ALMOST a third of mobile owners regularly access the internet on their phone.
Searching for information on the web is the most popular activity for the new generation of tech-savvy phone owners, research into the mobile phone habits of Australians has revealed.
More than three-quarters of people with internet connected phones use them to hunt for information online while on the move – up from just 30 per cent a year ago.
Popular online activities for mobile phone users include:
CHECKING news and weather (59 per cent).
EMAIL (58 per cent).
MAPS or directions (56 per cent).
SOCIAL networking (39 per cent).
Facebook is by far the most popular social networking site accessed via the mobile Web, snaring 98 per cent of visitors, followed by Twitter and MySpace.
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The Nielsen internet and technology report shows new activities, such as buying items online, jumped 10 per cent to 17 per cent.
The previously popular pastime of downloading ringtones dropped 9 per cent to 21 per cent.
The survey comes as new social networking-oriented phones hit the market. They boast iPhone-style touch screens, Qwerty keyboards and the ability to snap and instantly upload photos to sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Samsung spokesman Tyler McGee said manufacturers were responding to the demands of consumers.
“Research shows that three out of five Australians under the age of 35 who access the internet claim to use social networking on their mobile phones,” he said.
Samsung has just released four internet-friendly phone models.
The survey said Nokia still leads the internet-capable mobile phone pack, controlling more than 35 per cent of the market. Apple’s iPhone has more than doubled its share to 28 per cent and is growing quickly.
About 13 per cent of Australians who have not yet used their mobile to go online plan to do so over the next 12 months.
“We’ve seen a big shift in the levels of activity among those who are using mobile internet,” Nielsen online spokesman Matt Bruce said.
Resource:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/mobile-phone-users-hungry-for-accessing-online-including-facebook/story-e6frf7l6-1225860323408
