Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Google's Project Fi service turns multiple phone networks into one

Got a Nexus 6? Itching to dump your traditional wireless service provider for something a bit more ambitious? Google's got you covered. After months of speculation and a not-so-subtle nod from Sundar Pichai at Mobile World Congress, the search giant's new mobile phone service -- Project Fi -- is finally official. We're still sifting through the details, but the company's plan is both as savvy and as unorthodox as we'd expect: Instead of trying to build out and maintain its own nationwide network of cell towers and repeaters, Google's instead combining Sprint and T-Mobile's coverage footprints with millions of pre-vetted WiFi hotspots to provide users with the fastest, most seamless mobile experience it can in real-time.

Well, that's the goal, anyway. There are a handful of ways that Fi tries to bridge gaps that already exist in our increasingly mobile lives. Google says that if you initiate a phone call while you're connected to WiFi, for instance, the service will automatically hand it off to whichever cellular network is strongest where you are. Your phone number isn't

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