Limitless About 4 billion or 80% of the Earth’s population own a , yet only 3.5 billion brush their teeth each day. 2017 is going to be full of new cellphones and lots of rumors too. Phone companies like Apple, , and LG are planning to add new and improved accessories like speakers, chargers, screens, and much, much more. The new year is rumored to be one of the most important year for phone companies across the U.S.

It´s Going To Be A Big Year For Apple! It’s going to be a big year for Apple! Rumor has it that they’ll be releasing three new versions of the Iphone 8, according to Forbes. Many people are also hoping that the new phones will have wireless charging and a glass body around a stainless steel frame! Researchers are also led to believe that a new phone will be announced in September, following an IOS11 announcement in July, based on the previous release dates from Apple. According to Forbes.com “One of the iPhones 8 options is reportedly going to be a 5.8 inch version with edge-to-edge OCED display.” Forbes also says that Apple may even add yet another way to unlock your phone! It’s called facial recognition! The new phone ​ ​ might not just remember your fingerprint, but now your face too! Even more to look forward to, the AirPods are back! In December Apple disappointed everyone- who wanted to buy the AirPods in time for the holidays- with a 2 month delay. Now that February is here, all those people are finally going to get to buy AirPods, Apple’s latest technology. AirPods are wireless earbuds that can sense when they are in your ear, and when you take them out. This means that when you put them in, the song plays, and when you take them out, it pauses! With that said, you can say goodbye to tangled wires and rewinding your song every time you have to take out your earbuds. Spring is on it’s way! Not only are people getting excited for warm weather and bright flowers, Apple may be releasing new iPads! According to Business Insider.com, “Some reports ​

say the new iPads will have slightly larger screens (10 inches, up from 9.7 inches), and that the non-Pro models will work with the Apple Pencil.” We should all start saving up now, because 2017 is going to be a big year for Apple and we are expecting the best new technology.

What… A Foldable Phone!? A New “Galaxy S8” Samsung is Apple’s biggest competitor and they also have a lot in store for the 2017. Rumors are saying that Samsung is going to release their new phone “Galaxy S8” in March or April 2017 according to Forbes.com. According to BusinessInsider.com ¨The finger print sensor has been moved to the back of the phone, to the right of the camera.” This is just a rumor so we’re not certain if this is true or not. There will also be two different versions one being the 5.8 inch and a 6.2 inch displays. According to Forbes.com “The “Galaxy S8’s” are said to have new processors that will give them an 11% overall ​ ​ preformance boost over the “Galaxy S7” while also being 20% more power efficent.” The phones may also have USB-C charging and to transfer data. Another rumor that might not be completely true yet is that samsung might be coming out with a “foldable phone” according to Forbes.com. Rumors are stating that once the phones is unfolded it will be a 7¨ tablet. The phone is rumored to be called the ¨galaxy X¨. But in order for this phone to happen it needs to have a foldable battery. ​

Bigger Is Better! It’s official! The new LG G6 is coming February 26th! The G6 is said to have much better features than the G5 and is supposed to be a homerun for LG with all of the additions made. The new G6 will have a large 5.7-inch display, a 2:1 aspect ratio, and will focus on minimal bezels, as confirmed by The Verge. Similar to theories about the S8, There will be curved corners on the G6! Even more good news, the LG G6 will be entirely of metal and glass, no more cheap plastic. Even if the new G6 is supposed to be way better than the G5, LG decided to keep some of the hand-me-downs from the G5. The G6 is going to have the same camera and back design. We’re also hoping for the headphone jack to live on and keeping our faith in fingerprint sensors. ​ ​ LG is praying for the G6 to make a big impact in the market. According to The Verge, “LG is in a precarious position in the market today, having failed to turn a meaningful profit from its mobile business for years and suffering the setback of last year’s ill-fated modular experiment. The G6 is thus an even more critical device than the usual, desperate-for-differentiation Android smartphone.”

Let’s hope that the LG G6 will be way better than previous releases from LG. Get ready because on February 26th, the first new phone of the year will be released.

​ ​How Phones Have Evolved Over Time The 1900's were brutal. Hard labor, fighting, and not enough education. But the most ​ torturous, terrible, and painful struggle? You couldn't fit your phone in your pocket! ​ ​ The first cell phone was created in 1942 and was produced by , it was used during war and was also the first “walkie talkie”. Fast forward to 1973 when Martin Cooper made the first real wireless phone. It was a prototype and it was called the “DynaTAC”, But was later ​ ​ dubbed as the “brick phone”. The actual phone came out 10 years later, and according to BusinessInsider.com the phone “was weighing under 2 pounds, but costing nearly $4,000 and almost $9,000 today. Later in 1989 Motorola produced the first “MicroTAC” which was the first to have a flip phone design. In 1992 the first hand sized phone was created and it was called the “Motorola International 3200”. In 1993 the world’s first smartphone was created It was called the IBM Simon it “was a mobile phone, pager, fax machine, and a PDA… It included a calendar, address book, clock, calculator, notepad, email, games and a touch screen keyboard.” according to BusinessInsider.com. In 1996 Motorola produced the first “clamshell” phone and it was called the “StarTAC”. According to BusinessInsider.com “It represents a clam shell opening and closinng” hence the name “clamshell”. Later in 1997 the 9,000 communicator came out and it had a full keyboard and LED screen. In 1998 the Nokia 8810 was produced it was the first cell phone to not have an external antenna. In 1999 the Nokia 3210 was released and is said to be one of the most popular phones and had sold over 160 million. Not to mention it was the first for to allow pre installed picture messages. Fast forward to 2002 when sprint released the Sanyo 5300 “It was the first in North America” According to BusinessInsider.com. In 2004 came out and it “was marketed as a “fashion phone” according to businessinsider.com. In 2005 the “Motorola ROKRE1” It could hold 100 songs and was a doorway for the iphone. In 2007 Steve Jobs created the

“Iphone 3g” It was a touch screen smartphone that ran on 3g technology. It included apps and music along with a ton of other new things too. In 2010 Apple’s first major competitor Samsung came out with the “Galaxy S android” it was the third samsung in the line. In 2013 apple released their “Iphone 5s” it was the 8th iphone in line. Not to mention it had fingerprint recognition and was the best selling phone of 2013. In 2014 apple announced the release of the “iphone 6” was the biggest and skinniest iphone in the line as of 2016, it had stronger aluminum and a better camera. Lastly, In 2016, samsung released the “Galaxy note 7” is the newest phone to have a curved screen and iris scanner. Cell phones have come a long way since 1942 and 1973 but all we know is that the future is going to have a lot in store for the new phones coming out.

​Be Smart, Don't Use Your Smartphone While Driving! Everybody can honestly admit that, at one point in their life, they broke a law. You might be thinking “Of course I didn’t, that’s absurd!” Texting and driving is illegal in New York as well as almost the entire United States of America. In fact, just holding a portable electronic while you’re behind ​ ​ the wheel is against the law. So yes, you probably have broken the law, put yourself in danger, and risked the lives of everyone else on the road as well. Talking and texting on a cell phone while driving is one of the biggest problems on the roads. Studies from the National Safety Council say ​ ​ that you are 4 times more likely to crash while talking on your cell phone, and 8-23 times more likely to crash when texting and driving! Even looking down at your phone for two seconds could cost you your life, or the life of another. By simply googling the new sales at Target, you could cause a collision. You may think that it will never happen to you but 9% of the time, talking on a cell phone while driving results in a crash, which differs tremendously to 0.6% crashing probability when simply using a portable device. And just because you don’t know anyone who has died in a car crash, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. There’s always a first. Innocent people die all the time because of texting and driving. ​ According to nsc.org, cell phone use is “under-reported by authorities”, meaning it’s almost never included in the report when a crash occurs. ​ ​ Additional to that, most people do not admit to cell phone use when they cause a collision, creating data gaps. We also haven’t yet

discovered how we can be sure that cell phone use was a factor in an accident, which just makes the situation harder for Organizations like the NSC to collect reliable information that would be ​ ​ used to prevent crashes. Even though phones are an obvious ​ hazard when driving, there are many things that you can do to prevent distracted driving crashes. The best thing that you could possibly do to keep yourself safe is to completely shut off your phone when you get in the car.

Doing so will ensure that you do not have the urge to respond to texts or pick up the phone. Other ways to prevent being distracted are to turn off your wi-fi or cellular data and put your phone inside of your purse or compartment with the ringer turned off. As a parent, the best way to stop your kids from being distracted by their cell phones while driving is to make it clear to them that it is not okay and then set an example. Nsc.org says that “If you’re not able to do it, how do you expect your teens to do it?” There are a lot of things that can cause distracted driving, but there are also ways to prevent it. So next time you’re behind the wheel and you pick up your cell phone, think about everyone that you are putting in danger. You can save lives, just don’t text and drive. ​