Your Thumbs, 3G trends and Inauguration Broadcasts // Idle Bites - January 19

// Using your thumb to press doorbells? You’re part of the new vanguard.

People over 25 tend to use their index finger to ring doorbells. But the BBC reports that amongst the younger generation wherever texting is prevalent, the dominant finger used for this task has shifted. “Where texting is happening they use the thumb,” Anand Chandrasekher, head of Intel’s ultra mobility group, told BBC News at CES.” This pattern suggests our overall physical behaviors can and do shift as our habitual interactions with technology change.

// Asia-Pac to have 564 Million 3G subs by 2013

A new report issued by Frost & Sullivan in Singapore finds that “there were an estimated 5.2 million mobile broadband dongle and datacard users in Asia-Pac (18 countries) in 2008, with corresponding billings of over US$1.3 billion.” By that date, a third of all broadband connections are expected to be via 3G dongles. The report goes on to suggest that the region’s 3G subscriber base will top 564 million by 2013, to make up about 18 percent of all mobile users. China and India make up the bulk of the expected increase, as prices continue to decline and technological factors improve.

// In the mobile world, you can catch the inauguration from anywhere

Regardless of your politics, the presidential inauguration tomorrow is a historic occasion. With this in mind, Lifehacker has compiled a comprehensive list of sources of information and actual live streams of the inauguration festivities tomorrow, including numerous websites and some phone-specific resources. See the full list here.