"Video chat bridges the distance (CNW Group/Intel)"
Technology bridges the distance this holiday season
TORONTO, November 17, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - While we think of holidays as a time to be with friends and family, the majority of Canadians aren't able to spend time with all those they love. According to a new survey commissioned by Intel Canada, nearly three quarters of Canadians (74 per cent) have family and friends that they want to see over the holidays but can't. The two biggest barriers keeping Canadians away from those they love are distance (cited by 80 per cent of those surveyed) and financial constraints (cited by 53 per cent).
However, Canadians are definitely staying connected. They are sharing holiday cheer across great distances with the help of their computers. Canadians are connecting with video chat, such as Skype, email and social media. Thirty-three per cent of Canadians say the next best thing to sharing the holidays with someone in person is connecting with them using video chat; 23 per cent of Canadians say they are now using more video chat compared to 2009.
Not just for the young, people of all ages are turning to computers to connect with family in meaningful ways. Only 17 per cent of Canadians consider technology to be an impersonal way to connect with family and friends. This can explain why the traditional means of connecting are declining with Canadians foregoing greeting cards. Only six per cent of respondents use letters and cards as their primary way to connect with family and friends over the holidays and 41 per cent send less letters and cards than they did in 2009.
"It's not a surprise that Canadians are embracing technology as a meaningful way to connect with family and friends over the holidays," says Elaine Mah, Canadian country manager, Intel Corporation. "Technology has come such a long way and tools like video chat make you feel like you're right there in person."
Thirty-six per cent of Canadians said they face no barriers to using technology to connect with family and friends. However, 34 per cent complain that the person they wish to connect with doesn't have the right technology on their end. Having the right technology can be the key to creating lasting holiday memories. Mah explains that computers with 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ technology give people the flexibility to connect and share in ways that are personal and visual. Sharing holiday memories with family and friends is made easier with Intel® Wireless Display 2.0 (WiDi) technology allowing users to wirelessly stream content from the laptop to the TV. It's an exciting new viewing experience, ideal for everyday use and when sharing video chats, movies and photos with holiday guests. When making holiday videos to share with family and friends, Intel® Quick Sync Video takes the wait out of editing and sharing videos with astonishing performance that once took hours now is completed in minutes.
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About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
About the survey
From November 7th to November 8th, 2011 an online survey was conducted among 1,017 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
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