Are you addicted to your Smartphone?
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 05 August 2011, 01:12 IST
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Bangalore: Smartphones are seen everywhere, as everyone has either an iPhone, Blackberry or any sort of Android phone. But the important question is whether one can survive without their smartphone or not? People check their smartphones in the boardroom, the bathroom, even in the bedroom. Is this device really "hooking" users into dependency? This issue remains unclear. According to a report by the telecoms regulator Ofcom, one in three adults in the UK now uses a smartphone. Though Apple's iPhone is considered as the most popular brand, but RIM's Blackberry devices are the hot favorite among the teenagers. The increased uptake of smartphones has led to a spectacular rise in mobile internet use. Though it sounds funny, but people walk and tweet, use Facebooks during lectures, and stare at their inboxes during parties, sports, dinner. According to the report, Facebook is the most visited website, with almost 43 million hours spent on it in December 2010. Going by the research carried out by Ofcom, 58 percent of adult males owned a smartphone compared to 42 percent of females. Among teenagers the trend was reversed with 52 percent of girls using smartphones against 48 percent of boys. More than a third of adults with a smartphone, 37 percent, classified themselves as having a "high addiction" to their device compared to 12 percent of regular adult mobile phone users. The analysis carried out by Ofcom's is based on the country's online habits, on a survey of 2,481 adults who have access to a broadband connection. Around 89 percent people use the internet for sending and receiving email. 61 percent turn on their computers for online banking. And 6 percent of the youngsters have concerns regarding their online privacy. The report also examines the most visited websites or online services, based on research carried out by UKOM/Neilsen. Games are marked as the biggest grown area, with an increase by 23 percent. News websites recorded 33 percent visits and adult sites fell by 13 percent. But radio fared well, as total listener hours hit 1.04 billion per week.