Smart Phone Owners Use More Content

M:Metrics has released a survey showing that smart phone owners use more mobile content than the general mobile phone population, and “contrary to popular belief, those carrying these powerful devices are not using them exclusively for productivity applications, but are also using them to view mobile video, play mobile games and listen to mobile music in addition to using them for personal e-mail and wireless Web access”. This is true more in Europe than the US — different countries use different content to varying extents, and the US trails Europe in the consumer categories but leads them in accessing e-mail and news and information on their mobile devices.
M:Metrics puts this down to a lower penetration of smart phones in the US (2% vs around 6% for Europe) and — more importantly — what is on the market has been targeted towards professionals.
“Whereas mass-market Symbian devices have flooded the European market, the smart-phones in the hands of most U.S. consumers are high-end devices produced by Palm and RIM that are targeted to appeal to mobile professionals concerned with personal productivity,” said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst and chief product architect, M:Metrics. “The Motorola Q, which is being marketed heavily as a stylish device that’s fun as well as productive, and is being offered at consumer-friendly price points, could help broaden the market for smart-phones and spur content consumption.” Plenty of stats on mobile content usage in France, Germany, UK and US through the link.

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