22% of Americans don't use the internet

 While almost everything changes a lot over time in the world of technology, it always amazes me to think of how much the internet has changed. In less than a decade, the internet went from a dream to a necessity. But it's been hard to tell how the internet has evolved after that. That's why Pew Research Center just made a study about internet usage evolving over time.

According to the study, 78% of Americans use the internet regularly. While many people may regard this number as shockingly low, it's actually quite impressive considering that only 12% of Americans used the internet regularly in 2000. Besides, this number includes people in very poor parts of America.

What's even more interesting is the patterns the researchers noticed. A similar study a decade ago identified gender and race as the biggest factors in internet usage. Now, however, gender and race no longer can predict how much people use the internet. Instead, age is the key factor. When asked if they use the internet regularly, 94% of Americans age 18-29 said yes, compared to only 74% of Americans 50-64 and 41% of Americans 65 or older.

What caused these huge changes? Apparently, social networking sites did the trick. Facebook has 1 billion users, which certainly ramped up internet usage. And Google+ is almost at 200 million users in only a few months. These sites made their biggest mark on internet usage of the elderly. In fact, four times as many Americans 74 or older are using Facebook or Twitter than in 2008.

Internet usage is clearly changing rapidly, which is why we can only guess what the Internet will be like in another decade. Sites could be more directed to the poor and the elderly, the two groups of people who used the internet the least. More users could also mean a greater variety of content. The only thing for sure is that it'll change a lot.

A 27" touchscreen, 178 degree viewing angle, 10 finger multitouch computer!

If you've ever tried a touchscreen computer, you're undoubtedly crazy about them. And this post, touchscreen computer fans, will make you very happy. ASUS demonstrated the ASUS ET2700 all-in-one computer at CeBit. This computer has a 27" touchscreen, a 178° angle, and 10-finger multitouch! 10 fingers! I usually use 1 or 2! And, knowing from testing them, 27" touchscreens are amazing. Many people say that this computer looks a lot like an iMac, and I would agree. ASUS did not give a hint about the price or specs of this computer... let's just hope it hasn't got an Atom like some other touchscreen computers.

A computer with a size of 1 cubic millimeter is released, going to be used in your eye!

As you've certainly realized after watching Apple's 1984 commercial, tech is getting smaller and smaller. (Do people still carry 60-pound computers like laptops?) Many people are wondering just how small tech will get. Well, a computer just one cubic millimeter in size was produced. This computer will be put in your eye. It will use its pressure sensor, memory, microprocessor, battery, wireless radio and solar cell (Yes, that all fit into 1 cubic millimeter!) to record the progress of glaucoma patients, and then send the information to a doctor.

Touchscreen Computers

I have made a daring prediction: touchscreen all-in-one desktops will be a big part of the future. I've always been hearing about them, but I've always thought that optical mouses are the way to go. But, yesterday, I decided to go to Staples and test touchscreen computers from HP, Dell and Asus to write about on my blog.

First off, I must remind you that touchscreen computers still have wireless keyboards and mice. Second, I must tell you about the thrill of using a touchscreen computer. You can browse wepages, toggle between windows, or change apps with the swipe of a finger. You can even zoom by pinching. All computers have excellent apps for painting, movie viewing, live TV, photo viewing, and sharing media. The touchscreen gestures remind me a lot of the iPhone. How about the price though? Shoudn't a touchscreen computer cost a lot more? HP's TouchSmart 310z will prove you wrong. It offers a 2.9 GHz Athlon II X2 dual-core processor, a 750GB hard drive at 7,200 RPM, 4GB of RAM, an 802.11n wireless connection, a wireless keyboard and mouse as well as a 20" touchscreen for just $649! You can get a TV tuner on it for only $50. If you still aren't convinced that touchscreen computers are thrilling, either watch this video or go to your local electronics retail store and try one out. Trust me, you'll be spending an hour there!

The Ultimate Writing Machine: The Neo2.

You really love to write. However, writing is slow,  messy, and hard to edit, so you'd prefer to type instead. But with a laptop or netbook, there's all these extra features you don't need that boost up the price, and the screens make your eyes tired after a long period of writing. So which gadget is the gadget for you? I highly recommend the Neo2. It is a very simple gadget that has two functions- to type, and to learn to type well. It starts up in about 3 seconds, and has the memory to hold about 40 printed pages of writing. You can hold 8 seperate documents at the same time. It's just a keyboard with a 5.7" monochrome display, so it doesn't hurt your eyes. The keyboard is excellent quality, and it's ridiculously easy to hold in one hand. It gets 700 hours of battery life out of 3 AAA batteries, and weighs only two pounds, making it extremely portable. To top that off, it costs just $150. It comes with a USB cable, so you can just plug it into a computer, open a word document, an internet document, a blog post document, or any space for text, press the send button, and the text you wrote on your Neo2 appears on the computer. And can you guess what I'm writing this post on? My very own Neo2.

Why we don't need such fancy computers.

If the processor is faster and it's got more RAM, the computer is better, right? Well, for most people (excluding scientists, video editors, or other people that have jobs requiring powerful computer tasks), that's incorrect. For normal buisness (internet browsing/research, word processing) you don't need anything better than a Core 2 Duo or Pentium Dual-Core processor, and 2GB of RAM. It's natrual to say that I'm incorrect. However, studies have shown that 8GB of RAM really has a small difference over 4GB of RAM for normal tasks. Oh yeah, and it costs an extra 200 dollars. And unless you're a hard-core gamer, scientist, or video editor, a Core 2 Duo processor is really all you need. So then why would you get a fancy computer? The only good reason, in my opinion, is if it is a Mac. That's not because they have insane i7 processors with 16GB of RAM (which they don't, except for the Mac Pro), but because they have a better OS, better software, and better hardware. They're even virus-proof, and the Mac Mini compact desktop starts at only $699, a good deal for a Mac, while the MacBook is just $999, an incredible deal for a Mac laptop. Both of those give you what you need; a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, and other reasonalbe specs. And though a PC's OS, software and hardware are not as well developed as a Mac's, a PC with similar specs to the Mac Mini could be found for under 500 dollars. The computer I use has a 1.9 GHz Celeron processor and 1GB of RAM, and though it is slow, it really isn't that bad.