survey

Teens prefer texting over phone calls, e-mail

Year after year, study after study, teens are proving to be texting at an increasing rate. In a new survey by the Pew Internet Research Center, U.S. teenagers are talking on landlines and cell phone less, using more smartphones, and are averaging 60 texts a day--up from 50 in 2009.

"Teens are fervent communicators," senior research specialist at Pew Amanda Lenhart writes in the study. "Straddling childhood and adulthood, they communicate frequently with a variety of important people in their lives: friends and peers, parents, teachers, coaches, bosses, and a myriad of other adults and institutions.&… Read more

Tech-savvy dads: We're geeks and proud of it

Who hasn't called their dad a geek or nerd at some point, right? The thing is, while those monikers might have been an insult or cause for embarrassment back in the day, today, they're a badge of honor for many tech-savvy dads out there.

According to a survey sponsored by Cisco Home Networking Business (who knew Cisco was in the business of geek dads?), these self-proclaimed nerds are eager to pass on their high-tech knowledge to their sons and daughters. And get this: instead of retreating to their rooms and slamming their doors in that special way only angst-ridden teens can, the kids are into it, giving both parties an opportunity to spend more time together.

The survey, called "Confessions of a Geek Dad" and conducted by Answers Research, asked 590 "tech-savvy" men between the ages of 25 to 54, with children ages 17 and under, about their technology habits as it relates to their interaction with kids and other family members. … Read more

Creative pros: Tell us what you think of the new Adobe

As Adobe Systems prepares to release Creative Suite 6, it's in the midst of two major shifts: the addition of its Creative Cloud subscription and the addition of design tools using Web standards.

And we want to know what you think of the change.

In conjunction with Jefferies, a financial research and investment banking firm, CNET is conducting a quick survey about Adobe's Creative Cloud and embrace of Web standards. It's only nine multiple-choice questions long, so it's very fast and easy to fill out.

We'll be publishing results of the survey later so you can see if other people see things your way. If you are open to us asking you follow-up questions, you can leave your e-mail address at the end of the survey, but it's completely optional. Of course, you also can leave comments on this post. … Read more

Will tablets eventually replace laptops?

For years, analysts have debated whether tablets will eventually replace laptops. Turns out that consumers largely believe they will--and the elderly are far more convinced of that fact than whippersnappers.

Polling company Poll Position, which surveyed 1,155 registered American voters last week, found that 46 percent of respondents believe tablets will eventually replace laptops. About 35 percent of those folks say that devices like Apple's iPad or the Amazon Kindle Fire won't replace notebooks. Nearly 20 percent of respondents had no opinion on the matter.

Although it's generally believed young people will drive the adoption of … Read more

Americans more susceptible to online scams than believed, study finds

Last May, long before the iPhone 4S was released, a bunch of Facebook users got tricked into spreading spam by clicking on a link attached to this headline: "First Exposure: Apple iPhone 5."

People who normally ignore all the other scams involving purported free software or naked celebrity photos clicked that fake news link and even completed a captcha on a second site, which reposted the scam to their own Facebook stream. That probably says more about how fanatical people are about Apple products than anything else. But it did raise the question--what does it take to lure … Read more

Sexting far less prevalent than previously reported

A study published in the January, 2012 issue of Pediatrics asked teens whether they had sent or received sexually suggestive, nude or nearly nude images of themselves--a practice commonly known as "sexting."

What they found is that 2.5 percent of the 10- to 17-year-olds in the survey said they had appeared in or created images that depicted themselves nude or nearly nude. But, when the researchers asked if the images "showed breasts, genitals or someone's bottom," only 1.3 percent said they had appeared in or created such images. The "nude or nearly … Read more

iPad, other iOS devices top kids' holiday wish lists, says study

Apple's line of iOS portables are in the lead for products desired by kids ages 6 to 12 in the U.S. this holiday season, a new study from Nielsen has found.

According to the research firm, the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone are the top three most desired products by that age group. Leading the pack is the iPad, which 44 percent of those surveyed listed as wanting to buy in the next six months, up from the 31 percent from the firm's same study this time last year.

The iPad was also the most desired product by those in the "13+" age category, knocking "computers" down to the second-most wanted product. By comparison, last year's study had computers leading, with the iPad trailing in fourth place. Tablets from other manufacturers come in at fifth place in both age groups. … Read more

Ford looks to reduce carbon footprint in supply chain

Using post-consumer materials and finding more energy-efficient ways to produce vehicles are just part of Ford Motor Co.'s strategy to reduce the company's global carbon footprint.

Ford is looking at the energy use and carbon emissions of 128 global suppliers. These suppliers account for nearly 60 percent of the company's $65 billion in annual purchases.

In 2010, the automaker surveyed 35 top suppliers that make seats, steering systems, tires, and metal components. What Ford discovered was how much the companies varied in their readiness to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the 2010 survey results, … Read more

91 percent of kids are gamers, research says

An overwhelming number of American children between the ages of 2 and 17 are playing video games, a new study released today by the NPD Group has found.

According to the research firm, 91 percent of kids between 2 and 17, or about 64 million people, are playing video games, up 9 percentage points compared to 2009.

NPD says that the growth has been measured across the market, but the strongest gains have come from kids between the ages of 2 and 5, which have increased their "gaming incidence" 17 percentage points since 2009. Females and teens between … Read more