Here’s how to get free cell phone service

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Editorial, Hot Deals

Yes, you can get a free cell phone with government assistance. If you make very little money, or you're part of other federal programs such as public housing, food stamps, SSI, or Medicaid, you can get a free mobile phone paid for by a fee on everyone else's phone bills.

This program has been around for years. According to the FCC, the government has been subsidizing landlines since 1984; the program, now called LifeLine, added mobile phones in 1997. LifeLine was enhanced in 2005 during the Bush administration, and TracFone's SafeLink, the first purely free LifeLine phone brand, started disbursing free phones in 2008.

"The telecoms haven't done a very good job promoting LifeLine, and the penetration rates have been dismal," said Jose Fuentes, Tracfone's director of government relations. TracFone operates SafeLink.

LifeLine is funded by the Universal Service Fund, which you see as a surcharge on your phone bill. Established by a 1996 law, the USF makes sure that people who live in rural and low-income areas, as well as schools and libraries can get phone service. It doesn't make a distinction between wired and wireless phones; you can get a subsidy for either, but you have to choose one.

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Cricket TXTM8 phone optimized for SMS-only

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Cell Phones, Handhelds, Wireless / WiFi

I believe that there is an entire generation that uses their mobile phone for text messages only, and it would appear that Cricket is prepared for it with the TXTM8. 

The TXTM8, or text-mate, is a messaging phone with a full QWERTY keyboard.  Don’t ask me where that keyboard is in this picture (we’re guessing slider,) but I’m told that it also comes with a customizable homescreen that allows users access to web content such as news and weather.  Other features include a 1.3 Megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, a music player, and microSD slot. 

Interested?  The Cricket TXTM8 is available now for a price of $140.

Read More | Cricket TXTM8

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Motorola Evoke QA4 Cell Phone

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cell Phones, GPS, Wireless / WiFi

Cricket subscribers can finally get the Motorola Evoke QA4, the company’s first touchscreen. It features a 2.8-inch WQVGA 240 x 480 display, a full HTML browser, SMS and email access, a widget-based customizable screen, GPS, Bluetooth compatibility and 256MB internal storage with microSD expansion. At a size of 108 x 50.5 x 17.5mm, it also has a 2 megapixel cam with 5x zoom, a full QWERTY keyboard and a price of $279.99 after Web discount and a $15.00 monthly charge for 3G HTML.

Read More | Cricket

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