Talking Your Tech 2011: What you said

— -- This year we took to the streets, shopping malls and more to find out how consumers are living with technology, in our new Talking Your Tech series.

As tech reporters, we most often hear about the hottest trends from manufacturers, industry analysts and the like. So we thought it would be fun to talk directly to the actual users of the stuff. It was eye-opening. Folks are more addicted to their gadgets than we even dreamed.

"I sleep with my phone," Randy Sandhofer told us when we spoke to him at the Mall of America, near Minneapolis.

Here are more highlights from our interviews:

Texting: Huge, and hard to manage

— "I text a lot….probably 100 texts a day," said Amber English, interviewed at the historic Varsity Diner in Atlanta.

— Stacy Doran, also at the Atlanta diner, told us she sends text messages and responds to them almost everywhere — in the car, at dinner, even at the movies. "Sometimes it won't wait," she said.

Some of you told us that it's difficult to pick up nuance when communicating by text. "I'm quite sarcastic. Sometimes things can come out wrong via text," Nick Schultz of Los Angeles told us.

Video chat takes hold

The smartphone — now as engrained in our modern lives as a driver's license and car keys — is a lifeline to seeing loved ones in other parts of the country as video chat has come of age.

Video chat "has changed the way I communicate," says Rick Fimple of Las Vegas. His 12-year-old daughter, who lives in Texas, " would rarely pick up the phone, but she will pick up her iPod Touch and Face Time with me. Just to be able to see her face makes it seem like she is not that far away."

Making life easier?

Via the Tout video app, Jacqueline Andrade of Toronto sent us a response to our question about how technology had improved her life. "I can find any place I need to go. I can find out where I'm going. I never get lost."

Back in Atlanta, at the World of Coke Museum, Darla Brown of St. Louis seconded that. She's a huge fan of the Around Me app. "I get lost easily," she said. Additionally, "I need to know where there's coffee, food and museums."

Looking ahead to 2012

Readers: We had a blast in Minneapolis and Atlanta this year and want to visit you in 2012. Where should we come? We're looking to talk to outgoing people who love chatting about technology and how they use it. Drop us a line with some suggestions. Denver? Grand Rapids? Portland?

One more request: What questions about living with technology would you like to see discussed here on Talking Your Tech?

Leave a comment here, or e-mail me at jgraham@usatoday.com

You can also Tout me a video response at http://tout.com/u/jeffersongraham

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Next week on Talking Your Tech:

Monday: Teen sensation Selena Gomez.

Friday: Tech resolutions for 2012.