更好的实用性 通过Wi-Fi打电话的智能手机

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，如果你能拿到一部拥有炫目功能的主流旗舰智能手机，每个月只要5-40美元（约合人民币31至244元）话费就享受无限通话、短信与数据服务，怎么样？而且还不需要签合约。

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.
现在如果你与一家叫Republic的创新运营商签约，就可以享受到这些。Republic的秘诀是，他们对品牌手机进行了改装，从而让通话和短信都基于Wi-Fi，绕开了资费较贵的手机网络。这样一来，Repubilc就可以降低每月资费，而且无需合约限制。现在他们提供了一款摩托罗拉(Motorola)的旗舰手机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.
当没有Wi-Fi或者信号太差的时候，Republic的手机就会切换到运营商Sprint的手机网络进行通话和短信。而手机网络的通话与短信也不会额外收费。如果你在Wi-Fi网络下拨打电话，而通话过程中离开Wi-Fi覆盖范围，那么通话就会切换到手机网络。

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.
虽然多数其他智能手机都可以通过Wi-Fi打电话，但它们通常需要安装应用。Repubilc对Moto X的电话和短信功能进行了改装，只要有Wi-Fi就启动使用。你不需要任何特殊设置就可以通过Wi-Fi打电话或发短信。

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已经运营了约一年时间，但其首项业务存在几大缺陷。首先，他们当时服务只有一款笨重机型摩托罗拉Defy XT，这款手机存储空间不足，屏幕又小，分辨率低，而且只支持较老的3G手机网络。其次，通过Wi-fi打电话并不稳定，经常有杂音和中断。再次，Wi-fi与手机网络之间切换也有问题。这款手机必须先挂断Wi-Fi通话，然后用手机网络重拨。

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.
但现在一切都改变了。我一直在测试Repubile最新的基于Moto X改进后的服务，上述三个问题都得到了解决。虽然还是存在一些缺陷，但我已经可以将其作为一个选择进行推荐，适合给那些想每个月省话费又不介意只有一款安卓(Android)手机选择的人们。

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.
第一项改进就是使用了8月份发布的手机Moto X。这款谷歌(Google)子公司的旗舰产品拥有色彩鲜明的4.7英寸（约合12厘米）显示屏，支持4G LTE数据网络以及拥有16GB的内存。

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，我发现Wi-Fi通话质量变得非常不错。我没有听到回音或是中断，每个和我进行测试通话的人都说听不出Wi-Fi通话与蜂窝网络通话有什么差别。

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与手机无线网络之间的切换也变得真正无缝顺畅。当我离开Wi-Fi覆盖范围，通话切换到Sprint网络的时候，不管是我还是我的通话对象，都没有发现网络切换带来毫秒(千分之一秒)的中断。

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、几个星巴克(Starbucks)门店以及一些其他公共Wi-Fi场所使用了Republic这款改装后的Moto X。所有通话都运行顺畅，我在通话过程中走出Wi-Fi区域的网络切换也是如此。我只在一个星巴克店遇到了问题，手机连接Wi-Fi有点问题，当时试了几次才连上。

Battery life was decent: The phone lasted a full day on a single charge.
电池续航时间也不错：这款手机一次充电可以坚持一整天。