60% of Americans would give up alcohol for their mobile phones
In a survey indicative of how users interact with their electronic devices, one in three Americans said they would give up television to keep their mobile phone, and a full 60 percent said they would give up alcohol for a week instead.
According to the results of a new survey by Best Buy Mobile -- which polled 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 -- 47 percent of Americans who don't already own a smartphone say they are too confused to differentiate smartphones from regular cell phones.
Yet a "large portion" of adults plan on buying a smartphone in the next 12 months, according to the survey.
More interesting statistics:
- 58 percent feel it is important to be able to listen to music on their mobile phone.
- 41 percent feel it is important to be able to engage in social networking applications.
- 36 percent said being able to play games is important.
- 49 percent of Americans without smartphones believe smartphone users are too connected to their jobs at all times. Only 30 percent of adults 18-24 feel this way, while 60 percent of adults 35-49 say so.
- One in four Americans admitted they have spied and read someone else's text messages without permission (spouses, partners, friends, kids).
- 23 percent of Americans admitted to texting while intoxicated.
- 64 percent of Americans say they do not own a smartphone because they believe the devices are too expensive. This sentiment is particularly felt in the South, according to the survey.
Interesting gender differences:
- 39 percent do not own a smartphone because they hate shopping for electronics products, with 45 percent of women expressing this concern.
- 52 percent of women and 42 percent of men are confused about which smartphone to buy. More than half, or 53 percent, of adults over 50 express this confusion.
- 71 percent of women said sending text messages is very important, compared to 46 percent of men.
- 55 percent of women said taking photos with a digital phone is very important, compared to 30 percent of men.
- 44 percent of women said listening to music on a mobile device is important, compared to 25 percent of men.
- 14 percent of women ranked playing games as very important compared to 9 percent of men.
- All of the 8 percent that were very interested in reading books on a mobile device were women.
Interesting stuff. As for the 64% figure who believe smartphones are too expensive, it's unclear if the expense is perceived only with the hardware sticker price or including the pricey data plan upon which smartphones rely.