i'm an older guy, and i don't see very well.
Welcome from another older guy with bad vision.
The only stupid question is one you don't want the answer to.
1. there is a sim tool. do i have to get a sim card, or is there one already in it? does republic even use a sim card?
If it comes with a SIM tool, that means that there's a SIM card. If you got the phone from your cellphone carrier, the SIM card is in the phone. If you bought the phone outright, with no plan (usually on the internet), there's probably no card. You'd get it from the carrier when you sign up for a plan. (The SIM card basically tells the system who you are - your account number.)
2. there appears to be a screen protector already on it. but it has some sort of big arrow on one corner. am i suppose to take it off? again, i don't see very well, so i'm not sure what the heck is on it.
Most screens these says - phones, laptops, etc., come with that kind of cover. There should be a little tab on a corner or the middle one side so you can lift it off easily.
I'd invest in a screen protector. They go for a few bucks, and even if you have to pay the store to put it on, it doesn't cost much. But it saves you from having to replace a scratched up screen. (The screen will still break, though - don't put the phone in your back pocket and sit on it.)
3. there isn't much in the way of instructions. does anyone know of a good tutorial maybe on youtube where i can learn about the interface? though this is my first cell phone, i have experience with cell phone devices, just using them as media players and ereaders.
If you put
moto x
into Youtube's search box, you'll get tired before you run out of instructional videos to watch. A lot of it is Android - the operating system. That's the same on all Android phones. Some of it will be specific to the Moto X. Take it slow. Learn how to put in your gmail account. (If you don't have one, you can create one.) Learn how to put in contacts. Save all your contacts to your account. (The other choice is to the phone - but if anything happens, the phone goes bad, you lose it, you decide you like a different one better, whatever - contacts on your account will download to any phone you put that account into, so you won't have to type them all in again.)
You might want to download an app (application - program, really) called MyPhoneExplorer. One of the features is an input window, so you can type on the computer. It's handy if you want to put in a dozen contacts at once. Easier than typing on the phone. It acts as a keyboard, so everything you type (or paste) in there is going to the phone (when you have the phone connected to your computer). It's free at the Google Play store. (Used to be called the Market - I guess they're trying to cater to the kids.)
One step at a time - but if you're an old guy like me you already know that. I don't know what your interests are, but if you look around the Play store (
https://play.google.com/store/apps and just start typing things into the search bar) you'll find apps for just about everything. There are music and video players, ebook readers of all sorts.
We'll be spending a few hours in the ER waiting room tomorrow morning (wife has a problem) and she has Bingo on her phone. I play solitaire on mine. We can also transfer money at the bank using the phone. Apple had a sales line "there's an app for that" - there is, in Android too. None to mow your lawn yet, though, darn it.
Take it slowly and enjoy the phone.
Oh, if you look in the lounge here, you'll see one thread where we old farts are complaining about the young kids of today. You're not the only old guy here. And one gal uses the screen name Grandma, so she's got to be at least ...errr ... ummm ... yeah, like that. (She thinks she's old. My kid has a couple of grandkids. But he's far from retirement, so he's still a kid.)
Enjoy - it's about all we have left to do.
