Survey -- Engadget

survey posts

Survey finds Americans want to go hybrid, can't afford it

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 11th 2009 at 7:02AM

48 percent of respondents to a recent Pike Research survey have classified themselves as very or extremely intrested in buying a plug-in hybrid vee-hee-cle, and 65 percent of them were willing to pay a premium price relative to a regular old petrol puffer. This enthusiasm stretched to an average premium of 12 percent which, while encouraging, still won't quite cover the current price gap between hybrids and, erm, monobryds? It would seem, then, that the environmental, fuel efficiency and plug-in ability benefits aren't lost on buyers, but neither are basic principles of economics. Our view on things? What we need is a netbook equivalent in the car world -- a dirt-cheap hybrid that students and hippies can get behind and stimulate the move of all prices downwards.

[Via Autoblog Green]

Bluetooth headset use plummets in the US, humanity celebrates a small victory

by Darren Murph posted Sep 6th 2009 at 3:34AM

Join us as we rejoice together: "Finally!" Look, we can't straight up say that Bluetooth headsets don't have their place in this world, but seriously, we've yet to not be freaked out when walking up to someone who's apparently speaking to the ghost we can't see. In a recent survey conducted by the quizzical minds over at Strategy Analytics, they found that only 26 percent of US-based Bluetooth headset owners use their device each and every day. That figure is down from 43 percent in 2008, proving that style may have just notched a minor victory over utility. Of course, the study also found that daily BT headset use was up slightly in Europe, but hey, it takes awhile for these so-called "trends" to float across the pond.

[Image courtesy of eHow, via HotHardware]

Survey finds Xbox 360 is played five times as often as Wii, five times more likely to fail than PS3

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 18th 2009 at 7:42AM

Ready for some numbers this morning? Some scary, scary numbers for Xbox 360 gamers? Game Informer, current king of the smoldering ruins of the print gaming magazine empire, polled about 5,000 of its readers to get a feel for their gaming experiences, including just how many of them had unlocked the fabled "Red Ring of Death" achievement. We'd heard estimates ranging from 16 to 30 percent, but even the most pessimistic guesses don't line up with the survey's findings of a staggeringly high 54.2 percent failure rate. That's five times higher than the PS3's 10.6 percent, with the Wii coming in at 6.8 percent. Mind you, the Xbox 360 was the most played console, with over 40 percent of Xbox gamers button mashing for three to five hours a day, compared to 37 percent of PS3 gamers, and less than an hour's worth of gaming per day for 41.4 percent of Wii owners. However, game consoles should be designed to shrug off marathon sessions and just keep on spewing polygons, something that the first revisions of Microsoft's baby obviously couldn't manage.

That said, there are some problems with this survey; as far as we can tell there was no verification made that respondents actually own the consoles that they indicated they did, and we all know how people like having fun at Microsoft's expense. Also, the survey was naturally only of readers of the magazine itself, who don't necessarily line up with the gaming world at large. But, it's impossible to deny there's truth in these numbers. Indeed, it's hard not to think they're too low, as you'll be hard-pressed to find an original Xbox 360 that hasn't thrown up the three-light salute. Even so, there's nothing to be proud of in Sony's 10.6 percent failure rate, or even Nintendo's 6.8, particularly given that system's relative lack of attention. All are much higher than the three percent most consumer electronics companies strive for -- and that Microsoft initially (incorrectly) claimed its console was managing.

[Via TG Daily, The Consumerist]

Plucky little iPhone 3GS confounds expectations, tops Japanese sales for July

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 17th 2009 at 8:19PM

Well, look at that: The iPhone 3GS 32GB was the best-selling phone in Japan for the month of July, according to a survey being reported by a number of sites, including Electronista and Mainichi Daily News. Not bad for a handset that doesn't even support 1seg TV, huh? Trailing behind the aforementioned handset at number nine (and the only other American model to make the top ten) is a little something called the iPhone 3GS 16GB. Of course, the mobile market in Japan features plenty of virtually identical phones that manufacturers assign different model numbers to, depending on carrier -- so we're going to take this with a grain of salt. But still, we have to wonder what, exactly, to attribute Apple's new found Japanese popularity to. Maybe it's because they got the phone a mere month after the Stateside 3GS launch, while the hype machine was still in motion? Or maybe someone juked the stats? We can't be sure just yet, but we do have the top ten for you -- in handy list form -- after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading Plucky little iPhone 3GS confounds expectations, tops Japanese sales for July

Captain Obvious reports: AT&T sees surge in WiFi use post-iPhone OS 3.0

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 5:04AM

You know, there's something to be said about making something easy: people usually take advantage. So seems to be the case with AT&T's WiFi connections after the release of iPhone OS 3.0, which finally became useful when users could seamlessly connect to one of the thousands of AT&T hotspots around the nation rather than having to stumble through a painfully long process on iPhone OS 2.x. According to an AT&T spokesperson speaking with AppleInsider, the amount of iPhone users linking up with AT&T's WiFi network tripled in June, and overall, it saw a 41 percent increase in connections compared to the prior quarter. It comes as no surprise to hear that AT&T is working feverishly to expand said network in order to relieve strain from its house of cards-styled 3G network, and while we'd definitely prefer a bit more reliability with the latter, we'll happily accept more WiFi in the meanwhile.

Best Buy-sponsored survey shows that Americans want smartphones even though they don't understand them

by Tim Stevens posted Jul 1st 2009 at 6:57AM

Do you understand your smartphone... really understand it? Know its moods, its wants, its desires? A survey hosted by Best Buy Mobile shows that half of people don't, with 47 percent saying the things confuse the heck out of them, while 60 percent of those aged 35 - 49 feel that people with smartphones spend too much time working and not enough time playing Wii Sports Bowling. Those feelings of confusion and ire doesn't stop a "sizable segment" of the rest of the 1,000 people surveyed from wanting a handset with brains, with most desiring access to the sort of apps you can't get on dumbphones, and 14 percent of women saying that playing games was "very important" -- only nine percent of men said the same. Sadly, there was no figure indicating how many people enjoy paying too much for text messages and signing their lives away on lengthy contracts.

Plain English Campaign wants to bring down walls of technobabble, rule the world

by Darren Murph posted Apr 28th 2009 at 10:55AM

So look, we fully understand that not everyone "gets" technology-related lingo -- we've had to walk our mums and dads through setting up a WLAN router with a WPA2 password and 1337 encryption many, many times. But this... this is just comical. Peter Griffiths, who we can only imagine looks and speaks exactly like Peter Griffin (pictured), is hoping that his Plain English Campaign can knock down the "walls of techobabble" by "pulling our heads out of the digital clouds and using plain English." Ironic, really, given that most of the technologically illiterate wouldn't know that a digital cloud actually refers to an off-site storage hub where information is exchanged. At any rate, it seems the campaign is pushing to have flummoxing terms such as digital TV, phone jack, desktop and dongle (yes, seriously) changed, or at worse, have them defined clearly in a dictionary that precisely no one would ever read.

TiVo survey hints at new name, direction for Series4 boxes

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 20th 2009 at 2:58PM

We don't know exactly what the next generation of TiVo hardware will be like, but if these survey screenshots are to be believed, we have an idea what they might be called. EHD reader Justin tipped us off to a recent online survey road testing new names like TiVo eVO, TiVO OmniBox, TiVo Series4 and TiVo OnDemand for new hardware with the TiVo features we've come to know and love plus video on-demand access. Squaring off against competition like the Roku player and Xbox 360, peep the gallery and see how these roll off the tongue, or suggest innovation and environmental friendliness.

Gallery: TiVo Naming Survey

Report finds single women enthusiastic about technology, single men enthusiastic about single women

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 16th 2009 at 7:14PM

A new report, entitled "The Single Female Tech Buyer: Cast Aside Myths And Embrace This Target Segment" may read like the latest Tom Clancy techno-thriller (okay, not really) but its message is crystal clear: "cast aside myths," it says, "and embrace this target segment." In its study of one thousand single men and one thousand single women residing in the United States and Canada, Forrester Research uncovered a slew of facts you can use to sell single women stuff that they probably don't need. Behold: When asked about their next computer, the vast majority of women (forty-seven percent) said they were planning on buying a laptop, while most of the men (again, forty-seven percent) said they'd be buying a desktop. Clearly, laptop makers should be concentrating hot-to-trot models like the Vaio P (or, for the budget conscious, the Vaino), while desktop manufacturers should concentrate on superhero or vicious animal-themed desktop rigs. But that ain't all! Ownership amongst bachelors and bachelorettes were darn near equal for things like gaming consoles, handheld games, and digital cameras. If you can't wait to dip into what is sure to be a real page turner, make sure you hit the read link -- the report can be yours for a mere $749.

[Via CNET]

Survey shows increasing preference for MP3 by youngsters, audiophiles weep

by Darren Murph posted Mar 9th 2009 at 6:43AM

We can already envision the flame fest on this one, so we'll just cut to the chase. Jonathan Berger, professor of music at Stanford, has been conducting some pretty interesting tests on incoming students, and he's been recording results that'll surely make audiophiles cringe. He has been asking his students to listen to tracks in MP3 format as well as in formats of much higher quality, all while asking them to select the one they like best; increasingly, youngsters have been choosing the sizzling, tinny sounds of MP3 over more pure representations. The reasoning may have more to do with psychology that audiology, as many conclude that generations simply prefer what they're used to. Ever known someone to swear that vinyl sounds best, pops and all? So yeah, what we've really learned is that MP3 is more of an "acquired taste," but those still attempting to build their SACD collection should be genuinely afraid of the future.

[Via techdirt, image courtesy of iasos]

Seattle crowned most wired city in America: where's your town?

by Darren Murph posted Jan 24th 2009 at 9:41PM

Check it, Pacific Northwest -- Seattle, Washington was just named Forbes' most wired city for 2009, followed closely by Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Orlando and Boston. Of course, having Amazon and Microsoft within spitting distance probably didn't hurt matters, and the eleventy billion Starbucks WiFi hotspots likely pushed it over the edge. There are 25 other locales in the top 30 that we've yet to mention here, so head on down to the read link to see if your hometown made the cut. Oh, and way to represent, Raleigh -- numero fifteen ain't too shabby.

[Via cnmoody]

Nokia survey finds that many Americans work on the can

by Darren Murph posted Oct 21st 2008 at 3:33PM

We already know that a solid chunk of Britons use mobile internet while in the throes of passion, and now Captain Obvious (today known as Nokia) has awkwardly landed to tell the world that Americans do too. A recent survey, which we can only imagine was absolutely thrilling to conduct, found that some 53% of working Americans "have been interrupted by a work-related phone call or e-mail while in the bathroom." Furthermore, some 23% have allowed a call / e-mail to interrupt them while on a date, but that's probably because 59% of those polled never, ever turn off their mobile. Just think -- the next time your buddy answers with a hint of stress in his / her voice, there's a statistically significant chance that you're barging in on some seriously personal business.

[Image courtesy of fletchy182]

Sprint's CSR response time skyrockets to first in recent survey

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2008 at 5:36PM

Last summer, Sprint was the laughing stock of the major US carriers in terms of customer service. Fast forward 15 months, and the very same carrier is now sitting atop the pile. A recent report compiled by Pali Research has found that Sprint's wireless customer care response times were best in class, and just 2.5 years ago in its first survey, Sprint was dead last. The carrier answered a whopping 91% of calls that researchers placed to the care center in under 30 seconds, while 99% of calls were answered within 2 minutes. If you're curious how the other guys did, try this: Verizon grabbed the silver with 85%, T-Mobile followed with 43% and AT&T took home the award of shame with just 33% of test calls answered within half a minute. So, the real question is: have you Sprint customers noticed an uptick in service levels? And are you AT&T subscribers growing increasingly impatient?

[Via phoneArena]

Microsoft survey hints at Instant On OS concept

by Darren Murph posted Oct 15th 2008 at 8:06AM

Hmm, what have we here? A recent Microsoft survey sent out to select users has us wondering what on Earth the mega-corp is planning to do next, and judging by the looks of things, it has everything to do with Instant On. We've seen a number of these lightning-fast boot applications, with the most recent being ASUS' Splashtop OS and the iteration loaded onto Dell's freshest Latitudes. The survey makes mention that the "Instant On experience is different from 'Full Windows' because it limits what activities you can do and what applications you have access to." The survey also asks about which applications would be most important to have quick access to, and it very plainly states that in this "scenario," your PC would "be usable in eight seconds." So, is Instant On coming to Windows? Who knows -- but it's clear someone at Redmond is giving it some thought.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Gallery: Microsoft survey hints at Instant On OS concept

Analysts say HDTV sales could decline in current economy, snow could fall in Montana

by Darren Murph posted Oct 14th 2008 at 11:26AM

Hey, the analysts have to find something to talk about, right? As the Blue Chips rise and fall like the tides, so have bobbed the reports regarding how this economy will affect HDTV sales. Just a week ago, one survey found that 73% of non-HDTV owners were still forging ahead with plans to pick up an HDTV within the next 12 months, and given the record low prices we're apt to see on Black Friday, we don't half blame 'em. Merely 24 hours later, out popped another report backing the claim. Now, however, Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., is suggesting that the current credit crunch could already be eating away at TV sales. Or, you know, maybe all these intelligent souls out there understand that massive sales are just over a month away. How's that for analysis?

[Image courtesy of StarTribune]