Some info on the phone I found on some site: <================================================>

In order to use Republic's $19 per month plan, you must purchase its specially modified LG Optimus smartphone. A clone of the Optimus S available from Sprint, Republic's Optimus includes software that manages the switch from Wi-Fi to cellular networks automatically. The software permanently runs in the background, so it is likely to have an impact on battery life when compared with a normal Optimus smartphone. The Republic Optimus costs $199 without any contract commitment.

You can get the phone for $99 if you use the promo code listed here (before 11/27): http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/republic-wireless-officiall...