Growth in apps broadens usage of mobile phones

A NEW American study has found that advancing technology has led to significant changes in how people are using their mobile phones.

The results reveal the greatest change in mobile phone usage is brought about by the possibilities afforded users by the mushrooming number of mobile data applications (apps) now available.

Of eight apps the Pew Research Centre asked about in 2009 and 2010, all showed statistically significant year-to-year growth. Among mobile phone owners, this included taking a picture with your phone (76% did so in 2010, up from 66% in 2009), sending text messages (72%, up from 65%), sending email (34%, up from 25%), accessing the internet (38%, up from 23%) and playing music (33% from 21%).

Additionally, new questions revealed a majority of mobile phone owners (54%) have sent a picture or video to someone with their phone, 23% have accessed a social networking site and 10% have posted on a status update service such as Twitter.

As of May 2010, 59% of all adult Americans go online wirelessly. The Pew definition of a wireless internet user includes the following activities:

* Going online with a laptop using a wi-fi connection or mobile broadband card. Roughly half of all adults go online in this way, up from the 39% who did so at a similar point in 2009.

* Use of the internet, email or instant messaging on a mobile phone.

Two-in-five adults (40%) do at least one of these using a mobile device, an increase from the 32% of adults who did so in 2009.

Taken together, 59% of American adults now go online wirelessly using either a laptop or mobile, an increase over the 51% of Americans who did so at a similar point in 2009.

Additional mobile phone activities among users in the past year include:

* 54% have used their mobile device to send someone a photo or video.

* 23% have accessed a social networking site using their phone.

* 20% have used their phone to watch a video.

* 15% have posted a photo or video online.

* 11% have purchased a product using their phone.

* 11% have made a charitable donation by text message.

* 10% have used their mobile phone to access a status update service such as Twitter.

Young adults are heavily invested in the mobile web, although 30 to 49-year-olds are gaining ground.

Some 90% of 18 to 29-year-olds own a mobile phone, and these are significantly more likely than those in other age groups to engage in all of the apps asked about in our survey. Among 18 to 29-year-old mobile phone owners:

* 95% send or receive text messages.

* 93% use their phone to take pictures.

* 81% send photos or videos to others.

* 65% access the internet on their mobile device.

* 64% play music on their phones.

* 60% use their phones to play games or record a video.

* 52% have used their phone to send or receive email.

* 48% have accessed a social networking site on their phone.

* 46% use instant messaging on their mobile device.

* 40% have watched a video on their phone.

* 33% have posted a photo or video online from their phone.