According to a recent study by Bridges Ratings, a significant number of wireless Internet users enjoy a few tunes while they’re online. Of the 30 million Americans who use Wi-Fi (projected to hit nearly 45 million by the end of this year), 48% listen to Internet radio. Of consumers under age 24 who were surveyed, 44% consider the Internet the best way to listen to music. For age 25-34, 39% agree with that statement, while only 18% of people 35 and up listen to music primarily through Internet radio. The survey, which was intended to see how Internet radio may affect AM/FM radio, noted significant growth potential for Internet radio. AM/FM radio has certainly faced some criticism from music fans as DJs have disappeared and radio consolidation has made most radio stations into franchises playing the exact same playlist simultaneously. It should be interesting to watch how this industry will evolve.

Over the past couple years, several states have unveiled Wi-Fi in their state park campgrounds. Now, KOA, a large chain of campgrounds, has announced it will install wireless internet access at all of its North American campgrounds. One trend leading this decision involves the growth of RV campers. In the past four years, RV ownership has increased 15%. Apparently, the retiring baby boomers want to get out there and explore – without leaving their technology behind. (Editor’s note: I’m expecting a lot of people to say “hey, relax, you’re on vacation.” As someone who can work from anywhere with my laptop, however, I’m a firm believer that Wi-Fi has allowed my family to have longer vacations. Sure, it’s a trade off. We pull out our laptops in the midst of vacation; however, if that means being away from home for two weeks instead of a few days, I’m a fan of Wi-Fi in campgrounds. Now if only somebody would convince the National Parks Service to join this trend …)

New research by Infonetics Research notes dual-mode Wi-Fi and voice over IP (VoIP) phones lead the mobile market as the fast-growing handsets. Sales of Wi-Fi phones in 2006 reached $535 million, 327% higher than the previous year’s sales. Between 2006 and 2010, the annual growth rate should hit 198 percent.