A new study set to release Tuesday night from the Pew Research Center finds that one in four American teenagers accesses the internet primarily through mobile; about three quarters of those teens own cell phones, and half of that group uses smartphones. The report, titled “Teens and Technology 2013,” surveyed 802 teenagers (ages 12-17), as well as their parents, to better understand how U.S. teenagers are using technology.

The major mobile carriers in the United States found that adult smartphone adoption in the United States hit 50 percent in August 2012, and teenagers aren’t far behind, nearing almost 40 percent at this point.

Here were some statistics we found most interesting from the report, which can be found on the Pew Research Center website:

• Almost all teenagers — 95 percent — use the internet, and 93 percent can access a computer at home
• 74 percent of teenagers get on the internet somewhat occasionally via phones and tablets, and one in four of them access the internet primarily through mobile
• 78 percent of teenagers own a cell phone and 47 percent of those teenagers have smartphones specifically
• 37 percent of all teenagers in the United States own smartphones, an increase from the 23 percent in 2011
• Tablet computer ownership marks 23 percent of teenagers, which is about the same percentage among U.S. adults
• While girls and boys are equally likely to own smartphones, girls aged 14-17 are much more likely than boys of the same age to get on the intenret primarily through mobile (34 percent of girls versus 24 percent of boys)
• Interesting, teenagers from lower income families are more likely to access the internet primarily through cell (30 percent of teens from households earning less than $30,000 per year, compared to 14 percent from households earning $50,000-$74,999 and 24 percent from households at more than $75,000.)

And probably to no one’s suprise, teenagers are the age group most likely to be accessing the internet, still out pacing older users, particularly those over 65, by a wide margin:

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The petition, started by Sina Khanifar, was filed in response to a Jan. 26 date that put cell phone unlocking activities in control of the network operators, essentially making it illegal for consumers to unlock their own phones, even if out of contract or paid in full. The White House response indicates that understands various circumstances where consumers should have the right to unlock their devices, saying,

“This is particularly important for secondhand or other mobile devices that you might buy or receive as a gift, and want to activate on the wireless network that meets your needs — even if it isn’t the one on which the device was first activated. All consumers deserve that flexibility.”

So what happens next?

The Obama administration publicly supports consumer choice in this matter according to the official White House response, but it’s more likely that the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will work with the FCC for further action in support of consumer unlocking of cell phones and tablets.

No action is being taken now that will immediately overturn the current rules. However, now that this has an official White House response, complete with support and a set of actions that can be taken, I hope we see a change sooner rather than later.

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By the end of 2013, 54 percent of all phones globally will be smarpthones, IHS iSuppli predicted. That’s two years ahead of previous predictions by IHS iSuppli. Last year, smartphones comprised 35 percent of the global market.

The research firm said falling prices and the emergence of low-end smartphones in Asia-Pacific along with strong high-end sales in the U.S. and Europe have fueled the growth of smartphones around the world. And the momentum is not expected to slow down anytime soon.

By 2016, smartphones are expected to grab 67.4 percent of all cell phone sales. Regular feature phones will represent 28 percent of the market by 2016 while ultra-low-cost phones will hold down 4.2 percent of all sales.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve known that smartphones are a force to be reckoned with and were expected to eventually dominate worldwide. But the fact that we’re now becoming a majority smartphone planet by next year is still striking. That has implications for manufacturers who can sell higher-end devices but also for operators, who will need to keep investing in their networks to stay ahead of data demand. And it also means mobile developers should be thinking about the bigger opportunities in going global.

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Phil Mickelson celebrates with the tournament trophy after winning at Pebble Beach earlier this year.

ESPN reports:

According to four people with direct knowledge, Mickelson sent a text message to PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem from the sixth fairway at Muirfield Village suggesting that a lack of policing fans with cellphones was getting out of hand…. [Bubba] Watson and [Rickie] Fowler, his playing partners, laid the blame for Mickelson’s withdrawal Thursday on fans who continually distracted Mickelson by snapping photos with cellphone cameras.

The PGA began allowing cell phones on the course last year provided fans kept them on silent, used them in specific areas, and didn’t take videos or photographs during play, but unsurprisingly fans weren’t content to keep them in their pockets while golfers were prepping for their putts and drives. The article quotes fellow tour players as saying that the “clicks and snaps” of fans taking pictures “affected” Mickelson, causing him to lose focus. As a former golfer, I can say that an errant twig snap as you are completing your stroke can turn a sure thing into a slice, so the click of an iPhone or Android handset could certainly cause a distraction.

So Mickelson bowed out and apparently sent a text to the PGA commissioner in frustration while on the course (ESPN doesn’t note the irony). The bigger story is one of cell phones, etiquette and major sporting events — something the Summer Olympics will soon bring to the fore. Cell phones — the noise, the flash photography — can create a distraction for athletes in certain sports. That distraction might result in a poor drive for a golfer or a broken ankle for a gymnast.

At the same time, asking people to give up their phone for an entire day or event isn’t going to fly in today’s digital age. People still feel entitled to capture their memories of being at a PGA tournament, Olympic event or any other big moment in their lives using their handset. So how do event organizers, PGA commissioners and even digital natives reconcile the athlete’s need for quiet (or no distracting flashes) with the audiences’ newfound need to capture and share the moment?

Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images courtesy of the PGA.

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The European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETSI, was due to vote on Friday over which standard to adopt for the nano-SIM card — the smaller, next generation chip that is likely to become the norm in mobiles over the coming years.

Adopting an even smaller card will allow manufacturers to make thinner handsets, store different sorts of information or use the space for larger batteries or other technology — and at a meeting this week ETSI’s members were faced with a choice between two competing ideas — one backed by Apple, and the other supported by Nokia and RIM.

Both sides had been lobbying hard to get their standard adopted: Apple suggested that it would offer the technology royalty free to carriers, but Nokia responded angrily by saying it would not license its applicable patents if that happened.

It quickly became a vicious battle, with control over the future of mobile at stake — particularly given that Apple is thought to be considering embeddable SIM cards that would eventually allow it to sidestep carriers and other parts of the mobile industry.

In the end, the clash appears to have been too hot for ETSI to handle, as the organization eventually decided that it was better to postpone the vote since there was a clear failure to reach an accord. ETSI rules suggest it will be at least 30 days until a vote can be held — so expect to see both sides going at each other over the next month as they try to politick their way to success.

Comparison of SIM card sizes by Giesecke & Devrient

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However, I’m interested in what seems to be a growing number of startups and entrepreneurs at the event, and that seems to be a sign that real innovation and new business models are actually starting to happen when it comes to adding digital intelligence to the power grid and managing energy data.

Here are the top 10 trends that I took away from the event:

1. Managing big data. Managing large streams of energy data is fundamental to the future of the grid, as well as for helping consumers reduce their energy consumption. What methods the software companies use will also determine how well they’ll do in the industry. Startups like Opower and Tendril are essentially big-data plays, using cloud computing tools and sophisticated analytics, and both companies released interesting news at the show. Oracle, touting its software and data management, had a huge booth on the floor. I chatted with both the newly acquired Ecologic Analytics (bought by Landis+Gyr) and eMeter (acquired by Siemens), and these companies manage the massive amounts of data that flow off of meters for utilities. Cloud computing is no longer a dirty word for utilities; in fact, it’s likely the future of this business.

Cisco's connected grid router, ruggedized, inside

2. The Internet of Things. Beyond connecting meters and grid devices, the smart grid really extends to create the Internet of Things, connecting cars, home batteries, solar panels, light bulbs, thermostats, and consumer electronics like televisions and cell phones. The term the Internet of Things is oft-used in IT circles, but hasn’t really caught on in the smart grid and utility industries. But it will, and it will also provide new lines of business for the power grid vendors.

3. Prepaid electricity. Prepaid meters and electricity might not catch on in the U.S. all that quickly, but throughout the world it’s becoming a phenomenon — particularly in countries with low rates of credit card holders, and high percentages of populations that don’t have a steady income stream, like farmers. There were a couple of startups at the show selling these meters and software systems, like PayGo, but I’m not sure this is a startup play at this point. I’d expect the big meter companies to create their own solutions.

Prepaid energy and meters via PayGo

4. The year of the smart thermostat. I already did a slide show on this, but it seems like 2012 is the year utilities, consumers and device makers are starting to really pay attention to smart thermostats. As one show attendee explained to me, it’s the low-hanging fruit and the area where utilities can see the most “bang for buck.” Smart thermostats, which can be controlled by utilities, can help utilities shave off consumer power consumption when they need it (called demand response). Other players like Nest (which I didn’t see at the show) are looking to sell a coveted connected thermostat straight to consumers.

5. Energy storage batteries moving into commercial deployments. Battery makers made an appearance at the show, touting batteries that could provide energy storage and frequency regulation for the grid. Some are even selling batteries for homes, to connect with solar panels, and I could see many homes having their own batteries one day. Batteries for energy storage have long been discussed, but the problem has always been that they are one of the most expensive forms of energy storage. However, some power producers and utilities now have commercial battery farm deployments in place, so we’ll see this year how popular batteries for energy storage become.

6. Ditch the hardware; focus on software. After talking with a variety of home energy management startups, it feels like there has been an acknowledgement that focusing on the hardware piece of home energy management hasn’t worked out all that well, and that software is a much better bet for most companies. EnergyHub did a slight pivot to focus more on software to manage smart thermostats, and the company tells me it’s having its best financial year to date. Tendril also doesn’t focus at all on hardware anymore, and is only focusing on creating an open platform for connecting devices. However, Nest is the outlier in this, and is basing its business around its device.

7. The pivot. Constant reinvention is common in Silicon Valley and for startups. I feel like there’s a perception that it’s not that acceptable in the utility and power worlds. However, it’s becoming increasingly O.K. to openly discuss changing strategies and working out various business models. As the smart grid industry matures, the pivot is going to become a more common maneuver. Embrace change!

8. Cellular coming on strong. A few years ago, the cellphone companies were charging utilities way too much to use their networks for the backbone of the smart grid. But today, phone companies like Verizon have changed their pricing strategy and are actively working with utilities on strategies around a per meter basis. As I wrote earlier this week, there’s no longer a big debate about what type of wireless to use, from cellular, to mesh, to Wi-Fi to WiMAX. The network companies are offering them all to be flexible to the utility.

9. M&A still rolling. The smart grid is still one of the best places across the cleantech sector to sell a startup. Since the IPO market is pretty crappy right now, who could buy who was a topic of conversation at the show.

10. Go big or go home. This one comes courtesy of Tendril’s CEO Adrian Tuck who says he sees a lot of potential consolidation in the energy data management space this year, and he sees companies going big or going home. What do you think?

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In years past, the wireless companies wanted to move more rapidly into the smart grid ecosystem, but were charging potential vendors and utilities too high a rate for renting space on their wireless networks. That high tariff was a barrier for the mobile operators to be able to win over any major business beyond being used as backhaul (the most basic connectivity on the network). But that changed more recently, and the carriers have been dropping their rates and have emerged as contenders for providing more of the wireless connectivity for the backbone of the smart grid.

All the mobile firms — from AT&T to Verizon to Sprint — are looking to win over smart grid partnerships this year, and the smart grid networking companies like Silver Spring Networks and Cisco are using wireless in pieces of their networks. Smaller companies like GridNet and SmartSynch are building entire platforms around the carriers’ networks. Some utilities like Duke Energy are embracing wireless wholeheartedly.

Sprint made this announcement in time for the upcoming DistribuTECH show in San Antonio, Texas, next week. At DistribuTECH, all the smart grid vendors and utilities will be showing off their latest products and partnerships. Earlier in 2010, when I last talked with Sprint on utility partnerships, Sprint said it had around 100 utility customers using its wireless networks in various capacities, and the phone company was making a big push around a WiMAX smart grid.

So called “machine-to-machine communications,” like the smart grid, can be a lot more low-maintenance for carriers compared to consumer cell phone accounts. With M2M, carriers don’t have to worry about churn (consumers ditching them for competitors) as much, and M2M also provides carriers with diversity for their business and traffic flow (see our  report on machine-to-machine networks at GigaOM Pro, subscription required).

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