Some 8.2 million users downloaded maps, making that the
most popular downloadable application; about 14.1 million users utilized
their SMS-based news and information access for search, making that the
most-favored use.
"Over
the course of the past year, we have seen use of mobile Internet evolve from an
occasional activity to being a daily part of people’s lives," Mark Donovan,
senior vice president of mobile for comScore, said in a statement. "This
underscores the growing importance of the mobile medium as consumers become
more reliant on their mobile devices to access time-sensitive
and utilitarian information."
With
regard to demographics, the most regular users of mobile news and information
were males in the 18- to 34-year-old range. Some 40 percent of females between
the ages of 18 and 24 used mobile Internet, as well.
"We
also note that much of the growth in news and information usage is driven by the
increased popularity of downloaded applications, such as those offered for the
iPhone, and by text-based searches," Donovan said in the report. "While
smartphones and high-end feature phones, like the Samsung Instinct and LG Dare,
comprise the Top 10 devices used for news and information access, 70 percent of
those accessing mobile Internet content are using feature
phones."
As
mobile devices have gained in processing power, an increasingly mobile work force
has begun relying
on their smartphones for many of the functions traditionally reserved for
laptops.
Devices such as the soon-to-be-released Palm Pre have
exponentially increased the functionality of mobile devices. Nonetheless, the
global economic climate has also weighed down this sector of the IT industry, with
earnings for companies such as Palm on the decline.
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