technology put to the test

Is the iPhone really a sex machine?

According to a recent OK Cupid survey, IPhone users have more sexual partners than BlackBerry or Android owners. Now that it's established that we have "statistical proof that iPhone users aren't just getting screwed by Apple," it's time to consider just how accurate this study is. We've put our heads together and realized that it's perfectly logical that iPhonies get it on in greater numbers.

Reasons iPhone users have more sex than BlackBerry victims, from a regretful BB owner (who refuses to get an iPhone because it would mean going with AT&T):

It's way easier to take nudie pics of yourself and send them to your lover with an iPhone, thanks to the front camera. With a BlackBerry, you suffer from awkward forearm, and your face is nearly always obscured by the phone. Although for some people (not me though) maybe that's a plus.
Most BlackBerry users are old PC-devotee businessmen who are unlikely to self-report on their covert affairs.
Maybe if my POS, fritz-prone BlackBerry gave me less headaches, I'd have more sex.
The rolly-ball cursor of the BlackBerry renders men undesiring of actual clitoral contact.

Reasons iPhone users have more sex, from an iPhone owner:

In general, iPhone users are savvier than the average BB bum, meaning they're twice as likely to sneak their way into the sack.
The special slide lock trains the index finger to stroke consistently, with a specific pressure that translates well to genitalia.
Although it pertains to a specific audience, the Grindr app brings a whole new meaning to easy access. With this downloadable gaydar, it's not surprising that GuysWithiPhones.com is such a smashing success (Warning: GuysWithiPhones.com may not be safe for work, or heterosexual men).
Because they're more likely to be obsessed with trends, iPhone users are also inclined to move from one sexual partner to another. BlackBerry owners may very well have more sex — just with fewer people (not me though).

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holiday budgeting news

Here's how much Houstonians are budgeting for holiday gifts in 2025

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

San Antonio residents are expected to spend over $900 on their Christmas gifts this year, WalletHub found.

Residents living in Houston's well-to-do suburbs aren't stressing about stretching their holiday spending this year: A new report from WalletHub found Pearland, The Woodlands, and Sugar Land residents are all among the top-25 biggest holiday spenders in the nation for 2025.

Pearland gift givers are expected to spend $3,277 on their festive presents, says WalletHub's 2025 "Holiday Budgets by City" report.

Pearland's holiday budget earned it No. 19 in WalletHub's national ranking of cities with largest holiday budgets, with The Woodlands and Sugar Land appearing right behind as No. 20 and No. 22, respectively.

To determine the U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets, WalletHub's experts compared 558 cities across five categories: Income, age, a debt-to-income ratio, residents' monthly income-to-monthly expenses ratio, and their savings-to-monthly expenses ratio.

The three U.S. cities that boast the loftiest holiday budgets are Palo Alto, California (No. 1); Mountain View, California (No. 2); and Newton, Massachusetts (No. 3). Palo Alto residents are expected to spend nearly $4,500 on their Christmas gifts this year, with the latter cities budgeting for $4,266 and $4,069.

Pearland's current holiday budget is $711 higher than it was in 2024, when the city ranked No. 31 in WalletHub's list of U.S. cities with the biggest holiday spenders. It's also much higher than the $2,127 projected budget from the 2023 report, when Pearland ranked No. 36 nationally. They're definitely competing with Mr. Claus for the "best Christmas present" award.

Festive neighbor The Woodlands ranked as the city with the 10th-highest holiday budgets last year, so its current rank as No. 20 is a bit surprising. Even with a dip in the rankings, The Woodlands residents are still expected to spend a lofty $3,265 on their holiday presents this year, or about $51 less than last year.

Residents living in No. 22-ranking Sugar Land are projected to spend $3,191 on their holiday gifts this year, or $19 less than last year, the report found.

Houston proper ranked 285th on the list with a $1,302 projected holiday budget this year, or $6 more than last year's budget.

Five more Houston-area cities landed in this year's report on the heftiest holiday budgets:

No. 34 – League City ($2,997)
No. 291 – Pasadena ($1,294)
No. 321 – Missouri City ($1,233)
No. 412 – Conroe ($1,063)
No. 490 – Baytown ($890)

Regardless of the dollar amount, Houstonians should pay attention to their spending and pick a budget that works for their financial situation, experts say. The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion this year, and the report warns credit card debt is a major challenge faced by many Americans as they plan their holiday shopping sprees.

"The holidays bring plenty of joy, but they can also spark seasonal stress, much of it tied to overspending," the report's author wrote. "In Q3 2025, the average household carried $10,227 in credit card debt, up 2.3 percent from the year before, according to WalletHub data. Adding holiday shopping on top of that can quickly increase the financial strain, especially if balances roll into the new year."

Other Texas cities that ranked among the top 100 biggest holiday spenders include:

No. 4 – Flower Mound ($3,941)
No. 12 – Frisco ($3,491)
No. 28 – Allen ($3,055)
No. 31 – Cedar Park ($3,028)
No. 40 – Plano ($2,812)
No. 47 – Round Rock ($2,641)
No. 55 – McKinney ($2,502)
No. 56 – Carrollton ($2,498)
No. 82 – Richardson ($2,146)
No. 96 – North Richland Hills ($1,985)

According to the study's methodology, a consumer is considered to be in a "comfortable financial position to engage in holiday spending if they have: 1) enough emergency savings to cover at least six months of expenses and 2) a debt-to-income ratio smaller than 22 percent for a renter or 43 percent for a homeowner."

holiday budgets holidays christmas wallethub houston pearland the woodlands sugar land suburbs