Kids go digital says NMA research

Research on children's digital habits published by new media age reveals some very interesting trends.

The report states that "nine out of ten 8-15-year-olds have a mobile phone, with almost one in six (57.4%) using their handsets to go online."

It goes on to say that: "Facebook is the most popular social network, with 75% of kids saying they’re members. This includes 53% of 8-12-year-olds."

However, content producers and digital platform providers need to note that these tech-savvy young people weren't born yesterday: they have the power to punish those who overstep the mark by over-selling, inappropriate content or other 'uncool' behaviour.

Supreme Smartphones

The "Tech & Net" pages of yesterday's Sunday Times ingear supplement listed the handful of Smartphones that made the headlines at this year's Mobile World Congress.

Here's the list, with links to the manufacturers' own pages so you can decide:

Samsung Galaxy
INQ Cloud Touch (one of many Facebook phones)
LG Optimus
HTC Wildfire
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY (PlayStation phone)
HP Veer

Interestingly, all but the HP (nee Palm) use the Android operating system, which is indicative of that platform's rise to prominence. The Veer uses HP's own webOS.

Nokia's MeeGo to go: enter Windows Phone 7

On Friday, Nokia annouced a deal with Microsoft over the operating system (OS) that the Finnish handset manufacturer will use in its future smartphones: Windows Phone 7.

Nokia's decision effectively puts the development of its own "MeeGo" OS - which it hoped would challenge Google's Android system and Apple's iOS - on hold, despite the best efforts of CEO Stephen Elop to say otherwise (as TechCrunch reported yesterday).

Most analysts agree that, while MeeGo was a 'no-no', a marriage with Microsoft is also a risk for the European mobiles-maker: yesterday's "Sunday Times" reported that Nokia shares "tumbled 14%" at the news of the deal.

If anything is clear, it's this. Nokia has taken too long to come to a decision on its future, while Google and Apple have moved with the times more adeptly and kept customers happy more successfully. It remains to be seen whether the deal with Microsoft will halt the inexorable slide of the company that still, currently, has the biggest share of the world market for mobile phones.

The web is dead - long live the 'net

There's an excellent article (as always) in this month's Wired magazine - by which I mean the one dated October 10 - about the 'net and web or, in today's parlance, apps versus websites.

However, you'll either have to buy the hard copy to see it or go to this part of the wired.com website to read all about the changing face of our digital interactions.

DIY retailer launches app

If you need help with all those annoying little jobs around the house (and believe me, my home improvements skills - or lack, thereof - are legendary) then a new app from DIY retailer B&Q could be the answer.

The app can help you take on DIY tasks such as plumbing, electrics, basic carpentry and more by:

- Creating a list of the tools you need for a job
- Using GPRS to find your nearest store (where you can buy what you need, of course)
- Updating you on all the latest promotions, to help you save money
- Providing a glossary of terms, so you can blag it with shop assistants/tradesmen
- Offering 'How to...' guides and grouping together the ones you use most
- Giving you hints and tips from experts
- Letting you pass on your knowledge to friends, through Facebook and Twitter

BBC News app gets go-ahead

I missed a significiant announcement while away on hols for the past two weeks: the launch of the free BBC News app for the iPhone and iPad.

The app was originally due in April, but the launch was delayed while the BBC Trust assessed the proposals and their impact on the rest of the industry.

According to Dominic Ponsford, editor of Press Gazette, "The concern the newspaper industry has is that the survival of our big independent news organisations largely depends on them being able to make money from new platforms other than print."

Of course, this is basically a reference to digital - both mobile, in the form of SmartPhones and apps, and the internet (in the form of ad-lead and subscription-based sites). It seems that iPhones and similar devices are the next big hope for the newspaper industry - although reports of the sector's death are 'greatly exaggerated' (as Mark Twain famously said in reference to his prematurely published obituary notice) since small business can still benefit from gaining coverage in the local media.

15 Useful Business Apps

Those smart people at BNET UK have published a great article listing 5 useful business applications for each of the iPhone, Android and Ovi (Nokia) platforms.

I haven't downloaded any for my iPhone yet, but the car mileage app looks particularly helpful since I can offset the cost of any petrol used for business - but need to keep track of those trips.

Anyway, here are the links to the lists for each platform. Choose the one(s) appropriate to your phone(s).

5 business apps for iPhone owners
5 business apps for owners of smartphones using Android
5 business apps for Nokia owners