Kids pave way in know-how

Greg and Diana Campbell supervise their children, Sebastian, 8, and Tennyson, 2, on the family computer provided by Xtra.

Greg Campbell considers himself quite good with technology, but over the past month he has learned that his three children - aged between 2 and 8 - put him to shame.

"It's just second nature. They don't think about it, whereas I am reasonably techno-savvy and still sometimes have to make a conscious thought about how to do something."

Campbell, his children and wife Diana make up one of 25 households selected for the four-month Connected Lives programme, run by internet provider Xtra and hardware supplier Hewlett-Packard.

The companies are supplying the households with various hardware, then studying the effect of broadband technology on them.

And while the Campbells are discovering generational differences when using technology, another interesting fact to come to light is that male pride prefers to sort out tech problems rather than ask directions.

More than 8000 New Zealanders applied for the programme, and information gathered from their application forms showed two-thirds of technology questions were solved within the household. But whereas 30 per cent of women would ask a male family member for assistance, only 15 per cent of men would ask a female relative for help.

It is still early in the programme, with further surprising results likely.

Households chosen to take part in Connected Lives have been given a $6000 digital technology package, including computer, wireless broadband connection, digital camera and webcam.

Over the course of the programme, challenges will test participants' ability to use the technology, and the public can follow their progress online. A mixture of public voting and judges will decide which households win the regular prizes, which have not yet been announced.

To keep everyone motivated, households completing all tasks get to keep their new toys.

Although participants are unaware of what challenges await them, the four themes - keeping in touch, mobility, endless entertainment and invent - provide a hint of what is to come.

The first of this month's three challenges paired households together with the instruction to discover three interesting facts about each other and post them on the Connected Lives website.

The Campbells, from Auckland, were surprised to be chosen for the programme.

"I thought we wouldn't get picked because we have so much technology already in our lives," Diana said.

She works online from home for an Australian-based company selling automotive training programs to customers in the United States.

For the Campbells, modern broadband technology has become an essential part of life.

"I can't work without it. I can't do my job," she said.

The initial study has spotlighted the acceptance of the internet, with 91 per cent of respondents indicating they went online every day.

About 94 per cent prefer the comfort of surfing from home, followed by the workplace at 57 per cent. Seven per cent used internet cafes and 2 per cent preferred the freedom of a WiFi hotspot.

About 80 per cent found the internet important in managing finances, 72 per cent for managing work, 64 per cent travel, 63 per cent their social life and 44 per cent family activities.

Xtra's head of broadband and internet services, Chris Thompson, said last month that the company expected to learn "an enormous amount" about what motivated people to adopt new technology.

"We know that organising travel arrangements online has been increasing over the past couple of years, but it's interesting to see such a large number of New Zealanders using technology to manage their finances," he said.

Michael Lucas, director of research company Conversa Global, said continued investigation would reveal the most beneficial aspects of technology and how individual perceptions changed over time.

"So we have these people trying to understand how it impacts on dynamics within the household, how it impacts on activities within the household, relationships of individuals and also people's relationship with the technology itself."