Social Networking, Blogging Overtake E-mail as Chief Time Wasters

By Nick Mokey March 10, 2009

Social Networking, Blogging Overtake E-mail as Chief Time Wasters

As much time as people spend shoveling away at piles of personal letters, spam and chainletters in their e-mail inboxes, social networks and blogging have officially surpassed the classic online medium in terms of sheer time spent online. According to Nielsen Online (PDF), these networks are now the fourth most popular activity on computers, ahead of e-mail.

Search, portals and PC software occupy those first three places, but that may not be the case for long, if social networks continue to grow at their current rate, which is twice as fast as any of the others. As it currently stands, two thirds of the online population currently access member community sites like Facebook and MySpace.

On the whole, one in every 11 minutes spent online by people all over the world is devoted to social networking and blogging. Internationally, Brazil remains the country most obsessed with the trend, where nearly one out of every four minutes is spent on it, the majority through Orkut.com.

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Smart Home

Roku (yes, Roku) make a home security camera, and it’s discounted today

The Roku Smart Home Indoor Camera on colored background.

Roku might not seem like the first brand you think of when it comes to security camera deals but you’ll be surprised how cheaply you can get a security camera at Walmart right now thanks to the discount going on. Currently, you can buy the Roku Smart Home Indoor Camera SE 2-pack for just $35 instead of $50 so you’re saving $15 while scoring some great cameras for less. Want to know more? Here’s everything we know.

Why you should buy the Roku Smart Home Indoor Camera SE 2-pack
Roku doesn’t feature in our look at the best home security cameras but don’t let that put you off. It has everything you could need from inexpensive indoor security cameras. Each camera enables you to see an entire area with 1080p HD picture in full colour. That includes at night, all via the Roku Smart Home app. It’s possible to set specific motion detection zones so you can cut down on false alerts while the camera can detect motion or sound with smart sensors even detecting body heat so you won’t see them be activated by something like a curtain moving in the wind.

Smart Home

Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch picks up new features with the Z-Wave Smart Module

Several Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch models on a yellow background.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch launched last year, bringing a fingerprint sensor to one of our favorite smart locks. Now, Yale is making the keypad even more enticing by offering a Z-Wave Smart Module with your purchase, which gives you additional smart functions and added connectivity.

The Z-Wave Smart Module is a piece of hardware that slots into the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch so it can communicate with devices outside the Yale ecosystem. When installed, the module lets the Assure Lock 2 Touch sync with Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Hey Google, and Siri. You can also sync the lock with various smart lights and security systems that support Z-Wave.

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Anker SOLIX X1 offers effective solar power storage for your home backup

Anker SOLIX X1 solar battery storage outside with family nearby

A major challenge of solar power as a primary energy source is that, as abundant as it is, it's not always available. Solar systems do not generate energy at night, obviously, but energy production is reduced during overcast, dark, or stormy days. Moreover, other factors can affect energy production, like the cleanliness or condition of the solar panels and the amount of sunlight they get during the day -- which can be influenced by the sun's location in the sky or where the panels are installed -- and much more. It simply means that to use solar energy systems effectively, you need some kind of storage device to preserve energy for use during the off-hours. While several products on the market do this, the X1 from Anker SOLIX is one of the most intriguing and powerful solar energy storage systems we’ve seen.

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