Do the common conceptions of today’s youth as text-crazed, twittering, social-networkers hold ground when compared to real figures?

It is obvious that cell-phone carriers and manufacturers target youth and households with youth in their marketing strategies - think "family share plan". And whether these marketing strategies are effective or not, certainly the right market is being targeted. According to non-profit, mobileyouth.org, there are currently 1.2 billion youth with cell-phones worldwide, spending thus far in 2009: $250 billion in the mobile market.

Despite the misconception that youth are the main consumers in the mobile market, this is not true... yet.

The Pew Internet Project reports that it is not youth who comprise the majority of cell-phone owners, but adults over the age of 18. However, the number of youth who own cell-phones is rapidly increasing to match the adult majority and may soon surpass it. In 2008, 77% of adults owned a cell-phone, compared to 71% of youth aged 12-17 (with the rate of growth in youth ownership far outweighing that of adult ownership).

Mind you, this does not imply "kiddy cell-phone" ownership. Youth are interested in smartphones, PDAs, and the trusted QWERTY keyboard - enhancing texting possibilities. According to Strategy Analytics, in the second quarter 2009 growth of a 20% annual rate has led to 43 million smartphone units reaching the U.S.

That is, smartphones accounted for 23% of all cell-phone sales in the first quarter of 2009, up from 17% the same quarter a year ago, according to market research company NPD Group. Sure, 23% is not even nearly half of all cell-phone sales, but the rate of smartphone sales is rapidly increasing. RIM, Canadian smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion, is thus far leading the smartphone trend with its 8300 series of Blackberries out-selling Apple iPhones in the first quarter of 2009.

The Pew Internet Project is a subsidiary research group of The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan effort in social research of the American Public.

Strategy Analytics is a consulting research company of over 30 years experience in the U.S. communication and entertainment markets.

The NPD Group is a global provider of consumer and retail market research for numerous industries, established in 1967.

Although dominant across industry latitudes, Apple Inc. is seeing its fair share of competition on all fronts of the company’s business. In most cases, Apple Inc. has been successful in silencing competitors.

In late July, speculation surrounded Apple Inc.’s rejection of the Google Voice app for the iPhone – which Google Inc. had planned to make available through the iPhone app store. Exclusive iPhone carrier AT&T was rumored to have initiated the block to the Google Voice app, as this application would have allowed for free text messaging and cheaper international calling that would cut into the carrier’s billing to customers. However, Apple Inc. made the ultimate decision, for reasons still unknown. In this case, Apple Inc. quelled competition from Google Inc.’s application developers. A year prior, July of 2008, Apple Inc. pursued Psystar Inc. in court for its manufacturing of alleged “Macbook clones”, laptops Psystar Inc. had manufactured to run on Apple Inc.’s operating system Mac OS X 10.5. The litigation against Psystar Inc. for copyright and software licensing infringement is currently ongoing, but Apple Inc. is surely winning this legal battle. Again, Apple Inc. successfully quelled competition.

Apple Inc. has experienced the greatest amount of competition in its business of music downloads, and yet still managed to control most of the market share. This can be attributed to Apple Inc.’s iTunes store and mp3 players – the iPod, iPod touch, and Shuffle. With such a hold on the music download market, will “download-ers” ever have an alternative to iTunes.com – an alternative to downloading from one site for one price?

Competition has came-and-went in the music download and file share market, but one site, amiestreet.com, may be here to stay. What sets amiestreet.com apart from the one-hit-wonders in the music download and file-share market? Its business model. Music is sold on amiestreet.com at a price scaled per song, ranging from free for new releases to $0.98 cents a pop for the most popular downloads (note, that even the most expensive songs are still a cent less than the iTunes standard price of $0.99 cents). According to Amie Street Inc. CEO Elliott Breece, amiestreet.com works to “innovate at the business model level”. Although songs are cheaper to download than iTunes arbitrary price of $0.99 cents, Amie Street Inc. contracts with many artists directly, with the artist receiving roughly 70% of download profits, and amiestreet.com retaining 30%. So, says Breece, “There is never a point for a loss.”

This is drastically different from the so-called business models of past contenders in the music download and file share market. The once popular Napster.com and Limewire are much avoided due to the rampant prosecution of music aficionados who download from them – since neither promises legal license for its content, which is in fact rarely the case. Neither is amiestreet.com a peer-to-peer file sharing site, like thepiratebay.org which may be shut down in the near future due to an ongoing case against the four principle operators charged with infringement of copyright law (In breaking news today, thepiratebay.org may be seeing its short lived stint in the music download market end; Restriction to the site has been reported. This may be due to the Dutch court ruling on Monday, when authorities temporarily banned the site in the Netherlands.). The legality of amiestreet.com’s business operations places this music download site in a boat apart.

When the music download market seems laden with lawsuits, all of which are filed against sites contending for iTunes.com’s market share – amiestreet.com may prove to be the legal download alternative music fans are looking for. Currently, amiestreet.com does not offer as much content as iTunes.com, and in fact most of the content on the site is from independent or upcoming-from-obscurity artists. Although convincing major labels to enter licensing agreements with amiestreet.com is, according to CEO Elliott Breece, “a hurdle”, he also makes clear that, “That’s our goal, to patent as much content as possible.” With the growth seen in just 3 years since the site’s founding in 2006, more content, including mainstream content appears inevitable. Also, Amie Street Inc.’s ventures into promoting music events increase the popularity for amiestreet.com with artists, record labels, and event-goers alike – creating just the right traction the site needs to jump over the music industry’s “hurdle”.

The nation is a-buzz with health care reform, and the buzz has found its way into the healthcare technology industry. A cornerstone element to the Obama administration’s plans for healthcare reform is the national digitization of medical records. Already, the Administration has invested $19 billion dollars in the effort. This task requires the industry expertise of companies specializing in Healthcare Information Technology – companies like Cerner Corp.

Proponents of health care reform claim that the computerized medical records will promote patient safety and will be cost-effective for both hospitals and patients. According to the National Business group on health, 98,000 preventable hospital deaths occur in the U.S. annually, as a result of inadequate Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) systems. At present, health providers use of undeveloped or obsolete HIT systems also cause thousands of preventable medical errors each year. The Institute of Medicine reports that the loss of income, disability and health care costs that thousands of patients then face as a result of these errors can cost up to $29 billion dollars annually.

Support for the digitization of medical records within the health care industry puts Cerner Corp. at an advantage. As a leader in Health Information Technology, company growth is not only anticipated, but inevitable. Since January, health care sector stocks have faired better than the overall broader market. Cerner Corp., traded on the Nasdaq-100 index, is just one company included in the recent health-care services earnings.

Cerner Corp. is welcoming support for its HIT solutions from the technology industry as well. In late 2008, Silicon Valley based Cisco Systems Inc., a publicly traded pioneer in networking and internet solutions, opened an on-site primary care health facility. Cerner Corp. manages the administrative services for the $38 million dollar facility, including maintenance of employee’s electronic health records.

Cerner Corp. is at the cusp of where health care meets technology. Look out for Cerner Corp. in the upcoming days. Q2 2009 earnings are to be released on July 29.

With a good chunk of gaming taking place online, a decent headset with a microphone is a necessary tool for any gamer.

Able Planet's PS500MM headphones are aimed squarely at anyone with a need for a decent and affordable headset, though some gamers may find better options elsewhere.

The headphones themselves are rather comfortable, and the microphone works well. The audio quality is great, with Able Planet's LINX AUDIO technology delivering crisp sound.

There are some smaller gripes, though. The microphone has to be twisted up if you want it out of the way, which feels a bit odd, especially when other headsets offer a turning mic for easy adjustments.

And, while the wire isn't short, it could certainly be a bit longer. If anyone is using this headset for general multimedia purposes, it poses no problem, but anything involving the TV may result in sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room. Suitable for PC gaming, but when it comes to consoles, not so much.

However, the relatively cheap price tag makes it a good starter buy for anyone needing a headset.

In a day where an app on a handheld device enables one to retrieve email from nearly any remote location, computer access is no longer necessary. Google, however, recognizes that for some a retreat to the familiar is necessary.

As of today, Google’s gmail will no longer bear its “BETA” label. Google search is the most used search engine, but will Google’s Gmail become the standard for email? Will this new transition from Gmail BETA have an effect on becoming this standard?

Whether or not this new standard is set, Google has creatively developed a solution for nostalgic Gmail users to have a “BETA” sticker next to the familiar Google logo.  For those looking to retreat further down memory lane, skip the Gmail app on your handheld and log in on your PC.   

The nation's largest pension fund is mulling a 40 percent increase in its private equity investments, according to a report.

The California Public Employees Retirement System is among many in buyouts who see buying opportunities in beaten-down prices.

The Reuters report said that the pension fund giant is meeting next week to vote on a plan that would bump up its fund for corporate buyouts and venture capital to 14 percent from 10 percent.

With the Wheel, the Zapper, the Balance Board, and soon-to-be-released MotionPlus on the Wii (not to mention innumerable third-party peripherals), the thought of another add-on makes me balk.

But another device is exactly what Nintendo plans to release.

Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata announced the Wii Vitality Sensor at the company’s E3 press conference, a device that measures a person’s pulse and will somehow help in relieving stress.

Not much else information was shared, but I think the general consensus was the same: not interested. Who needs to dedicate more space, and more money, to another piece of plastic?

And it’s not only Nintendo who’s guilty of this. DDR plants a dance mat in the room. Rock Band and Guitar Hero take up space with plastic instruments. DJ Hero will add a plastic turntable. Tony Hawk: Ride brings with it a skateboard peripheral. Sony already has the Eye Toy, but plans to release a motion-sensing wand to go along with it as well. Microsoft’s Project Natal is a while away, but will still vie for that precious TV-top space that the Wii Sensor Bar currently occupies in many households.

It doesn’t stop there, either. The list goes on in a tangled mess of plastic, wires, and dongles that makes my head spin.

Developers understandably want to immerse the player in their games, but it’s starting to get ridiculous.

I think I share the sentiment of many gamers when I cry: Enough with the peripherals!

It took Nintendo long enough to release a storage solution for the Wii, but at least results are coming in a little faster.

Following Nintendo’s announcement that it would let gamers launch games directly from their SD cards, Telltale has revealed that sales have doubled for the Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People titles on WiiWare.

The point-and-click adventure game was released in 5 episodes since last August. While the titular character has a strong following, 5 episodes eats up a lot of the Wii’s precious storage space, which may have deterred many from downloading the titles.

However, the boost in sales for the generally well-received games is promising. With the obstacle of storage limitations out of the way, this may lead to more episodic games appearing on the service – a boon for point-and-click enthusiasts who saw their beloved genre all but die out in the 90s.

The expanded space also means that developers may push to make bigger games for WiiWare without having to worry about block usage.

Buying games for Xbox Live doesn’t have to be a hassle anymore.

Amazon.com is now selling Xbox Live Arcade games on its site – the best part is that gamers only need to pay what the game costs.

On the Xbox 360, players have to buy set Microsoft Points, which leads to point crumbs here and there. From a business standpoint, it makes sense: force the consumer to buy more points than they need (more often than not), leaving them with a useless dollar or two.

Microsoft has already collected the money, so the consumer can either just leave the change to go to waste or spend more money to buy another game, to the annoyance of many a gamer.

Amazon’s service allows one to pay exact change for a game code, which can be redeemed for the game on the system itself.

Seems like a good, money-saving alternative to buying games directly off XBLA.

Now if only Amazon will do the same for Nintendo’s Wii Shop…

Besides going in depth about legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto's approach to conceptualizing and developing games, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata also made a few big announcements.

While he announced a storage option and a new downloadable service for the Wii, the system got very little love on the software front.

The only game he really showed off was a WiiWare title, Rock 'N' Roll Climber, which utilizes the Wii Remote, Nunchuck, and Wii Balance Board to simulate rock climbing. Although interesting in concept, what was shown of the product on stage seemed a little shaky and looked pretty rudimentary.

Other than that, any other title simply got a brief mention. Iwata touched on a few Final Fantasy offerings, such as Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (a follow up to last year's My Life as a King) and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. He also mentioned some of the titles on the Virtual Console Arcade, but all of these were just that: mentions.

Bigger Wii-related announcements, such as Wii Motion Plus or a new game in one of Nintendo's long-running series, were nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, the DS got more love, with a video on Rhythm Heaven, demonstrations on some DSi Ware offerings, such as WarioWare Snapped, and the reveal of a new Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

That last game follows the same art style as Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, and will most likely feature the same gameplay as the latter.

Not that the keynote wasn't enjoyable or good – Iwata brought up some interesting insights about game development, particularly when talking about Miyamoto's approach – but I definitely would have liked to see something more when it comes to Wii's software lineup, especially considering that sales of the system have been consistently declining in Japan.

The DS already has an incredible lineup (these past two weeks alone saw excellent title after excellent title) – it's the Wii that most hardcore gamers are concerned about. While there are numerous promising games coming up, it would've helped if Nintendo threw a little more weight behind its little white money-making machine.

Valve is introducing something to its Steam PC Platform that will hopefully curb piracy while avoiding the unpleasant task of saddling customers with useless DRM.

The new feature to grace Steamworks, Valve’s free suite of publishing and development tools, is the Custom Executable Generation (CEG) technology. CEG makes a unique copy of the game for each user without imposing install limits or the need to install root kits on the computer. The unique signature essentially makes it harder to pirate the game without punishing the consumer.

If it proves as effective as it sounds, CEG will generate a win-win situation for both the game company and the consumer.

EA’s debacle with Spore’s DRM last fall shows that trying to stop piracy should never come before customer satisfaction, especially if the methods don’t end up doing a whole lot anyways.

Valve has also added support for in-game downloadable content and matchmaking, which should make PC games that much more enjoyable.

The 71^st annual NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship kicks off in earnest today.

The tournament, nicknamed March Madness for its improbable endings, wild shots, shocking upsets, and noisy pageantry, will be carried live on the Internet for the fifth year in a row. Good!

And it will be available free of charge for the fourth year in a row. Great!

But for sports junkies, emotions are mixed. How come none of the other major sports offer free, live events online? Even college football and fledgling sports charge for online access to live events.

Fellow sports fan Fred Boxa, principal analyst with IBB Consulting, says that March Madness is a unique event with an unusual business profile so it would be tough for other sports to emulate its online success.

In the early rounds there are four simultaneous games and many fans live in areas that may not carry their alma mater’s games on TV so there is a natural online audience for college basketball.

Also, in the early rounds March Madness games take place during work hours, which makes it a great fit for the web.

“In many of the other sports, the leagues keep tight control of the online rights and sometimes they make a pretty good product out of it...like Major League Baseball,” he said.

Subscription-based MLB.com is pretty good when I am at home but when I travel I am unable to see my hometown teams because of local blackout rights despite the fact that I am far away from home.

When will the professional tennis organizations and those like ESPN and NBC who own the sport’s TV rights stream early round Wimbledon or French Open matches for free online?

It can only help tennis which remains a second tier sport all over the world despite the all-time greatness and marketability of Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Hasn’t CBS proven that the marriage of the Internet and free, live sports is a winner? And that business plan can be extended seamlessly to mobile devices, I believe.

Back in 2003-2005 when CBS charged a $19.95 subscription fee, MMOD generated $250,000 in revenue in its best year. In 2006 the network dropped the fee and took in $4 million.

In 2007 MMOD attracted 1.3 million unique users and made $10 million. In 2008 CBS generated $23 million in revenue from MMOD, and expects to grow 30 percent this year.

And the product itself is getting better through technology improvements from content delivery networks such as Akamai.

CBS did all of this through the magic of online advertising. March Madness attracts college educated males, a lucrative but elusive demographic.

And since it went online I daresay March Madness may be attracting more women and males who may not be into sports but participate in office pools.

Is CBS the only sports broadcaster paying attention?

Not entirely content with its own in-house tools, Japanese video game giant Square Enix announced today that it will license Emergent Game Technologies’ Gamebryo Engine for an upcoming game.

The engine has been used to develop a wide range of games, including Bully: Scholarship Edition, Fallout 3, and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

Square Enix has previously stated its intention to expand into the western market, though it harbors the odd belief that utilizing western development tools will make the company’s games more popular in North America and Europe.

The developer and publisher previously utilized Unreal Engine 3 to create The Last Remnant. The game marked the first time Square Enix licensed outside technology to create a game. However, the company’s inexperience with the engine was reflected in the mixed review scores, with The Last Remnant averaging 65 out of 100 on Metacritic.

While it’s fine that the company is trying other technologies, Square Enix needs to learn that breaking into the western market has nothing to do with the game engine, but rather with game design.

The tried-and-true Japanese role playing game genre has become tired after years of what is essentially the same game being churned out, and many gamers outside of Japan want to play something more original and interesting.

Capcom announced that it has shipped 4 million units of its highly anticipated survival horror game, Resident Evil 5, for its first shipment.

This marks the highest first shipment for the Resident Evil series.

It is important to note that the number does not indicate units sold, as sales data has yet to come in for the game, which released March 13 for North America and Europe.

The game has been out in Japan since March 5, though, and early sales data reveals that nearly 400,000 units have been sold in the first week – an indicator of excellent sales for the series.

Resident Evil 5 fell under some pre-release scrutiny regarding potential “racism” in the game. The game, which is set in Africa, sees the return of Chris Redfield. Early trailers showing Chris gunning down African zombies sparked some criticism about “racist imagery.”

It seems people forgot that they’re zombies. And the fact that the last game featured Spanish zombies, but nobody raised a fuss over that.

Despite the unpleasant insinuations, they seem to ultimately have had little effect on gamers, with the game set to become a well-selling hit.

Over 40 million games in the Resident Evil series has been shipped to date.