Between the Lines

60% of Americans would give up alcohol for their mobile phones

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Communications
Mobile

In a survey indicative of how users interact with their electronic devices, one in three Americans said they would give up television to keep their mobile phone, and a full 60 percent said they would give up alcohol for a week instead. According to the results of a new survey by Best Buy Mobile -- which polled 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 -- 47 percent of Americans who don't already own a smartphone say they are too confused to differentiate smartphones from regular cell phones. Yet a "large portion" of adults plan on buying a smartphone in the next 12 months, according to the survey. More interesting statistics:

58 percent feel it is important to be able to listen to music on their mobile phone.
41 percent feel it is important to be able to engage in social networking applications.
36 percent said being able to play games is important.
49 percent of Americans without smartphones believe smartphone users are too connected to their jobs at all times. Only 30 percent of adults 18-24 feel this way, while 60 percent of adults 35-49 say so.
One in four Americans admitted they have spied and read someone else's text messages without permission (spouses, partners, friends, kids).
23 percent of Americans admitted to texting while intoxicated.
64 percent of Americans say they do not own a smartphone because they believe the devices are too expensive. This sentiment is particularly felt in the South, according to the survey.

Interesting gender differences:

39 percent do not own a smartphone because they hate shopping for electronics products, with 45 percent of women expressing this concern.
52 percent of women and 42 percent of men are confused about which smartphone to buy. More than half, or 53 percent, of adults over 50 express this confusion.
71 percent of women said sending text messages is very important, compared to 46 percent of men.
55 percent of women said taking photos with a digital phone is very important, compared to 30 percent of men.
44 percent of women said listening to music on a mobile device is important, compared to 25 percent of men.
14 percent of women ranked playing games as very important compared to 9 percent of men.
All of the 8 percent that were very interested in reading books on a mobile device were women.

Interesting stuff. As for the 64% figure who believe smartphones are too expensive, it's unclear if the expense is perceived only with the hardware sticker price or including the pricey data plan upon which smartphones rely.

posted by Andrew Nusca
July 1, 2009 @ 9:11 am

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60% of Americans would give up alcohol for their mobile phones

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