A piece on the Register points to research showing that 28% of all mobile users access the Web on their phones. Maybe, just maybe, they're including anyone who ever clicks on anything that is remotely online (such as a WAP link or MMS), but I'd find it hard to believe that 28% of smartphone users access the Web on their devices, let alone those with bog-standard phones. You probably browse on your smartphone, but what about your partner or mum or sister?
Read on in the full article.
I disagree I think many smartphone users will browser the web. A lot of them will stick to their operator portal, but I'm surely nearly everyone who has a smartphone will have done a bit of mobile web activity whether they know it or not.
ISWYM, but the report implied that 28% of mobile phone users used the web, i.e. that there was regular use ("common, everyday occurrence"😉....
I'd estimate that only 1% of S60 smartphone owners used the Web every day. And that the figure for generic mobiles/feature phones is more like 0.1%.
Steve Litchfield
The full article link seems to be broken and I can't spot the article on the Register.
I agree that 28% seems a bit high but I've noticed many more people using their phones for internet access mainly using WAP. What they want access to is quick current up to date information i.e. the latest football scores and racing results! WAP is perfect for providing this (I think WAP is underestimated generally). Also when you show them how to get access to things like train timetables and products that tell them where the nearest pub is they begin to see even more of the advantages of internet data on the move.
I've also been surprised at how many people have set up their phones to access their email.
Its taken a while but I think at last people are really begging to use the features they already have on their phones even though most of them are not smartphones as such.
I think I've found the source article. It makes the interesting point that in many countries a mobile devices is the quickest way of accessing the internet. After just coming back from visiting a friend who has moved to Sri Lanka I can see their point. Phone land lines are scarce and there is a waiting list to get them installed and even then broadband services via these land lines are only just getting off the ground. However everybody seems to have a mobile phone, WAP works well and using a local mobile it cost about 4 rupees to have a check of the Cricket and Football results (Approx 180 rupees to the pound).