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Part Deux On Assurance Wireless

Last week (March 16th to be exact), we brought you a story about Assurance Wireless, and how qualified recipients can receive a free cell phone, and free cell service. It’s not a story about “all Android all the time”, but it turns out, our readership really enjoyed it, and our visits to the site that day went sky high!

One of our visitors that day was Jack Pflanz, who is a NY based corporate communications rep for Sprint PrePaid (someone was paying attention to their Google Alerts that day huh??).  Jack contacted us just hours after the story posted and offered to share more info and fill in some of the blanks that I wasn’t familiar with about the program. So, for you Android fans that wanted a little more information on that particular piece, follow the page break…..

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iPhone and iPod Touch Making People Sick?

Is your iPhone or iPod Touch making you sick?  According to reports from Global News Journal the iPhone, iPod Touch and the new iPad were all manufactured using the toxic solvent n-hexane.

Because Apple will not agree to be interviewed, it is impossible to verify exactly what the workers made. But a current factory employee on the second floor snapped a photo for GlobalPost of what appears to be a nearly finished iPhone in production. Six other current and former factory employees said they handled iPhone and iTouch screens and saw screens for the iPad tablet computer in the factory. The four hospitalized workers interviewed by GlobalPost instantly recognized an iTouch when shown the gadget, and handled it with familiarity.

Read the full article here.

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CONFIRMED: HTC Incredible’s RAM/ROM

So, more info on the HTC Incredible from Verizon…….

I haven’t gotten a ton of information, and it seems to be trickling in…but here at DroidTalk, we’re giving you official word: The HTC Incredible coming soon to a Verizon store near you has 6.6gb on device storage!! Obviously the device is designed to also sport a MicroSD card, assuming a 32gb, once they’ve reached the masses. Also, it seems that it’s running .86gb RAM! With those specs, I just might be able to let that back battery door cover slide….

I, for one, can’t wait for this device to finally hit stores!

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HTC Responds to Apple’s Lawsuit

Apples lawsuit against HTC claims that HTC infringed on 20 Apple patents spanning a range of technologies. Five of the phones named in the complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission–including the Nexus One, which is sold directly by Google–use the Android software, and seven use Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software.

“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done,” said HTC Chief Executive Officer Peter Chou in a statement, “but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible.”

“From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone,” Chou said. “In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

It appears from the above statement that part of HTC’s argument against the suit is in proving that HTC has been around much longer than Apple’s two-year old entry into the smartphone market. Hmm, depending on when the iPhone went into development it looks like Apple might be the one infringing on HTC.

HTC was founded in 1997 and produced its first smartphone for O2 in 2002, which had a 3.5-inch color touchscreen display. Work on that started as early as 1999, Chou argued. From there, it named a number of firsts: First Windows PDA (1998); First Windows Phone (June 2002); First 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone (October 2005); First gesture-based smartphone (June 2007); First Google Android smartphone (October 2008); First 4G WIMAX smartphone (November 2008)

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Assurance Wireless by Virgin Mobile Offering Free Cell Service!

We don’t post information on this site unless it has to do with Android phones…until now! I’ve managed to find a service that provides a free cell phone, and 200 minutes a month, and it’s not even a scam!

When I’m not researching the interwebs for more information about smart phones (more precisely, all things Android.) I’m at my full time job supporting adults with developmental disabilities in whatever aspects of their life they may need support. One person in particular that I support has no income, but wanted a cell phone. My first thought was that it would be pretty hard to do, until I came across a commercial on CNN for Assurance Wireless. I went to check it out online and it turns out, it’s a service provided to anyone who is receiving certain government funded benefits like SSID or Medicaid–and as I said, it’s the real deal.

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