Smartphones for all

Smartphone adoption in the U.S. is accelerating even faster than most analysts predicted, with nearly 110 million Americans owning a smartphone device in April, up 44 percent from a year ago. Almost half (47.5 percent) of all feature phone owners are now switching to a smartphone when it comes time to upgrade, a surge of almost 10 percentage points over the prior year.

The study of first-time U.S. smartphone owners, which was conducted by comScore, also showed the increasing popularity and affordability of Android devices, which accounted for the lion’s share of first-time smartphone purchases. Among those feature phone subscribers that acquired a smartphone in the prior month, 61.5 percent chose an Android device, while 25.2 percent opted for the iPhone. Windows phones (7.1 percent) and BlackBerrys (4.8 percent) were distant also-rans.

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App of the Week – Little Digits

By Sarah Combs

There’s something surprisingly refreshing about an app that is simply well-made. A clean design, a straightforward interface, smooth transitions between different activities, and a touch of clever whimsy make Little Digits one of the most endearing and engaging apps that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing.

Little Digits is an app created by Cowly Owl, a development team out of England that won me over with their first app, Makego. And I hope they make many, many more games with the same clean and surprisingly simple designs of these first two apps.

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Tech Report – OS X Mountain Lion

There was a time not so long ago when mobile operating systems were designed to emulate the desktop. The more our mobile web browsing or e-mail experience felt like we were using a real computer, the theory went, the happier we would be. Not anymore. Now, mobile leads the way and it’s almost impossible to open up a notebook or fire up a desktop without longing for all those smartphone shortcuts and easy-to-use apps.

Nothing illustrates the dominance of mobile more than Apple’s new OS X Mountain Lion software upgrade for the Mac, which goes on sale this week.

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The Online Mom Blog - Should the Internet remain anonymous?

As a tech blogger, I am constantly on Facebook and Twitter. While both platforms allow me to keep up with the latest news, to network with friends and colleagues, and to crowd-source public opinion, they have their important differences. Twitter is more immediate, more fluid, and often more invigorating; while Facebook is more deliberate, more reflective, and often more personal.

Of course, one of the reasons for Facebook’s more considered approach is its lack of anonymity. Now that might seem a strange thing to say about a social network where everyone has 500+ friends, but even if you don’t know all of those friends well, you at least know their names. That’s because Facebook insists on a first and last name when you register, and a friending process that is intentionally measured.

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Talking to Kids About Violence

Following the devastating shooting spree in Aurora, Colorado the debate over violence has again been re-ignited. As a result, various pundits and commentators look for things to blame and, once again, the spotlight falls on violent videogames and an entertainment culture that includes other forms of shooting and fighting.

While our site is not the venue for discussing whether these arguments have any merit – we don’t have the clinical psychology credentials to weigh in on the issue – we do know that the role of parenting is essential for kids to grow up as functioning, responsible adults. We believe that is fairly undisputed.

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