No matter what type of mobile phone people own, apart from conversations they are most likely to use it for one of the following four things: reading emails; responding to emails; playing games and listening to music. Among those with more sophisticated handsets, the fifth and sixth most common uses (other than conversation) are search-engine access to find out about products and services and reading books.

Latest research of mobile phone use from fast.MAP tracks the year-on-year changes in mobile phone use between 2011 and July 2012. Discussing the findings, David Cole, managing director of fast.MAP, says: “It’s worth bearing in mind that while the majority of people (almost six out of ten mobile users) do not have smartphones; only 8 per cent boast a BlackBerry; 8 per cent an iPhone 3 or 4; and 7 per cent either an iPad Touch 1 or 2.

Do you have any of the following mobile phones, smartphones and other mobile devices? (June 2011)

Do you have any of the following mobile phones, smartphones and other mobile devices? (July 2012)

Source: fast.MAP

“So although around seven out of ten of those with smart-phones use them to both read and respond to emails, only half of those with less sophisticated phones do so. The same is true of buying online. It’s hardly surprising that the smarter the phone, the more likely people are to use it to buy things.

“However, people are adopting this new technology at an amazing speed – compared with, say, coloured TVs and videos which took years to catch on in their day – so the opportunities for innovative multi-media hand-held-communication are increasing fast.”

Key findings
 

iPhone 3 & 4 and iPad 1 & 2 owners are most likely to use the device for reading emails, more than seven out of ten do so – followed by more than six out of ten BlackBerry; Samsung Galaxy and other tablet device users; and more than half of smartphone and iPad touch owners.

Have you done any of the following on your mobile phone or handheld device? (June 2011)

Have you done any of the following on your mobile phone or handheld device? (July 2012)

Source: fast.MAP

Between 9 per cent and 17 per cent of those without smartphones, use mobiles for the same four purposes (reading emails; responding to emails; playing games and listening to music). 13 per cent also use it to listen to the radio. But fewer than one in ten bother with any other applications.

The fifth most common use among those with more sophisticated handsets is search engines access to find out about products and services, followed by reading books.

Eight changes in use from last year
 

1. 32 per cent (up 4 per cent year-on-year) accessed product and service information via a search engine

2. 19 per cent bought something online, up 8 per cent on 2012

3. 10 per cent of adults watched live TV on their mobiles last month compared with 7 per cent in 2011

4. 42 per cent played games versus 46 per cent last year

5. 52 per cent read emails versus 46 per cent last year

6. 41 per cent respond to emails versus 35 per cent last year

7. 41 per cent listened to music versus 42 per cent last year

8. 26 per cent (down 3 per cent on 2011) listened to live radio.

Methodology
 

The 2012 study was carried out in July among a demographically-balanced fast.MAP panel of 644 adults.