Mainstream USA Embraces Technology

November 5, 2009

According to a new study by Forrester Research , a marketing firm based in Cambridge, Mass., newer technologies are no longer dominated by ‘early adopters’ or ‘geeks’. Their research, found that Americans love and use technology:

  • 50% of US adults are gamers
  • 63% of US households have a broadband Internet connection
  • 75% of US households have cellphones and PCs
  • Nearly 10 million US households (out of nearly 118 million) added an HDTV in the last year, a 27% increase 2007.

“There’s really no group out of the tech loop,” said Forrester analyst Jacqueline Anderson, one of the study’s authors. “America is becoming a digital nation. Technology adoption continues to roll along, picking up more and more mainstream consumers every year.”

The broad adoption of technologies is fantastic, but does have implications for online safety. Simply talking about how to stay safe while on a computer isn’t enough. Make sure you know how, and teach children how to stay safe using their cell phone, internet connected game consoles, and other connected devices.

Linda

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Posted by Linda Criddle

42% of Americans “Can’t Live” Without Cell Phone, Half Sleep With One

November 2, 2009

A new global mobile-phone survey from Synovate shows how attached Americans are to their cell phones, and how US phone patterns vary from global standards. Check out these stats:

useofcell

  • 82% of Americans say they never leave home without their phones vs. 75% globally
  • 50% of Americans sleep with their phone nearby
  • 42% of Americans say they “can’t live” without their mobile phone vs. 36% globally)
  • 33% of Americans own at least 2 cell phones vs. 23% globally
  • 21% of Americans now own a smartphone
  • 33% of US respondents agreed they did not know how to use most of the features on their phones
    • 56% of Americans regularly use the Alarm clock feature vs. 67% globally
    • 68% of Americans use their phone’s camera vs. 62% globally
    • 31% of Americans play games on their pohone vs. 33% globally

Text messaging patterns in romance:

  • 36% of Americans have flirted with their partners by text vs. 33% globally
  • 16% of Americans have flirted with someone other than their partners vs.15% globally (but Brits (26%) and Russians (24%) top the list)
  • 9% of Americans have set up a first date via text vs. 20% globally

Text messaging patterns and bad news

  • 4% of Americans have broken up with someone via text vs. 12% globally (23% of Filipinos break up via text)
  • 5% of Americans have been dumped via text vs. 8% globally (20% of Malaysians have been dumped this way)
  • 71% of Americans agreed that they have hidden behind text to say no or send a difficult message vs. 35% globally. Least likely to hide behind text are Canadians 79% say they haven’t done this.
  • Only 21% of Americans say they have lied about why they were running late or where they are vs. 31% globally. Biggest liars are the Filipinos where 57% admitted to lying about why they were late or their location.

The US and the UK lead the way in mobile functions that require 3G access:

  • 26% of US respondents use email on their cell phone on a regular basis vs. 17% globally
  • 26% of Americans browse the internet from their phone vs. 17% globally. (In the UK 31% browse via phone)
  • Eleven percent say they social network regularly via mobile, again led by the UK (17%) and the US (15%).

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Posted by Linda Criddle

Driving While Texting: Try the Gauge Your Distraction Game

September 14, 2009

R u sure u can txt & drive w/o trouble? Do you find yourself arguing with a spouse/child/carpool driver about the risks of texting and driving?

Now, check this out. The New York Times has created an enlightening game that measures your driving reaction time when affected by external distractions. Try it, and then recommend it to others.

textdrive1

Linda

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Posted by Linda Criddle

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