If you thought you had the only Angry Birds-addicted grandma, think again. According to new Nielsen data, seniors sure do love those smartphones.

New numbers from the company’s third quarter survey of mobile users show that the 55-to-64-year-old age group is adopting smartphone technology faster than the rest of the population.

GigaOM is quick to point out that it’s the 25-to-35-year olds that are most dependent upon those portables, with 62 percent of that segment owning a smartphone. Those numbers aren’t really that surprising. However, it is sort of surprising (and cool) that seniors are adopting the technology faster than anyone else. Nielsen says that although only 30 percent of over-55ers are smartphone-carrying seniors, that group’s adoption is up 5 percent in the third quarter of 2011—and that’s the biggest jump of any age group.

It’s obvious that having a cell phone in any age group is good in case of emergency. However, we have to wonder how these numbers will effect the app market, specifically in the areas of home control, security, and other Electronic House interests.

Those options shouldn’t just be limited to the older crowd, however. Nielsen also says of all U.S. mobile phone subscribers, about 43 percent own a smartphone. Of those numbers, Android remains to be the most popular option, with 43 percent of the smartphone market.

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.