• April 5, 2005

As U.S. consumers found ways to amuse themselves with DVD players, digital video recorders, and digital cameras last year, they also spent slightly less time surfing the Web at home, research firm eMarketer reported Monday, based on recent data from Nielsen//NetRatings and research company CENTRIS (Communications, Entertainment, and Technology Research and Information Service). Time spent online at home shrank among U.S. users to 13 hours and 44 minutes in February--down 2 percent from February 2004, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. That's less time than in Hong Kong, where users spend an average of 21 hours at home online each month; but more than Germany (12 hours, 31 minutes), the United Kingdom (11 hours, 20 minutes), and Italy (8 hours). -- Wendy Davis