Shocking News: Girls text more than boys!
I know it’s not exactly shocking–a new Pew study shows that girls are texting more than boys.
What is a little surprising is the amount of texting –more than half of teens text 50 times a day and a third text more than 100 times a day.
The study, which tracks Internet use among teens, shows a upsurge in text use in the 18 months between Feb. 2008 and Sept. 2009, up from 38 to 54 percent of teens using text daily.
According to the study report:
Also surprising is that text has surpassed all other methods of teen-to-teen contact including face-to-face. Teens are texting more than they are talking to one another in person.
What will the future bring?
Is your pre-teen texting 1,000+ messages per month?
A recent Nielson report on kids and texting revealed that kids 12 and under send an average of 1,146 messages a month (That’s like 4 every waking hour they are not in school!) Teens send more than 3,000 a month or 10 an hour not sleeping or in school.
For the most part, mom and dad don’t feel the pinch thanks to unlimited plans with low fees. If you have kids with phones and you have a pay-as-you-go plan definitely check out the unlimited options before you feel it in the pocketbook.
Found via Switched.
Nearly Every Waking Minute!
According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average young American now spends almost every waking moment (except the time in school) using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device.
That means those ages 8 to 18 spend more than 7.5 hours a day of screen time , up an hour from five years ago. So our children now have an electronic leash of sorts tied to them nearly constantly. The study also found that heavy use is associated with behavior problems and lower grades.
If you can’t beat them, join them. According to Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston who directs the Center on Media and Child Health:
Some of the findings from the study show that
- young people spend about two hours a day on mobile devices
- they spend more time listening to or watching media on their cellphones, or playing games than talking on them
- the heaviest media users are black and Hispanic youths and tweens (11-14)
Most striking might be this quote from profesor Donald Roberts, one of the study’s authors:
“Parents never knew as much as they thought they did about what their kids are doing,” Mr. Roberts said, “but now we’ve created a world where they’re removed from us that much more.”
The study found that parental limits did make a difference and homes with rules like no television during meals and other boundaries reflected less screen time.
(read the story If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online via The New York Times)
Tech Movie Trivia
I’m pretty good with movies. Remembering titles, release dates, stars. Anyone with my phone number knows they can text me if they need a bit of cinematic information, but to be honest, I don’t always have my phone.
Nokia’s Point and Find technology may just make me obsolete. The concept is simple. Use a Nokia phone to take a photo of a movie poster and your phone will do a net search for relevant information. Release dates will no longer be a problem.
Nokia hopes ot expand the service so that information about things beyond Hollywood can also be accessed, but you’ve gotta start somewhere.
Travel Tech for Less
Travelers will have some cool new gadgets to help them out this year as previewed at the Travel Good Show this week in Las Vegas.
MSNBC’s travel writer Rob Lovitt profiled a few pieces for under $50, including a take-with-you digital scale to avoid egregious charges for over-limit bags and an alarm to warn you if your luggage leaves without you.
Another favorite is the e-Solar Charger ($49.95) from Everlite that lets you charge cell phones, iPods or digital cameras via power from the sun.
My sister-in-law travels A LOT for work. I may have to look into something from this list for her next gift.
Flipswap
Flipswap is a new option for getting rid of your old cell phone or Apple iPod. Trade in hundreds of models for Amazon gift cards or recycle models that are outdated or unable to be fixed.
The average cell phone user gets a new device every 18 months. Meanwhile, tons of electronic waste are building up in landfills. Recycling for reuse or destruction in environmentally sustainable ways are the only responsible options when it comes to getting rid of your old device.
Flipswap makes it easy by paying for shipping on your device and giving you a gift card for a trade-in value if you qualify or planting a tree through its reLeaf project.
It only take a few minutes to search for your model and see what your trade-in value might be. Turn that trash into treasure!
found via imommies.com
Why You Need BlueTooth
The trick about cell phones and headphones for students like me, is not getting in trouble. I’ll be honest, with MP3 players shrinking almost by the day, it is no longer a question of hiding a discman in your backpack to listen during class, but hiding the wires of earbud headphones protruding from a pocket.
Driving with cell phones has also become an issue in a number of US states, including my own state of NY. The fact is, in a state like NY, it’s illegal to drive and talk on your cell phone(have a cell phone in your hand) at the same time.
While speaker phone on most standards cells is an option at this point, the truth is, much of the time, you still have to yell into the phone to be heard on the other end (I know I do). But there is a small fix. Who knew that obeying the law and promoting in-class entertainment would both have the same solution?
Bluetooth technology is that small miracle, still being developed to function at its full potential 
Bluetooth, as defined by in our glossary:
Enables the short-range transmission of digital voice and data, such as from a user’s wireless cell-phone headset to his cell phone.
Not only does this help me driving at home, but it can help promote safe driving most everywhere else as well. Bluetooth headsets are incredibly helpful in appeasing the legal authority. Simply wear one sci fi style on an ear and when a call comes through no hands are needed, just speak and you will be heard! (They look silly, but it’s better than a ticket).
On the other side is undermining authority (which I don’t promote, of course) but I do find it amusing to contrast rule breaking against the real world laws of the road. In class you’re supposed ot be paying attention, but when that’s unbearable it’s at least good to look polite. Forget hoodies pulled up over renegade wires, bluetooth earbud headphones are a thing of the present! (The Etymotic ety8 for example). Still a bit larger than completely necessary, but the idea is there. Not to mention the plethora of other bluetooth options to, at the very least, keep you from tripping over yourself while jogging to a little 90’s pop.
There are new perks to bluetooth technology too: on the go internet and new developments in prosthetic design. Now if only bluetooth were more affordable…..
I Can’t Live Without My Cell Phone
I don’t know what I’d do without my cell phone; I can hardly remember what I did do without a cell phone (besides borrowing other people’s). The fact is we’re tight, my cell phone and me, we’ve grown up together. I can’t really remember not having access to a cell of some kind, though I can remember only being able to make calls. I can remember when it was just me and a number key pad.
Just a less than pocket sized plastic black brick in my parent’s car. But seriously, cell phones aren’t just for calls anymore . Actually, I spend more time typing on my phone than I do talking. It’s just more convenient, and more polite in some cases. It’s less intrusive to type a message in a crowded room than it is to try and yell over the surrounding ruckus.
It’s convenient, it’s easy, and it’s not as foreign as many people make it out to be. It doesn’t have to be the generation gap it sometimes seems. My friends and I find the misconceptions surrounding texting rather hysterical. The texting vernacular, the language, isn’t quite as prevalent as it seems in pop culture. Yes, there is short hand , but it’s not that crazy all the time.
Sure, when you get your first cell phone, or you’re a middle schooler on Instant Messenger, it’s there, but to be honest, beyond that, it’s not so bad. The most common short hand on a cell phone is something like “u”, “k” or “b/c” (meaning “you”, “okay”, and “because”, in case anyone is still confused) and that’s only because, as we all know, cell screens are only so big, and messages can only be so long.
With full keypads available on many phone models not only is texting language less of a necessity, but so are texting T9 skills. No need to memorize the numbers and corresponding letters or update an in-phone dictionary.
I’ve grown up with the cell phone and I can’t text to save my life without the keypad, and I still get confused when I see some of those txt messages w/ who knos wat kind o words. But you can forget capitalization in any of those grammatically correct messages; it’s still supposed to be a quick means of communication. I know I don’t have any patience to wait for my pinky to reach over to the capslock button.
