"Cell phones allowed people to connect on the go, and smartphones have transformed the way we share information. Discover the landmark shifts in phone technology-and the people-that have shaped modern communication"--

Cell phones allowed people to connect on the go, and smartphones have transformed the way we share information. From the earliest landlines to the minicomputers that link people across the world, discover the shifts in phone technology that shaped modern communication--and the people who made them happen. This graphic history also shows readers the big changes in design, size, and battery life that took place before mobile phones hit the center of popular culture.

"Cell phones allowed people to connect on the go, and smartphones have transformed the way we share information. Discover the landmark shifts in phone technology-and the people-that have shaped modern communication"--

Presenting the history of the cellular phone from its beginnings in the 1940s to the present, this book explains the fundamental concepts involved in wireless communication along with the ramifications of cellular technology on the economy, U.S. and international law, human health, and society. The first two chapters deal with bandwidth and radio. Subsequent chapters look at precursors to the contemporary cellphone, including the surprisingly popular car phone of the 1970s, the analog cellphones of the 1980s and early 1990s, and the basic digital phones which preceded the feature-laden, multipurpose devices of today.

Smartphones have transformed the way we live. Many people feel dependent on their smartphones. Some people spend too much time using them. But how much time is too much? This nonfiction book discusses the pros and cons of smartphones while introducing students to new vocabulary terms and concepts. Important text features include a glossary, index, and table of contents to engage students in reading as they develop their comprehension, vocabulary, and literacy skills. The Reader's Guide and culminating activity direct students back to the text as they develop their higher-order thinking skills. Check It Out! provides resources for additional reading and learning. With TIME For Kids content, this book aligns with national and state standards and will keep grade 4 students engaged in reading.

We think we know everything about our smartphones. We use them constantly. We depend on them for every conceivable purpose. We are familiar with every inch of their compact frames. But there is more to the smartphone than meets the eye. How have smartphones shaped the way we socialize and interact? Who tracks our actions, our preferences, our movements as recorded by our smartphones? These are just some of the questions that journalist Elizabeth Woyke answers in this muckraking expose of the $241 billion industry that produces more than 700 million devices each year. In the tradition of The Coffee Book, The Sneaker Book, Oil, and Cigarettes, The Smartphone offers not only a step-by-step guide to how smartphones are designed and manufactured but also a bold exploration of the darker side of this massive industry, including the exploitation of labor, the disposal of electronic waste, and the underground networks that hack and smuggle smartphones. Featuring interviews with key figures in the development of the smartphone and expert assessments of the industry's main players--Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung--The Smartphone is the perfect introduction to this most personal of gadgets. Your smartphone will never look the same again.

An engaging look at how technology is undermining our creativity and relationships and how face-to-face conversation can help us get it back.