Americans love them, and hate them. And many say they can't imagine living without their mobile phones.
A survey released Friday shows the mixed emotions people feel about their devices, with many saying they use the phones to save time, but worry about spending too much time using them.
The Pew Internet Project survey found that 67 percent of cell owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls, even when they don't notice their phone ringing or vibrating.
It found 44 percent have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they did not miss important calls or messages, and 29 percent of cell owners describe their phone as "something they can't imagine living without."
Yet many in the survey also reported the negative impact of being constantly available: 11 percent of mobile phone owners said they worry that they are spending too much time with their phone, and 12 percent said people they know tell them that they are spending too much time using their phone.
Additionally, 39 percent of those with mobile phones said they have received complaints because they fail to respond promptly to calls or messages.
The survey found 65 percent of cell owners say that their phone has made it a lot easier to stay in touch with the people they care about but nine percent said using the phones makes it harder to disconnect from work life.
The survey found some 15 percent of adults do not own a cell phone at all, mostly because they feel they don't need one. Just one in five non-adopters say that cost is the main reason.
It found 40 percent of adults who own a cell phone have not yet upgraded to a smartphone, with economics being a major factor for one-third of those.
Samsung, Apple gain in US mobile market
Washington (AFP) Nov 30, 2012 –
Samsung extended its lead as the top mobile phone maker in the US market and Apple moved into second place, an industry tracker said Friday.
A survey by comScore showed that in the three-month period ending in October, South Korea's Samsung was the top manufacturer with 26.3 percent market share, up from 25.6 percent in the prior period.
Apple, which sells only smartphones, moved into second place in the US market for the first time, with a 17.8 percent market share, up 1.5 percentage points. South Korean maker LG was third at 17.6 percent, followed by Motorola at 11 percent.
The survey showed Google's Android system gained ground as the leading smartphone platform, with 53.6 percent of the market, up from 52.2 percent.
Apple's iOS platform for its iPhones remained in second place, and gained 0.9 points of market share to 34.3 percent, comScore said.
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion saw its share slip further from 9.5 percent to 7.8 percent in the period. And Microsoft, which released its Windows Phone 8 platform in late October, saw its share dip to 3.2 percent from 3.6 percent.
The survey found 121.3 million people in the US owned smartphones, or 51.9 percent of the mobile market.
