Switched

Pop rock singer Ashlee Simpson recently caught up with AOL's Switched to talk about all things tech. . . Including her love for her BlackBerry Curve and how she can't wait to get an iPod touch— If Mayer can get an Air, Simpson can surely get a Touch! Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

• On what gadgets she takes with her during her down time (tapings, appearances, etc): "My iPod, knitting needles, and yarn."
• The cell phone she has right now and what she loves or hates about it: "The BlackBerry Curve — I love the camera feature."
• The longest time she had ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what it was: "I played Tony Hawk for 75 hours."
• On whether she's a Mac or a PC girl and why: "Mac — it's more user-friendly."

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When Rosie O'Donnell is chillin' out on set, her gadget "must haves" include her Nextel cellphone and her iPhone. I always knew Rosie was crafty, but until she started her own blog, I had no idea she was so tech savvy! AOL's Switched recently chatted with Rosie and her partner Kelli about their favorite websites, texting, and yes, the iPhone. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

• On what cell phone they have right now and what they love/hate about it: Rosie: "We have a Nextel phone because we love using the two-way radio service with the family. It's easy for the kids to use, plus it seems to work many times when regular cell service does not."
• The sites they go to pretty much every time they get online: Rosie: "We frequently go to The Drudge Report and the Huffington Post almost every time we're online."
• On what gadget they would want to have with them on a stranded island: Rosie/Kelli: "I would bring my iPhone. You can do just about anything—from e-mailing and surfing the net to listening to music, watching movies, and taking photos on it.

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Recently, AOL's Switched had the pleasure of talking with American Idol Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard about his love for his BlackBerry, how he still wants to get an iPhone, and his annoyance with the short battery life on his iPod, phone, and laptop. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

• On what was the longest time he's ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game it was: "About three hours. It was NCAA college football from EA Sports. I played against my brother and my friends and I came out the tournament victorious."
• Discussing whether he's a Mac or PC kinda guy: "I have a Mac but I really don't know why. . . . I just love it. I guess since all of my other artist friends had one, and it's the industry standard in every major recording studio I have been in, it just seemed like a really good move. Peer pressure is still alive and well."
• On what gadget he would want to have with him on a stranded island: "If I was on a desert island I would need a battery-operated refrigerator with an automatic fire starter and a GPS tracking device on the side."

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The folks over at Switched inform me that AOL just completed a massive survey on e-mail usage throughout the United States, which polled residents of the country's top 20 markets. The results? While teens may think e-mail is so 1999, there are many adults (and teens) who are in need of a little e-mail detox. America's top 10 e-mail addicted cities are:

1. Washington DC - This year, our nation's capital was the most e-mail addicted city in the country. More than eight in ten Washington users (82 percent) have multiple e-mail accounts and four in 10 DC residents say they keep a PDA by their pillow when sleeping to listen for late-night emails, while 58 percent of city residents fessed up to checking e-mail with a portable device while sitting on the toilet.
2. Atlanta - Atlanta ranks as the second most e-mail addicted city in the survey, making a dramatic jump from 12th place last year.
3. New York - The number of New Yorkers who check their work e-mail over a typical weekend rose to more than 70 percent this year, while 24 pecent of New Yorkers think they are addicted to e-mail.
4. San Francisco - San Francisco won the top spot in last year's email addiction survey, but this year slipped to number four.
5. Houston - For the third year in a row, Houston has made the top five. Residents are checking their PDAs in some pretty interesting places too. 53 percent admit to checking their email in the bathroom.

The rest of the list is Los Angele, Seattle, Orlando, Denver and Miami. Do you agree with the list?

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With the week of iPhone madness almost over it's time to sit back, relax and consider what it is we've all been through. The folks over at Switched have put together a hilarious and thoughtful video looking at America's "iPhone hysteria," i.e. i-Sanity, which has had its grips on millions of us since Macworld. Are iPhone fans crazy or are we being controlled by marketing genius? Is Greg Parker, the shirtless man who has been lined up at the 5th Avenue Apple Store in NYC since Monday a nut, or can he just not help himself? Important questions all around.