The old fake out that you are on the phone with someone is not as rare as you might think. Out of every 13 Americans 1 employs this strategy to put off someone they do not want to talk with face to face, or they simply want to send the signal of lesser respect.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project executed the poll and probed the benefits and drawbacks to owning a cell phone. The convenience of the phone can be both a blessing and a curse. More than 50% of cell phone owners used their phones a minimum of one time to obtain info they required in a hurry. However, 27% said they were in a precarious situation in the last 30 days where they needed their phone, but did not have it. It was even higher, 42%, for young adults between the ages of 18 and 29.
Everyone expects the cell phone to be ready for emergency use. So you may not be shocked to learn that 40% of owners claimed their phones were handy in at least one emergency scenario.
Smartphones put the final touches on turning a cell phone into a complete waste of time – oh, I mean an entertainment solution. As a result, over 40% phone users rely on their phone to distract them while bored. That figure jumps to 70% for young adults, of ages 18-29.
On the other hand, cell phone can infuriate their owners. Downloads taking excessive time frustrates 20% phone owners, while 16% were exasperated due to their attempt to read their tiny screen. Finally, a mere 10% claimed they were put out while inputting large amounts of text.
The Pew research reported that phone users access mobile email more than mobile social media, at 38% and 29% respectively. It came as no surprise, since both Nielsen and comScore uncovered a trend in growing mobile email.
The survey included 2800 Americans and it revealed that smartphones are used differently by their owners than the more basic ones are by theirs.
Texting and snapping photos is far more popular among smartphone owners than feature phone users, 92% as opposed to 59%. Actually sending images to other people is a bit lower at 80% and 36% respectively. There is even a bigger gap when reporting Internet access. Smartphone owners came in at 84%, while feature phone owners at 15%.
When it comes to applications, you would think smartphone owners would be using this one feature more than any other. However, the survey uncovered that merely 30% smartphone owners have not downloaded some software. Most likely these are the BlackBerry owners. It has, after all, lagged far behind other vendors in software offerings. That having been said, even iPhone users tend only to use Safari and iTunes.
Now compare this to the 4% of owners of feature phones. Many simply do not know that feature phones can run basic apps. Feature phones are here to stay, but the differences between them and smartphones are diminishing. Also, smartphones are so expensive that they often chain their owners to a two-year service contract in the U.S. Features phones are a much cheaper solution.
Source: CNN
