Project Fi: After A Month

I’ve been using Google’s new Project Fi service for just over a month now. You pay in advance for Fi service, so that means I just received my second monthly bill. And in a bit of good news for those who tend to fear their wireless bills — mine came with a credit. You see, one of the perks of Project Fi is that you only pay for the data you actually use. I signed up for 1.0GB of data and used a little over 0.6GB, which meant I went into month two with a small credit for the unused portion. But I am getting ahead of myself here.

For those unfamiliar with Project Fi — this is a pre-paid phone service from Google. Project Fi is sort of limited at the moment. Right now you’ll need an invitation to get started, and the service only works with the Nexus 6. But outside of those limitations, which will likely change in time, there are a few solid perks.

The Google Glass experience story you may not have heard

Google Glass has already lived and died in the tech press. And to some extent, as Google has closed the Explorer program, Glass is dead at the moment. It also feels like the once vocal group of users has gotten a bit quieter. That isn’t to say Glass users have all gone away, and in fact, I’m still actively wearing mine.

On one side we have what feels like a shrinking user community. And on the other side we have begun hearing rumors and reports about an enterprise version of Glass. So far there hasn’t been anything official from Google in the way of an announcement. But as these rumors and reports have been popping up, the tech press has again been discussing Glass.

And to that point, we are once again hearing about how the public perceived Glass as this privacy invading gadget, and about how everyone (aside from those actively wearing it), hated and feared Glass. Google Glass wasn’t a perfect product, but I also feel there was more to the story that was being told.

You have to remember that only the sensational headlines get the clicks. Anyone who follows along with the tech scene likely remembers the time when someone had Glass ripped from their head, or the time when someone got kicked out of a bar for wearing them, or the time when someone got a ticket for wearing them while driving.

I’m switching from the OnePlus One to a Nexus 6 for Google’s Project Fi

Camera quality and battery life are the two most important features on my smartphone. In fact, those are the two main reasons why I’ve been using the OnePlus One. But while the OnePlus One has pretty stellar battery life and an above average camera, I am getting ready to switch to the Nexus 6. You may be wondering, why would someone go from the OnePlus One (a phone they are happy with), to a Nexus 6, which is a good phone, but probably not quite as stellar in terms of camera quality and battery life.

Well, I am making the switch so I can become one of the early users of Project Fi.

For those unfamiliar, Project Fi is a new offering from Google that takes advantage of Wi-Fi, T-Mobile, and Sprint for coverage. Project Fi is a contract-free service and you pay $20 per month for unlimited calling and messaging. Data will then cost you $10 per 1GB. This means if you use 1GB you pay $30 that month, or if you use 2GB you pay $40 that month, and so on. You have to pay in advance, but Google will credit you back for any unused portion of data that you paid for.