This one belongs in my Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics file. The U.S. Census Bureau says 270-million cell phone subscribers sent an average of 407 text messages back in 2008, double that of 2007. From CBS News:

Americans punched out more than 110 billion text messages last year, double the number in the previous year and growing, as the shorthand communication becomes a popular alternative to cell phone calls.

What’s the problem? The headline, Texting Now More Popular Than Cell Calls. More popular? How? Sheer numbers, not texting time vs. talk time, for sure. That said, we added texting to our iPhone plans to keep in touch with our children.

Interesting stats, though. The average length of a cell phone call is down to 2.3 minutes. The average monthly phone bill remains flat, at about $50. The average teen sends more than 2,000 text messages a month.