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Google’s (GOOG) Nexus 4, for all its virtues, has a significant flaw: It lacks LTE connectivity. Or does it? Engadget reports that some XDA-Developers forum members have been fiddling around with the Nexus 4 and have found that the smartphone can indeed run LTE — but only on LTE band 4, which encompasses the 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequencies. Sadly, none of the LTE carriers in the United States run their networks using this band on a nationwide basis, but good news for our neighbors up north: Canadian carriers Telus, Rogers and Bell all use LTE band 4. A video of the Nexus 4 running on Rogers LTE in Canada follows below. More →

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Republic Wireless, the mobile service provider that made headlines last year for its impossibly cheap $19 unlimited talk, text and web plan, is back at it again. The wireless carrier limited its original offering to early beta testers last December and once again this past summer, but Republic Wireless is now ready to open its doors to the public. Initially, the company is offering a Motorola DEFY XT for $249 plus a $10 start-up fee that covers shipping costs and applicable taxes. The smartphone comes with a built-in technology called “Hybrid Calling” that uses freely available Wi-Fi networks for text messages, voice calling and data usage. Republic Wireless has also purchased traditional talk, text and data minutes from Sprint (S) that its customers can use when Wi-Fi coverage is not available. A video from Republic Wireless follows below. More →

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Apple’s (AAPL) struggles in emerging markets are well-documented. But if the company ever does decide to create a low-cost handset for consumers in countries such as China, India and Russia, then watch out. Asymco’s Horace Dediu estimates that the iPhone is currently only available to 2.8 billion mobile connections in the world, or just under half of the total 5.7 billion available. In other words, there are around 2.9 billion mobile subscriptions out there that don’t have the option of using the iPhone yet. In fact, Dediu says that both China and India each have more than 620 million mobile subscriptions that don’t have access to the iPhone yet while Pakistan and Russia each have more than 100 million.

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