Even Cupid is going high-tech for Valentine's Day

Every Valentine's Day, my grade school teachers would give us a few minutes to pass out little red and pink greeting cards. Candy hearts with messages like 'Be Mine" were also a part of these swaps.
We'd end up with a pile of loot on our desks – a happy diversion from classwork. And now, it seems, that's changing.
Now we're more likely to have animated characters – with blinking eyes and beating hearts – delivered to our phones or in boxes. Some of them even sing to you.
Technology is redesigning our biggest commercial “holidays.”
If we get candy hearts, they could very easily have come from a transaction on Amazon.
Ninety-seven percent of the people in a recent survey said they would use smartphones or other devices to find gifts for Valentine’s Day this year, according to Verizon Wireless, which conducted the study. Eighty-two percent said they would also use those devices to get restaurant recommendations or reservations.
“It shows that people are continuing to embrace technology,” said Michael Swearingen, spokesman for Verizon.
E-cards and bouquets from eflowers.com may not be the best examples of ways that technology is connecting us with others. But when we’re separated from those we care about, dialing up with Facetime, Skype or Google Hangouts for an on-screen visit can be better than anything bought.
That’s because, even in grade school, half the fun of making your friends smile is being able to see it.

Karen’s blog: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms