A report commissioned by UK mobile operator O2 found that making calls comes just fifth in the ranking among the things smartphones are used for. Smartphones have become a digital “Swiss Army Knife” the report says.
The research, published in the “All About You” report, found that the average smartphone owner spends over 2 hours a day using it.
Smartphone users spend more time browsing the Internet (25 minutes a day), social networking (17 minutes a day), playing games (13 minutes a day) and listening to music (16 minutes a day) than making the phone calls (12 minutes).
“Smartphones are now being used like a digital ‘Swiss Army Knife’, replacing possessions like watches, cameras, books and even laptops. While we’re seeing no let-up in the number of calls customers make or the amount of time they spend speaking on their phones, their phone now plays a far greater role in all aspects of their lives,” said David Johnson, General Manager Devices for O2 in the UK.
The “All About You” report was commissioned by O2 to mark the launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIII, which is one of the first phones to lavish more attention on these previously “next generation” functions and to be designed for a new generation of smartphone users.
As previously stated by mobile industry expert and ex-Nokia executive, Tomi T. Ahonen, the report also found that the smartphone is replacing other possessions including alarm clocks, watches, cameras, diaries and even laptops and TVs as they become more intuitive and easier to use for things “beyond calls”.
Johnson concluded: “We’re starting to see more and more phones being developed that interact with their users in new and interesting ways. Intelligent voice recognition and eye tracking are making phones even easier to use and we know our customers will love them.”
The table from the report shows the amount of time spent daily on each activity.
Activity Time/Day
Browsing the internet 24.81
Checking social networks 17.49
Playing game 15.44
Listening to music 15.64
Making calls 12.13
Checking/writing emails 11.1
Text messaging 10.2
Watching TV/films 9.39
Reading books 9.3
Taking photographs 3.42
