 16Gb I added. It seems Google is looking at Republic Wireless' business model and have copied a large part of it. I'm sure there are differences, but Republic is always looking for better ways to serve their customers. Maybe this will prompt them to move faster in the direction of data carryover and not to throttle back the Internet speed if you go over the 5Gb limit in a month, which is truly generous. Don't you love competition!

There's another sort of catch: you have to request an invitation from Google and wait 'til they invite you. Google doesn't give any indication of how long you'll have to wait. I would like to try this out and have requested an invitation but I'm not willing to wait very long. If they don't invite me soon, I'll sign up for another 2 yrs at Verizon.

I heard this mentioned on the Clark Howard Show on radio at least a month ago or longer. I use a ToGo phone plan on AT&T and it cost me $100. a year. I can't see spending $30-$40 a month on something I rarely use.

I'm using Republic Wireless.
Cheaper and quite good.

Republic Wireless works GREAT for me.

Unlimited talk and text via Cell tower. Data via internet/wifi. 10 bucks a month plus 1 dollar tax. Plus I kept my old number. With Tmobil I was paying 33/mo for 1500 anytime min. no text or data. Thanks Bob... you were the one that pointed me in the right direction and saved me 264/yr. Oh, I for got to mention I have better coverage and better reception too.

I am using Republic Wireless and I am very happy with their service. I use the $10 plan which includes
UNLIMITED TALK / TEXT over WiFi + Cell.
UNLIMITED DATA over WiFi.
I got a brand new Motorola Moto E for $99 which is an excellent phone, micro SD slot (the other phones don't), Android 4.4.4. The 5MP camera has a fixed focus though, but I have taken some great shots with it.
I used the phone on my trip from Tucson to Tampa Florida by Greyhound buses and never had a problem getting connected.
I would recommend Republic Wireless to anyone on a tight budget. They also have a plan for $25 with 3G Data and you can switch between plans, which I should have done on my trip to Florida ;)

We are in a rural area and have spotty coverage for both AT&T and Verizon. So, I would want to be very sure we would get service.

$649 for a phone bowls me out of my sox! What's so wonderfula about a Nexus 6?
Then again, if the phone won't turn itself off after a few hours the way my $40 Samsung Centura does, it might be worth it.

Hopefully they'll expand the service to other phones, but I'm happy with my T-Mobile service for now. I pay about $95 per month, including fees and taxes, for four lines of unlimited talk, text and data, which includes unlimited text and data in 120 countries and 20 cents a minute to talk while overseas. The data lines have 2.5 GB each of high speed. If we go over it, they throttle the speed, but don't charge more. When my limit was 1 GB, I'd occasionally go over the limit but never noticed a speed difference. I've gotten better coverage at the places I care about than my old Verizon service. Also, I like that I can tether my tablet or other wireless devices at no extra charge. I love that I don't get nickle and dimed like I did with Verizon and Sprint. Still, if Project Fi takes off and I can save money, yet keep the features I like, I'd consider switching.

This sounds like something I would be greatly interested in. MY present contract with AT&T is up in June, and I would Like to find something more flexible and less expensive. I read through all the information about this new service, but one question I have I couldn't find an answer. Would their Nexus 6 phone be able to run using the Windows phone software instead of Android? This is what I have now and love it! Would like to keep it.

EDITOR'S NOTE: No, the Nexus is an Android phone, and only phones designed for Windows can run that mobile OS.

Project Fi sounds interesting and worth keeping an eye on. However I'm fairly satisfied with our existing Sprint Family plan (which admittedly is grandfathered in from a few years ago and is probably better than what's now being offered). The four of us on the plan each pay a little under $50/month including taxes and fees. We get 1,500 shared "Anytime" minutes (and rarely use more than a third of that) along with unlimited free mobile-to-mobile calls, unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited roaming, and unlimited long-distance (but not international calls).

What's more, we get the $150 credit or equivalent towards a new cell phone on each line every 22 months, on the condition of extending the agreement on the line for an extra two years. So a few weeks ago my wife and I each upgraded to Galaxy S5 phones (I always stay one generation behind, to keep the costs down and avoid introductory bugs). They cost us just $29.99 on Amazon plus a $36 activation fee. Even compared to the spread-out monthly payments for purchasing or leasing other phones on other plans, that's vastly less than a new Nexus 6 phone for $649, or any other new phone for the typical $500 to $700. Of course the full cost of our phones is also buried in our own monthly charges, but we're still paying under $50 per month for everything.

True, we're each locked into Sprint for up to two years. But since I don't anticipate switching providers, I consider that a worthwhile trade-off and a good deal.

I'm not sure that I understand. When receiving calls via wi-fi, does it act as a VOIP phone? If so, that might mean that I wi get better reception at home than I get with Verizon. I have a voip phone now that comes in clearer than my cell. Please advise, and thank you in advance.

I bet that they will give it for free in the future.

The catch is that they follow you and your behaviour then they "serve" you with advertisements where they make money.

The link below from ArsTechnica site also has a very good pricing comparison of most other competing plans and provides further discussions on the details of GoogleFi.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/22/how-googles-project-fi-pricing-stacks-up-to-the-competition/
To me, it appears that this disruptive offering from Google is not solely for beating the competitors at the pricing-point (w/o including the sky-high price of Nexus6). One can only hope that it will shake up the industry to provide more uniform coverage with less drop outs; since GoogleFi supposed to transition [seamlessly?] between CDMA/GSM/LTE/WiFi in areas of spotty coverage.
This concept may also provide international business travelers with the capability of a single phone/SIM being able to connect to most networks in most all countries.
IMHO >> I would rather prefer the average 2-3% drop-out rate than put ALL my privacy eggs in Google's gigantic egg basket!

I'm so glad to see phone companies actually becoming competitive. However since I only recently went with T-Mobile and have not yet paid for my phone there (Galaxy Note 3, which I LOVE), I won't be switching. Another of my peeves is that one pays an enormous sum for a phone only to find that if you switch your service, the new one inevitably won't work with it. (I was lured to T-Mobile by its 'bring your own phone' ads, then found that 'no, my phone wasn't supported by them even though I could buy the SAME phone from them. I only ended up switching because my previous phone met with an accident and was smashed). When I find a phone I like I want to keep it, not be forced to buy a new one if I want to change carriers!

I have 7 Verizon phone lines. even with the one heavy data user I have it would save $110 a month (maybe a little less when we tack on fees and taxes). and the low data users could go ahead and use more. Wow!! Now I just have to figure out how to buy that many phones.... Maybe one at a time.

Exactly what I've been searching for with one hitch, the upfront. I've been able to whittle my plan down to $30 for 1 gig / unlimited talk and text a month with an upfront of $200 for a Note 4 (in excellent condition from eBay). Actually $30.78 a month after I cancelled their unsolicited device insurance plan they included in my bill at a paltry $11 a month (an offer which was made even MORE enticing by the $250 deductible).
I surely don't have the intention of disparaging my current carrier which is why I choose to not name them. I agree with you that with a little discipline and a minimal amount of legwork (an inherent distrust of large companies doesn't hurt either) you can find a halfway decent deal for cellular service.
I'm an admitted and unashamed Samsung fanboy but not so much so that I would pass up a good deal on a Nexus 6 but that $649 sticker is just a bit too steep for me to purchase outright and risk having to replace. Having foregone the insurance, I fortunately have the $200 to throw at another Note 4 or an S5 should the unspeakable happen. Google might want to consider this and include phones wired for T-Mobile or Sprint to keep in line with their theme of inexpensive service. And as a way to attract "defectors" from those carriers as new customers. It is the only thing that is holding me back from signing up yesterday.