Posts by Tom Samiljan at Switched

Irish Use Cell Phones the Most, Report Says

by Tom Samiljan, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 5:46PM

Maybe it's the vast green pastures separating towns and cities or just the lousy weather, but in 2007, residents of the Republic of Ireland spent the most time per head talking and sending text messages on their mobile phones. This is just one of several statistics disclosed on the International Communications Market report by British regulator Ofcom, Reuters reports.

The Finns may have more mobile phones, but it's the folks who live on the Emerald Isle who take the cake for actually using those mobile phones a lot. But enough about mobile phones and Ireland -- this report shared the gadget-use-superlative love among many countries.

China, for example, added 88 million new mobile phone subscribers last year, while Russian cell phone use rose a whopping 1,000-percent. And let's not forget the U.S., where folks spent the more time online per week -- 15 hours -- than any other country (followed by the UK at 14 hours per week). The U.S. and Britain also watched TV shows online more than any other country, but Canadians, it turns out, like to get on Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo the best, since more than half of them (55-percent) are on social-networking sites.

Unfortunately, the U.S. also tops the list for TV-watching, on average 4.5 hours a day. Does that mean that, like our economy, we're a nation of depressed couch potatoes? [From Reuters]

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Hands-On With the BlackBerry Storm (Video)

by Tom Samiljan, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 12:01AM

It's been an exciting year for anyone who wants to upgrade to a smart phone, what with the iPhone, the G1 "Google" phone, and, on Friday, the BlackBerry Storm for Verizon Wireless. At last, BlackBerry lovers and loyal Verizon Wireless subscribers who have been resisting the switch to an iPhone can boast their very own touchscreen-enabled handheld that's as much about fun (high-quality camera, stunning screen, media player, fun apps) as it is about business (excellent e-mail, document editing, Web access). The Storm will cost $199 with a two-year contract (you'll need to send in a $50 rebate, too).

But is the BlackBerry Storm fun enough to take on the iPhone, and will its incorporation of a touchscreen (albeit a moveable click-based one that you actually have to depress to in fact 'strike' a key) turn off those serious business (and heavy e-mailing) users? Well, we can't entirely answer that question, since we only had a day and a half with the thing, but we were able to get our first impressions down in the above video. We'll be back with more impressions in the coming days and weeks, since these newfangled smart phones have a tendency to either grow on you, or make you increasingly want to throw them out the window.

Once you're done watching our video, head on over to Engadget's in-depth review, where you can get more details on the first touchscreen BlackBerry ever.

Gallery: BlackBerry Storm