studies
Latest
Would you elect the president via text message? 61 percent say 'Y'
According to a recent, sensational survey from Samsung Mobile, 61 percent of lazy, distracted, and impossibly ignorant cellphone users over the age 18 say they would be comfortable casting their vote for President of the United States via a text message. Meanwhile, the totally serious and meaningful survey found that eight in ten (or 80 percent) of teens under the legal voting age would use their mobile devices to cast a ballot in the election. Additionally, Samsung Mobile discovered that 90 percent of cellphone users would like an ice cream cone, while another 87 percent would like an ice cream cone only after eating a quarter-pounder with cheese. Soon Samsung Mobile hopes to determine what percentage, if any, of the people surveyed know who is running for the office of president.
Alltel snags lots of gold in recent call quality survey
While Verizon and T-Mobile shared honors in a customer service survey just two months back, it was regional carrier Alltel snagging most of the gold in a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey of wireless call quality. Reportedly, said carrier was able to take the "sole or partial top spot in three of the report's six regions," while Verizon stood on top in two regions, US Cellular in one and T-Mobile (along with Alltel) in another. The data was gathered from 24,570 respondents that were questioned about dropped calls, static / interference, failed connection on the first try, voice distortion, echoes, no immediate voicemail notification, and no immediate text message notification. Interestingly, the study also found that "customers using 3G handsets experienced fewer call quality issues," and while call quality problems reported by folks using CDMA happened around 14 times out of every 100 calls, nearly a quarter of calls from those on the iDEN network were primarily about problems with call quality. Check out the full spill in the read below, we won't tell anyone you're a number lover.
Super 3G hits 250Mbps downlink in NTT DoCoMo field test
Just think -- this time next year, we'll all look back at this milestone and wonder how on Earth we thought it was impressive. For now, however, we wouldn't blame you for high-fiving everyone around, as NTT DoCoMo has stretched the boundaries again with a recent Super 3G field test. Reportedly, the outfit was able to record "a downlink transmission rate of 250Mbps over a high-speed wireless network in an outdoor test of an experimental Super 3G system," and while it's not quite the 300Mbps we'd heard about before, you won't find us kvetching. If all goes to plan, the firm is hoping to "complete development of the technologies required for the eventual launch of a Super 3G network" by 2009, but who knows how long we Americans will have to wait to indulge after that.
Survey says suits issued BlackBerry over Palm by a wide margin
Well golly, no wonder Palm's gone on the attack against RIM. Corporate users have historically been the bread and butter of Palm's Treo line of smartphones, and with BlackBerrys of all shapes and sizes continuing to eat every other manufacturers' lunch in that profitable arena, it only makes sense that the company would be feeling more heat than ever. We're forced to take these stats with a grain of salt seeing how ChangeWave doesn't explain its surveying methods in its overview, but we've no reason to doubt the findings that 73 percent of corporate users are doled out a BlackBerry -- the same as was reported in November of last year -- while only 18 percent get a Treo, down from 28 percent a year ago. Now granted, these numbers represent the percentage of devices actually issued, which we suppose could be quite a bit different than what employees would prefer to be issued, but we doubt the difference is enough to equalize these two. What now, Palm?[Via Palm Infocenter]
Korean CEOs name iPhone most "inspirational" invention of 2007
Using Time Magazine's Inventions of 2007 list as its basis, a poll of 590 CEOs in South Korea has named the iPhone the most inspirational invention of last year -- a finding echoed by Time's own Invention Of the Year award. The best part? The poll was conducted by the Samsung Economic Research Institute, which is affiliated with -- you guessed it -- Samsung. Go figure.
Palm ranks last in satisfaction survey, no one surprised
We know it's probably going to be pretty hard to believe this, but according to a recent survey of mobile phone users, Palm ranks absolutely last in customer satisfaction. If you believe what the folks at ChangeWave Research have to say (and the 4,182 people they questioned), only 30-percent of Palm users reported being "very satisfied" with their device, while companies like Apple and RIM garnered 72-percent and 55-percent, respectively. Of course, considering current trends with the company, and the fact that it's just started paying out to users for repeated repairs on devices, this doesn't come as much shock. The report demonstrates that users are moving to smartphones at an alarming rate -- but with rankings like this, they're probably avoiding Palm devices. Guys, it might take a little more than Bono to fix this mess. Update: Our friends at Palm contacted us with some supplemental information which they wanted to get across concerning this research and related studies. According to them, two separate, third-party firms (Satmetrix and Russell Research) conducted studies which came to the opposite conclusion of ChangeWave's work. In their words: "The Satmetrix survey found that 65-percent of respondents rated their overall satisfaction with Palm as an 8-10 out of 10. Also, the Russell Research study found that 56-percent of respondents were either "very satisfied" or "extremely satisfied" with their Palm smartphone device."[Via Palm Infocenter]
Nokia trial turns N95s into traffic sensing tools
Sure, we've seen cellphones intermingle with traffic data before, but Nokia's looking to up the ante in a big way by utilizing a large network of GPS-enabled handsets to actually predict traffic patterns and help you avoid congestion before you even leave for that afternoon appointment. In a recent trial involving 100 volunteer drivers (and an equal amount of N95s), the handset maker teamed up with UC Berkeley to test the effectiveness of using a device most people already own (read: cellphones) to beam out traffic data rather than installing permanent sensors in roadways. Eventually, Nokia hopes to expand the experiment to over 1,000 folks, and just in case you privacy junkies can already feel your heart racing, you can rest assured that all "personal identifying information" was stripped before being sent back for analysis.Read - Nokia turns people into traffic sensors Read - Video: Nokia test drives traffic monitoring system
Verizon, T-Mobile share top honors in customer service survey
Another day, another award; yep, it's business as usual for the folks over at T-Mobile and Verizon. Vocal Laboratories' most recent quarterly "SectorPulse" survey has found that the US' second and fourth largest carriers take top honors for quality of customer service, receiving "A" grades in both caller satisfaction and call completion. What's "call completion," you ask? Nope, it's not a measure of a customer service agent's ability to quickly and efficiently hang up on you, it indicates the frequency with which callers' issues are resolved on the first call. For some of us, it really doesn't matter how many awards T-Mobile wins in this department, it's 3G or bust. Maybe that really is just us, though.
Smartphones most returned holiday gift, iPhones / BlackBerrys notwithstanding
Though we can't say we're entirely shocked -- after all, it's not like some other handset will really satisfy when you've had your eye on that one -- a recent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation found that smartphones were the number one returned gadget this holiday season. Granted, the study was one of online nature, and neither Apple's iPhone nor any of RIM's BlackBerrys were included (um, why not?), but we digress. Reportedly, more than one-fifth (21-percent, to be precise) of smartphone recipients surveyed said they hustled back to the store shortly after gift giving was over and promptly returned it, and comically enough, the "inability to understand the product setup process was cited as the primary reason" that consumers did so. 'Tis a shame, really. [Warning: PDF read link][Via textually, image courtesy of LawyersAndSettlements]
FDA-commissioned study says we don't know much about wireless risks
Just in case our long-running series of posts regarding the danger / safety of cellphone and WiFi radiation didn't tip you off, an FDA-commissioned study was just published by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science that basically says we've got a lot left to learn about the effects of all those radio waves. The FDA wanted to know where to concentrate research efforts in order to better understand wireless safety, and it looks like there are quite a few gaps in the research: the study says there needs to be further study on the effects of wireless radiation on children, pregnant women, and fetuses, both long- and short-term, and that frequency and power differences between different types of radiation need to be better understood in order to apply current knowledge to new products. All in all, it looks like there's a lot we don't know -- but that's not going to stop us from rocking this Bluetooth headset while browsing and taking a call.
Yapping motorists found to make long commutes longer
As if there wasn't already enough conflicting evidence surrounding the act of talking while driving, along comes a new "study" suggesting that yapping motorists actually make long commutes even longer. According to David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, drivers on the phone tend to cruise "about 2 miles-per-hour slower on commuter-clogged roads than people not on the phone, and they just don't keep up with the flow of traffic." Of course, one may wonder just how much difference that would make if traffic is crawling already, but we digress. Additionally, it should be noted that the results were garnered from three dozen students "driving in simulators," but nevertheless, Mr. Strayer still maintains that "distracted drivers are adding an extra five to ten percent of time to your commute." Telecommuting never sounded so good, eh?[Via Techdirt]
Experts predict malware field day for iPhone in '08
Like Y2K and the end of rock and roll, pundits love to call out platforms that are ripe for a nightmarish, post-apocalyptic hell-on-earth sort of attack by the world's technologically inclined miscreants. In that vein, mobile phones have been billed for years as the next great frontier in virii, largely because they're getting smarter, more open, and more ubiquitous than ever before. We can buy that logic, but the waves upon waves of malicious code infecting the world's smartphones simply haven't happened. So at what point do we say that these analysts are crying wolf?Now might not be a bad time to start, as Arbor Networks' security group is calling the iPhone a likely target in 2008 by hackers who want to "be the first to hack a new platform." We wouldn't dare say that there won't be attacks on the iPhone's security holes next year and beyond, but we don't think users need to be scrambling to disable their data connections, either; Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm OS, and everyone else have gotten along fine for years aside from the occasional malware blip on the radar that barely makes a splash and goes unnoticed by 99 percent of the world's users. Not to mention the fact that the opportunity to "be the first" to hack the iPhone has come and gone -- so to the hackers of the world who're thinking about diving into the wide world of iPhone hacking, may we suggest you put your brainpower to the forces of good, not evil?
Over an eighth of US households are totally mobile
As long as we continue to not drop dead from the use of cellphones in our daily lives, the move away from landlines seems totally inevitable for obvious reasons: convenience, portability, having a single point of contact, the list goes on. The Center for Disease Control's National Health Interview Survey validates that Americans feel the same way, showing an upward tick in the number of homes that have gone exclusively mobile (a weird survey to be fleshing out such fascinating stats on the wireless industry, but whatevs). Overall, 13.9 percent said they've ditched the landlines, but the real story seems to be in the breakdowns; 28 percent of renters were mobile-only compared to just 6.7 percent of homeowners. The 25 to 29 year old age bracket was the most likely to rely solely on their cellphones, with 18 to 24 coming in second -- probably because they're still living under their old-skool parents' roofs, we'd imagine. Homes under the poverty level were also more likely to go strictly with their mobiles, and finally -- here's the CDC's health tie-in -- mobile folks were far more likely to be binge drinkers, smokers, and lack health insurance, though they were also more likely to work out in their spare hours. Now if you'll excuse us, we've gotta go hit the treadmill.
Shocker: people loathe cellphone carriers
We know, we know, it may be difficult to understand how companies that lock you in the moment you decide on a phone / plan -- only to be about as helpful as a bottomless bucket the moment turmoil arises -- could be hated. Nevertheless, we can't say we're shocked at all to hear that cellphone providers are among the least liked in all of the service industries. In a recent report released by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, it was found that "fewer than half of respondents were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service," and sadly, that's hardly different than in years past. Among the biggest gripes were high prices and mandatory contract extensions, and while pro-rated ETFs are fine and dandy, there's still a few less notable carriers that haven't swallowed that pill just yet. As for internal rankings, Verizon and Alltel each scored higher than the rest, and Sprint was found bringing up the rear.[Via Wired]Read - InformationWeekRead - NYDailyNews
Report from bizarro world: Centro, i760 best designed phones
Although "innovative" isn't exactly the word we chose to use when summing up Palm's Centro, apparently the public at large sees things a little differently -- or, so says this report, anyway. According to a buyer behavior writeup from Strategy Analytics, the Centro "attracted the most attention from nearly half of the tested US consumers who are intending to purchase a new mobile device" in Q4, and it even ranked ahead of the second-place Samsung i760 in the "appealing" department. Both of the aforementioned handsets were hailed as the top choices (saywha?) for folks "seeking a multifunction, fully integrated device," while the Nokia Prism and LG Rumor also got a few props along the way. Of course, it's always best to take these "studies" with a healthy serving of salt, but if you wanted something to debate about, you've found it.[Via MobileWhack]
Mobile phone subscriptions hit 3.3 billion
Just last month we heard that there were some 2.68 billion mobile accounts currently active in the world, but a new study by Informa has found that there are actually 3.3 billion subscriptions. This number is somewhat significant considering that it's approximately half of the world's population, but alas, not half of all Earthlings actually own a cellphone. Researchers found that 59 countries had mobile penetration over 100 percent, suggesting that some individuals actually accounted for numerous mobile subscriptions. Sure, the figures here could be picked apart in a myriad ways, but why not just raise your handset to commemorate hitting the big three point three? You are one of them, right?[Image courtesy of W3]
South Korean civic group set to rid country of mobile phone addiction?
In an effort to battle the evils of mobile culture and it addictive effects, the civic group School Beautiful Movement together with SKT Telecom and Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity (KADO), has launched a program to help kids better manage their cell use. Twelve kids were chosen from elementary, middle, and high schools to participate in the program and will spend time talking about the cell use, feelings when their cell isn't available, and proper use over the next two months. The program will also feature special cell phone lockers for the kids to hide their handsets away in during class time if the urge is just too great. In a KADO survey from 2005 it was revealed that 90% of South Koreans between 14 and 19 had mobiles and 38% of those sent more than 1,000 text messages a month, and 43% reported using them during -- gasp -- lectures. While we think this is all a very good idea -- and know that we could totally quit anytime we wanted to, we just don't want to -- we have to wonder why SKT is onboard here, perhaps new mobile for all the participants SKT?
US 3G phone sales crack the 50 percent mark
Hello, T-Mobile, anyone home? Despite T-Mobile's giant 2G drag on the overall retail picture, 3G phones outsold their 2G counterparts in the third quarter in the US by a 55 to 45 percent margin. Topping the 3G list was the Motorola RAZR V3m, followed by the LG VX8300 (really?). The number one seller overall was -- you guessed it -- the lowly RAZR V3, a phone that has seemingly well outlasted its retail viability but continues to hustle off shelves as long as carriers are willing to offer them at bargain basement prices. Oh, and yes, we know the whole 3G thing isn't really your fault, T-Mobile![Via textually.org]
Study shows casual gamers interested in Halo 3
We knew Microsoft was aiming to bring in a more casual audience, but we didn't think that Halo 3 could be part of that hook. Nevertheless, a new study reveals that casual gamers are unusually interested in Bungie's triple-A FPS, which many would describe as anything but casual.The study, performed by the BrandIntel research group, looked at the appeal of both Halo 3 and Guitar Hero III across multiple demographics. While Guitar Hero III performed as expected, the BrandIntel report indicated that Halo 3 "over-achieved," with regards to the reactions garnered from casual gamers.This could simply be due to the game's gigantic mass marketing push, which admittedly made it hard for anyone to not be aware of the title. There could, however, be other elements of Halo 3 -- such as the open-ended "Forge" mode -- that are appealing to the casual sector. As seen in the picture above, we're still investigating any potential connection between Halo 3 and games like Chain Factor. We'll get back to you if we make any startling discoveries.
Study shows that parents avoid playing video games with their kids
So here's a logical reaction: Parents who don't approve of their children's video game habits, instead of playing with them, simply voice their resentment of games and then look the other way. Makes sense, right? Right?The results of a poll released by the Associated Press and AOL Games show that 43% of parents never join or even watch their children playing video games. The AP's coverage is peppered with the oh-so-normal parental sound-bytes in response to gaming, calling it a waste of time, and claiming that the violence and obsession are unhealthy for young kids. What we don't get is if the parents are so concerned over what their kids are playing, then why aren't they paying closer attention? It seems that John Davison's latest venture couldn't come soon enough.Full disclosure: AOL owns Weblogs, Inc., which in turn owns Joystiq. Joystiq, in turn, pwns.[Thanks, Jan]
