“Dick Tracy” got an atom-powered, two-way wrist radio in 1946. Marty Cooper never forgot it.

Assurance Wireless: (800) 395-2171 or www.assurancewireless.com Reach Out Wireless: (877) 777-1914 or www.reachoutmobile.com Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

Instead, you can take advantage of various assistance programs, such as those in collaboration with service providers like StandUp Wireless, which help those in need access cellular and internet ...

Compared to other assistance programs, Lifeline partners with various providers, such as StandUp Wireless and Verizon, offering a broader selection of smartphones and tablets. The availability of ...

Lifeline Free: You’ll get 3,000 minutes, 4.5GB of high-speed data, and a free phone. Lifeline Free California: This plan offers unlimited talk, text, and 6GB of data. You’ll also get a free phone.

On one hand, it’s true former President Barack Obama expanded a program to bring free or low-cost cell phone service to as many as 17 million Americans in 2012, according to CNN.

In conjunction with a federal government program called the Lifeline program, Constellation Wireless is giving free phones to Indiana’s unhoused.

The Belkin 5K magnetic power bank can stick to the back of my phone giving a much-needed lifeline of additional power to get through your Netflix queue… I mean, work day. The power bank’s secret ...