Did You Know: Consumers Keep Phones Longer

Longer contracts are pushing American consumers to keep their handsets longer, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates. The average length of ownership of a particular handset has increased for the first time in five years, to 17.5 months from the 16.6 months reported in November 2006. The market analysis firm said that subscribers tend to hold onto their handsets due to the now-standard two-year contract and to avoid onerous service-termination fees when switching service, which may lead to lower renewal rates.

Did You Know: Motorola a Japanese Firm??

Young consumers tend to know little about the brands behind the products they use, including wireless brands, according to a study from market-research firm Anderson Analytics. Cellphones topped the list of products for which students misidentified the manufacturers' country of origin, said the company. More than half of college students surveyed by the company believed Nokia is a Japanese company, with only 4.4% correctly identifying the company as Finnish. Forty-two percent of students believed Motorola Inc. is Japanese. Motorola is based in Schaumburg, Ill.

Did You Know: Google.com Most Popular Mobile Site

Google.com topped the list of the most popular mobile Web sites in the both United States and the United Kingdom for the second month in a row, according to M:Metrics. Search, news and social networking sites dominated the list during March. In the U.S., Yahoo.com, MSN.com, Microsoft.com and Live.com rounded out the top five domains, while in the U.K. BBC.co.uk, Orange.co.uk, Three.co.uk and O2.co.uk garnered the most hits.

Mobile Phone Searches

A new study commissioned by digital marketing agency, iCrossing, found that only 30% of mobile users access the Internet on their devices. Of that portion, 75% conduct searches using their mobile phones, and over half of those who do, prefer the mobile sites of the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo to the built-in search tools offered by the carriers. Most searchers look for maps or directions, weather reports or local information. And nearly 75% of those who use their mobile devices as search tools are not willing to browse beyond the second page of the search results.

Did You Know: Mobile TV Subscribers Increase

The number of mobile TV subscribers worldwide will increase steadily over the next few years, reaching 125 million in 2011, according to new figures from In-Stat.

25 to 34 Yr. Olds Most Likely to Subscribe to Mobile Internet

comScore Inc. completed a study to determine the demographic that is most likely to access the Internet from their mobile phones. They grouped respondents into three groups. The "cellular generation" represented 18 to 24 year olds. The "transitioners" represented 25 to 34 year olds, and the "adult adopters represented those 35 years old and older.

The results showed that "transitioners", those between the ages of 24 and 35, are most likely to use their wireless phone to access the internet.

"The cellular generation is more apt to view their cellphone as an expression of their individuality and a mobile entertainment device that conveys their social status. But transitioners are close behind in their desire to purchase trendy phones. The cellular generation places the greatest value on features such as text messaging and instant messaging, while their more senior counterparts were found to take a more functional view. And that’s where transitioners outdid the cellular generation, with 29 percent subscribing to Internet services on their cellphones compared to 23 percent among younger users."

Source: www.rcrnews.com