By Alyx Sariol

Smartphones, with full QWERTY keyboards that make text messaging fast and easy, are becoming increasingly popular with college students.  Originally targeted towards the on-the-go businessperson, many of these high tech phones are now being used by a younger generation. 

Many students prefer smartphones to simpler models because they provide constant Internet access, allowing them to check popular networking sites Facebook and MySpace throughout the day.

T-Mobile has new versions of its Sidekick, each smaller and sleeker than its predecessors. The newest version of the phone, the Sidekick LX, uses access to the "killer MySpace experience" as a selling point and even has its own official MySpace account, http://www.myspace.com/sidekick.

"Some phones, such as the T-Moble Sidekick, are geared toward young adults," said Jason Lee, a wireless consultant at Clear Link, 621 W. Diversey Pkwy., an authorized T-Mobile dealer. "Most of the time, people pick a phone based on design and style."

Renaissance man, Sy Bounds, checks in from the West Side and Mid-Austin to talk about a program at the Chetwyn Rodgers Drive Development Center where would-be bloggers get an introduction to business basics and entrepreneurship.

Sy talks about this blog as an example of the some of the work that they have done in this project.