One of the most confusing aspects of technology and fatherhood are the questions -  what technologies when, and how much is too much? On this front, the New York Times has a sobering report: Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier. The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is...

CNET has compiled a top five list of tech gifts not to buy dad. I can endorse all but number one:

Many of us have a new computer thrust upon us: we hold out on upgrading until the old one crashes. For those fortunate enough to plan ahead and buy a new computer before the old one abruptly expires, there's still the little issue of what to do with all your data - your files, documents, photos, music, etc. And what about all those programs and games you've downloaded or purchased, but can no longer find the installer files or CDs? If it's time to upgrade the PC, you've got a few options for bringing along the digital stuff you still...

My kids are too young to sass me yet, but I'm just waiting for one of them to call me a "big geek" (or at the rate I'm going, a "big fat geek"). When they do, I'll be ready. Kids, I'm in good company:

The previous TechConfusedDad launched a valiant crusade to get you to back up your data. Admittedly, it's a thankless task. But, as a certain Simpson's character often remarks, "think about the children." So for the sake of your finances, family memories, kid's homework, etc., you have to man up and back up. It's with this in mind that we turn to the Sandisk Ultra Backup. Housed in what looks like a ho-hum 8GB USB flash drive is preloaded software that will automatically scan your hard drive for music, photos, documents, presentations and other important data. The software is on the...

As you curse your way through setting up your wireless network or set top box, it may be some small comfort to know, as Reuters notes yesterday, that even the manufacturers of high tech products often have no use for them.

It's a well known fact that men don't like to ask for directions. While I'll admit to a certain amount of manly disdain for direction-asking while driving, I'm not afraid to admit that wandering aimlessly in the woods can get old fast.   Unless you're Survivorman, the new Oregon 550 ($499) and 550t ($599) from Garmin could come in handy during the summer walks through the woods. Not only will the built-in GPS receiver help you through undiscovered country, but they pack a 3.2-megapixel digital camera to boot. Now 3-megapixels isn't exactly the high water mark for digital photography and the 4x...

If you're in the market for a new camcorder for the summer, Samsung will have a pair of new standard definition digital camcorders shipping in July (no price as of yet). The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 are both flash memory-based camcorders so they’re light and compact. They record in standard definition (720 x 480/60i) in the H.264 format. The C14 packs 16GB of internal memory plus an SDHC card slot. The C10 records only to SDHC cards. Here’s some common specs: 10x optical zoom lens 2.7-inch swivel LCD Built-in...