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Ofcom: Texting is more popular than talking
Ofcom's annual report into the communications habits of Britons has revealed that it's not just geeks who stare in annoyance when the phone rings. The general consumer is now abandoning voice calls is favor of texting in a big way, making five percent fewer calls than they did the previous year. The numbers also showed that on average, people send 50 texts a week, smartphone ownership was up 12 percent and tablet purchasing shot from 2 to 11 percent in a single year. The trend isn't slowing, either, given that a whopping 96 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds prefer SMS and Facebook to talking -- giving us hope that we'll soon be spared having to listen to that guy's conversation during our morning commute.
University of Calgary's Fat Thumb trick allows one-handed phone use, jugglers are thankful (video)
Everyone's let it happen at some point -- that moment where we're desperately trying to use our smartphones in one hand while juggling groceries or coffee in the other. There'll be no way to recover those social graces, but six researchers at the University of Calgary have developed a software technique, Fat Thumb, that should at least keep the contortions and dropped phones to a minimum. As the name implies, it's all based around pressure: a light touch performs the usual commands, while squishing the thumb's wider surface area against the screen allows the equivalent of a multi-touch gesture, such as a pinch to zoom. The advantages for comfort and grip virtually speak for themselves; what's surprising is that Fat Thumb may well be faster than other one-handed gestures. Work on the project is so far confined to a research paper stemming from experiments with an iPhone, although it's easy to see this spreading to other platforms and real products before too long. Catch a glimpse of the cleverness in action after the break.
O2 says calling just fifth most-used task on smartphones, suggests we call them 'best buds' instead
Virtually anyone who's been a frequent smartphone user for the past few years has already suspected it, but O2 UK has provided some possible evidence in a study: calling is one of the last things we do these days. Although the number hasn't gone down, the 12.1 minutes of time study subjects spend talking every day is just fifth-highest on the list of what they do with their smartphones. Web browsing (24.8 minutes) and social networking (17.5 minutes) dictate the largest slices of time, but the combined effect of all those apps, media playback and messaging leave voice as just 9.5 percent of the 128 minutes of daily use. The British carrier suggests the shift is more a virtue of smartphones becoming all-singing, all-dancing companions in our lives than from some disdain for human contact: about half of those asked have replaced alarm clocks and watches with their phones, while 39 percent depend on their smartphone as their main camera. There's even 28 percent that no longer feel the need for a laptop. O2's insights aren't all-encompassing and don't necessarily reflect how everyone uses their devices -- they do, however, explain why we're turning to phones that aren't all that comfortable as phones.
iOS claims 65% of mobile web marketshare
NetMarketShare has released its latest report on Internet usage by mobile devices, and not only has iOS remained on top for Internet usage, but Apple's OS has grown its lead up to 65% of total mobile Internet traffic. In just the last month, usage on iOS went up by 3%, and the year-over-year figures line up to almost 15% growth. That's incredible -- it's a sign that not only is Apple selling more and more iOS devices (including those new Retina iPads, which certainly made up a nice chunk of this new Internet browsing), but that users are depending on them more and more for connecting to and interacting with the Internet. It's also worth noting that iOS users are generally heavy 'net users as well. Even though there are more Android phones out there, iOS users are browsing enough to keep the totals in their favor and growing. [via 9to5Mac.com]
Pew survey finds that 17 percent of US cellphone users go online mostly on their phones
It should hardly come as a surprise that folks are spending more and more of their time online on their cellphones, but a new Pew study released today has shed a bit more light on just how common that's becoming. According to the research group, 17 percent of all cellphone users (including those without smartphones) go online "mostly" on their cellphone, while 33 percent primarily use another device, and five percent use both equally -- a hefty 45 percent still don't use their phones to go online at all, though. Not surprisingly, those numbers go up when broken down by those who do at least use the internet occasionally on their phone -- 31 percent of whom go online primarily on their phone -- and there's an even bigger jump when looking at younger users. Among those 18 to 29 who use the internet on their phones, fully 45 percent use their cellphone for most of their online activities. You can find the full report at the source link below.
Sprint's share of iPhone sales at big box stores double that at Apple retailers
A new study by CIRP shows that even though Sprint is finally carrying the iPhone in the U.S., it might have come a little too late to the party. According to the study, Sprint is selling twice as many iPhones at big box retail stores like Best Buy than it's selling at Apple Stores. That's interesting, mostly because AT&T and Verizon's sales are about the same share in both places. So why is Sprint at such a disadvantage in Apple Stores as compared to more traditional places like Best Buy? CIRP says it's simply because both users and retailers are more used to AT&T and Verizon selling the iPhone, and that Sprint might have fallen back simply because it only started selling the iPhone recently. When current AT&T or Verizon users go to upgrade their phone, or when new users go to pick up a phone, Sprint ends up being last on the list at the Apple Store. AT&T's got the original base of users, Verizon has the folks who were waiting for a second carrier and Sprint has gotten lost in the mix. Sprint didn't confirm this information, and realistically, outside of working on a better partnership with Apple or separate advertising, there's not a lot it can do to beef up its Apple Store sales. But it is interesting to hear that Sprint might have arrived slightly late to the iPhone party. [via MacRumors]
Google simulates the human brain with 1000 machines, 16000 cores and a love of cats
Don't tell Google, but its latest X lab project is something performed by the great internet public every day. For free. Mountain View's secret lab stitched together 1,000 computers totaling 16,000 cores to form a neural network with over 1 billion connections, and sent it to YouTube looking for cats. Unlike the popular human time-sink, this was all in the name of science: specifically, simulating the human brain. The neural machine was presented with 10 million images taken from random videos, and went about teaching itself what our feline friends look like. Unlike similar experiments, where some manual guidance and supervision is involved, Google's pseudo-brain was given no such assistance. It wasn't just about cats, of course -- the broader aim was to see whether computers can learn face detection without labeled images. After studying the large set of image-data, the cluster revealed that indeed it could, in addition to being able to develop concepts for human body parts and -- of course -- cats. Overall, there was 15.8 percent accuracy in recognizing 20,000 object categories, which the researchers claim is a 70 percent jump over previous studies. Full details of the hows and whys will be presented at a forthcoming conference in Edinburgh.
Nielsen: Americans have 28 percent more mobile apps in 2012, look down on the web with disdain
It's not hard to see that Americans love their mobile apps, and Nielsen can now tell us by how much. The average US smartphone owner circa mid-2012 now brandishes 41 apps, a pretty hefty 28 percent increase from a year earlier. They're preferring native apps to the web, as well: they're more likely to spend time with that direct port of Cut the Rope than the HTML5 version. Along with reminding us that smartphone owners are now in the majority in the country, Nielsen has added that there's a total of 84 million Android and iOS users in the US, or more than double what we saw just a year ago. We're a bit disappointed that the figures mostly exclude BlackBerry and Windows Phone owners, although they still paint a picture of a country that's entirely comfortable in its smartphone shoes.
More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates
We know smartphone and tablet owners like to buy games. But if you go by a new ABI exploration of user habits, most of us aren't buying much of anything. More than 70 percent of the crowd spends little to nothing on mobile apps, dragging down the average of $14 spent per month among paying customers to a median of $7.50 when you include the skinflints. As you might imagine, that leaves the remaining 30 percent making up for a lot of slack: three percent of downloaders represent a fifth of all the spending in the mobile app world. Researchers suggest that developers focus on a long-term strategy of freemium pricing or utility apps to get more customers buying, but we imagine that writing more games about catapulting frustrated birds might just work out on its own.
Internet speeds drop around the world according to Akamai, adoption rate up
Here's an odd one: average connection speeds around the globe dropped 14 percent to just 2.3 Mbps during the last quarter of 2011. The drop off remains something of a mystery since the data used to calculate that result doesn't include mobile broadband (so its increased adoption can't be dragging down the whole) and Akamai offers no explanation. Still, it's not time to start panicking, just yet. Even though speeds in the US dropped 5.3 percent from the previous quarter, average connection rates are still up significantly over the previous year. Otherwise, things largely stayed the same. Global broadband adoption was steady at 66 percent and the US continued to trail its friends across the Pacific (by a lot) in the race for the fastest Internet connections. Interestingly, while the number of broadband connections stayed consistent the number of narrowband lines (under 256 Kbps) declined dramatically. Yet, the percentage of the world's population connected to the web managed to increase 2.1 percent quarter over quarter -- and 13 percent for the year. So, while it may seem that the internet had a temporary set back in Q4 of 2011, the long term trends look good. The number of people online is increasing, the average speeds being pulled down by those people is climbing and the number of folks stuck in the dial up era is dropping. To get a copy of the full report hit up the source.
Study says wind turbines raise surrounding area temperature, but only at night
Who said the butterfly effect couldn't apply to renewable energy? Though wind farms are considered pretty green on the energy-generating spectrum, it looks like they, too, have an impact on the planet. According to a study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, turbines can raise the local temperature -- albeit slightly. From 2003 to 2011, researchers monitored satellite data for west-central Texas, which is home to 2,350-plus turbines and four of the world's largest wind farms. In that decade, scientists observed a temperature increase of 0.72 degrees in wind farm regions compared to areas without turbines. That warming trend was especially marked at night, when the temperature difference between the ground and the air is highest. The temperature increase was also higher in winter; researchers say that these cooler, windier conditions cause turbines to generate more electricity and therefore create more heat. Since the study didn't find any change in daytime temperatures, it looks like we don't have to ring the global warming alarm just yet.
Study shows more people watch TV on tablets than computers, still nothing on
Is your notebook still your preferred second TV? Well, it seems you're now in the minority. The hip new way of consuming the drug of the nation -- after the 'ole tube itself -- is on a tablet, according to a recent Viacom study. Over 2,500 people were polled nationwide, and the results show a shift away from computers and smartphones to slates. Tabs made up 15 percent of full-length TV show viewings, with the increase of streaming services and companion apps being cited as contributing factors to the trend. We don't know what the fuss is about, we watch all our telly on a tablet.
Shocker: People who read e-books read more
Are you ready for a bombshell? Turns out people who read e-books read more books than those don't. That tidbit comes from the number crunchers at Pew. According to a new report titled "The Rise of E-Reading," the e-book readers read an average of 24 books in the past year, versus the 15 books read by those who didn't. Also, not particularly surprising is the fact that the percent of folks reading e-books is on the rise as well -- the number who claimed to have read an e-book in the year prior made a bit of a jump from 17-percent in December to 21-percent in February. Naturally, the whole printed thing is still a bit more widespread, with 72-percent claiming to have read a paper-type book in the year prior, when surveyed back in December.
Self-sculpting 'smart sand' can assume any shape, create instant prototypes (video)
A new algorithm developed by the Distributed Robotics Laboratory at MIT's Computer Science could lead to an exciting fast prototyping tool, being dubbed "smart sand." Immerse an object in the sand, tiny cubes that send simple proximity messages to each other, which relay through the swarm and determine which blocks are adjacent to the object to be modeled, and those that aren't. Using this data, it's possible to create a map of the subject to be replicated. Initial tests were performed using 2D models, but has also been shown to work reliably with 3D shapes also. While true smart sand would need "grains" much smaller than currently possible, it's said that this isn't an "insurmountable obstacle." The paper will be presented at the IEEE conference in May, or keep going past the break for the explanatory video.
MIT's laser-powered camera can detect objects hidden around corners (video)
One of the most thrilling things about human existence is that you never know what's lurking around the corner. It could be a newborn baby, a sweet job, a delicious churro -- doesn't really matter, because it's a surprise, and surprises are fun and surprising. Just don't tell that to the doldrum dwellers over at MIT, because apparently, they don't agree. The same team that created a camera with light-speed shutter rates has now expanded upon their project, with a camera capable of seeing around corners. Literally. To do this, the system uses a so-called femtosecond laser to send out extremely short light pulses -- so short, in fact, that their entire lifespan is measured in quadrillionths of a second. To capture an object lurking around a corner, the device aims its laser at a nearby wall, thereby allowing the light to bounce around the room before eventually landing on the concealed object. Once it hits the jackpot, the light will reflect back onto the wall, and eventually return to a detector, which can gauge the exact location of the object based on the distance the laser traveled. This happens over and over again at different angles, meaning that the system will ultimately be able to get a general idea of the hidden room's layout. Researchers hope that their system will eventually be used in emergency rescue situations, or to help drivers see what's around the bend, though there's no telling when any of that could actually happen. For a diagrammatic rundown, check out the video after the break.
Android study finds privacy and security risks related to in-app advertising
Android has certainly taken heat for malware-related bits in the past. Now, a recent study by computer scientists at North Carolina State University reveals that over half of the 100,000 apps from the Android Market Google Play include so-called ad libraries, which are essentially handed out by Google or third-party devs to retrieve ads from servers and launch them on your phone. Of these, 297 were classified as "aggressive," as they're allowed to run code from a remote server. Furthermore, Dr. Jiang along with his squad of researchers found that more than 48,000 of the apps put to the test could track location via GPS, while other accessed info could range from call logs, contact numbers, to the apps list on your device. It's unclear if this also applies to Android slates, though this particular study conducted only included handsets.
TED launches 'TED-Ed', hopes to make lessons worth sharing
Who doesn't love filling an idle hour with a good ol' bit of TED? Now, the people behind those share-worthy ideas are bringing us TED-Ed: a new lesson-based YouTube channel. Aimed primarily at high-schoolers, the initiative invites teachers to submit their "best lesson" in a youthful mind-friendly ten minutes or less. If chosen, TED will ship out a "portable recording booth" -- which look suspiciously like an iPad in a sound-absorbing flightcase. Once the knowledge has been preserved, it's sent over to a team of animators to bring it to life. If you know a great teacher, or animator, you can also nominate them to the TED-Ed team if they're too humble to put themselves forward. The TEDEducation YouTube channel is up and running right now, but the new original content won't land until a dedicated site is launched next month. There's a typically heartwarming and informative video about the project after the break.
Tel Aviv University develops biodegradable transistor, literally man made
Blood sweat and tears go into many projects, and in this case almost literally -- although technically it's blood, milk and mucus. Yep, researchers at Tel Aviv University have created biodegradable transistors from proteins found in the aforementioned organic substances. When the proteins are mixed with base materials in the right combinations, it seems they self-assemble into a semi-conducting film. Why blood, milk and mucus? Apparently, the different proteins each have unique properties. Blood's oxygen storing ability, for example, helps mix chemicals with semi-conductors to give them specific properties, while milk and mucus (the only time we want to see them together) have fiber forming, and light-creating properties respectively. The hope is that this can lead to flexible and biodegradable technology. The team at Tel Aviv says it's already working on a biodegradable display, with other electronic devices to follow -- which should help stem the flow of waste.
iPad embraced by small businesses; use quadruples in one year
While we've been hearing a lot about enterprise use of Apple's iPad, there hasn't been much attention paid to the millions of small businesses that are using the tablet. The Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal reported on a new national study that shows that small business use of the iPad has nearly quadrupled from 9 percent in 2010 to 34 percent in 2011. The study by the parent company of The Business Journals indicates that the iPad is now the fastest growing technology in the SMB (small and medium businesses) business sector. The poll also notes that about 75 percent of small business owners were "very or somewhat familiar" with the iPad. Godfrey Phillips, vice president of research at The Business Journals, says that "Our research has shown that for small business owners, productivity and efficiency, which used to be the central benefits of technology, are now declining in importance compared to accessibility. "The iPad, as well as smartphones and cloud computing, are all part of this new trend and are experiencing significant growth as a result of that need." One of the more fascinating results of the study looked at the demographics of iPad users in the small business community. They're highly educated, with 72 percent having a college education. Annual household incomes averaged about US$176,000 for the respondents, and their companies are well-established -- on average, they've existed for 28 years and have annual sales of about $9.2 million. The full study will be made available on March 31.
Smartphones spread out: Pew says 46 percent of US adults now own one
Our master plan is slowly working, and soon every man and woman in our great nation will own a smartphone. Pew Research Center reports that just under half of adult Americans, or 46 percent, own smartphones currently, meaning that smartphone owners now outnumber their feature phone counterparts by five percent. Pew polled multiple demographics to get its numbers, and there was growth across the board over the last nine months. Of particular interest is the rise in ownership in the study's lowest income demographic -- under $30,000 a year -- which spiked 12 percent to 34 percent. Additionally, it showed that Android and Apple are neck and neck, with 20 and 19 percent market share of mobile owners, respectively, and Blackberry ownership declined from ten percent to six percent. The largest growth came from the 18-24 age group, up 18 to 67 percent. (Who do you think is doing all that checking in on Foursquare?). Of course, you know what they say about statistics, so head on down to the source for a full accounting and form your own opinion of what they mean.
