Using cellphones for finding out when friends are nearby, for special shopping or dining deals, for discounts from spots where you check in a lot, and for knowing family members are safe and where they're supposed to be is a great thing. And, like all digital technology, it can have its misuses, such as giving out one's location to people for whom, and for whatever reason, that information is not … [Read more...] about Oz’s tips on location-sharing for teens
cellphones
Globally, the Web is mainly mobile already!
Here in the US, we talk about the fixed and mobile Web to sound cutting-edge (or at least to show that we get that more and more people access the Web from cellphones as much as from computers). But in huge swaths of the rest of the world, the Web is already mostly mobile and accessed from regular ol' cellphones, because "in countries where the average daily wage is less than many in the United … [Read more...] about Globally, the Web is mainly mobile already!
Cellphone traffic turning into gridlock?
We may soon look back on this turn-of-the-decade time as the golden days of endless apps and unrestricted smartphone use – at least when we're not wearing our parent hats (when those are on, even now we're not so care-free about all the app-downloading and photo- and video-sharing via cellphone). But cellphone spectrum traffic jams are on the increase to the point where you may've heard some of … [Read more...] about Cellphone traffic turning into gridlock?
Good or bad ‘Deals’ for FB users?
Add the mobile piece to social shopping + social networking and we just might have a new killer app (i.e., huge uptake). What I'm talking about is Facebook's just-announced "Deals." Analysts are saying social shopping (users giving products in virtual stores, or Web sites, a "Like," review, or comment) was ho-hum. What really adds interest and potential mass appeal is a pay-off, the BBC reports – … [Read more...] about Good or bad ‘Deals’ for FB users?
US teens’ mobile use: Nielsen update
It's no big surprise, but official now, I guess: Texting is now teens' No. 1 reason for using cellphones, but using apps is their fastest-growing activity, ReadWriteMobile reports, citing Nielsen research. This year 43% of US 13-to-17-year-olds say texting is their top reason for mobile adoption. "Safety, the number one reason back in 2008, has now fallen to second place with only 35% citing this … [Read more...] about US teens’ mobile use: Nielsen update