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  (Source: blog.nielsen.com)

  (Source: blog.nielsen.com)
Android remains the most popular smartphone OS with 38 percent of users owning an Android device

Wherever you go in today's world, you're likely to see smartphone users. Whether they're typing away on Facebook or in a text message, or flinging birds into piles of pigs, it's not uncommon to see user's faces buried in their mobile devices. 

With this being the case, it's no surprise that Nielsen's May survey reported that a large percentage of mobile consumers in the U.S. own smartphones, and that smartphones account for a majority of new cell phone purchases.

According to the survey, 38 percent of mobile consumers now own smartphones, and 55 percent of those who purchased handsets over the past three months bought a smartphone instead of a feature phone. This number increased 34 percent from a year ago.

Earlier this month, Nielsen reported that Android was number one in the smartphone market share and data usage, and that continues to be true. Android is the most popular smartphone OS with 38 percent of users owning an Android device. 

Even though Android sits in the number one spot, Apple's iPhone has experienced the most growth.

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March/May 2011
By mcnabney on 6/30/2011 11:25:28 PM , Rating: 1
I am amazed that Windows Phone 7 can barely even get 1% of the US smartphone market. Hell, Windows Mobile has 9%! Sorry Microsoft, but I don't even think that deal with Nokia is going to save you from EPIC FAIL.




RE: March/May 2011
By inighthawki on 7/1/2011 12:34:35 AM , Rating: 2
It's sad too, because it's a REALLY great phone. I own one and as a developer I got access to the early pre-release of mango, and I can say that with that update it is no doubt the best smartphone OS I've seen to date.

-Massive amounts of built in support for different platforms like office, facebook, windows live components, as well as the bing search which now natively supports not just text searching, but music, books, cds, bar codes, QR codes, etc simply by pointing the camera at it.
-Fastest mobile browser in the market
-As of mango it has every big feature you'd expect from other smartphones (copy paste since nodo, multitasking)
-Very smooth performance
-This one is opinion, but I find the idea of the live tile interface far superior to android and ios's icon layouts

The only thing it really lacks are apps, which for most should be no issue porting. The fact that everything is based on C#, silverlight, and XNA makes development as easy as it gets.

I just don't understand why people keep bashing it, it's a solid platform even before mango, and if they do after the release of mango, then I believe they're liking just bashing it because they haven't even tried it.


RE: March/May 2011
By twhittet on 7/1/2011 1:28:24 AM , Rating: 2
As long as they don't abandon it, I think it will pick up a bit eventually. It's just not quite there on functions or app availability, but is getting really close.

Combine Mango with some shiny new hardware and it might hit enough critical mass for people to start caring. Windows has a lot of advantages it can eventually leverage that will come in handy, especially for businesses.


RE: March/May 2011
By RjBass on 7/1/2011 10:09:44 AM , Rating: 2
Nice article on Engadget today discussing WP7 rise in Apps, http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/01/windows-phone-m...


RE: March/May 2011
By bodar on 7/5/2011 6:28:27 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
This one is opinion, but I find the idea of the live tile interface far superior to android and ios's icon layouts


I like the idea, but I hate the execution, personally. It really sours my interest in the platform as a whole.


RE: March/May 2011
By TakinYourPoints on 7/1/2011 6:26:09 AM , Rating: 3
It is too bad because WP7 really is a great mobile platform. I don't care for Android at all, and I really don't understand why it is so popular as the alternative to iOS when WP7 is so good and only keeps getting better.


RE: March/May 2011
By mcnabney on 7/1/2011 10:40:09 AM , Rating: 3
I actually think that the core reason is that people don't want 'more Microsoft'. They aren't happy with the Windows monopoly on the desktop and they don't want to see MS dominating another platform. They used Windows Mobile in the past because Palm had issues. Then RIM took over the business side and the only people not gravitating to Blackberry required Office-editing functions. When Apple arrived they overturned the cart and now EVERYONE wanted a smartphone. Palm, RIM, and MS ALL failed to adapt their platform for the masses. That gave Android a year or two to grow. Currently, the market is divided between old-business using RIM, and everyone else choosing sides between the closed garden of Apple and the something-for-everyone Android.


RE: March/May 2011
By The Raven on 7/1/2011 11:19:19 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
I actually think that the core reason is that people don't want 'more Microsoft'. They aren't happy with the Windows monopoly on the desktop and they don't want to see MS dominating another platform.

quote:
There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — [pauses] — shame on you. Fool me — [pauses] — You can't get fooled again. -Former President George W. Bush

Yeah, even this guy gets it!


RE: March/May 2011
By InsGadget on 7/1/2011 6:28:31 AM , Rating: 2
WP7 is pretty much where Android was 7 months after release. It's too early to call for its demise, but the app marketplace is definitely not slowing down, I can report. Every time I go on there I find some new and interesting apps worth downloading. Not to mention some great games.

Combine that with the already awesome Zune Pass, and it's getting a lot better.


RE: March/May 2011
By Reclaimer77 on 7/1/2011 12:48:40 PM , Rating: 1
It JUST freaking came out. Can you give it some time?


Nielsen says
By icanhascpu on 7/1/2011 7:16:58 AM , Rating: 3
HAHA




????
By Dr of crap on 7/1/2011 8:28:34 AM , Rating: 3
Like there's much other choose than to get a smart phone.

Stupid article!




Nielsen
By Gio6518 on 6/30/11, Rating: -1
RE: Nielsen
By dgingeri on 6/30/2011 7:11:09 PM , Rating: 2
Plenty. My dad won't get a smartphone. He swears up and down he never wants to deal with them. (I would probably feel the same way except that I can play games on my phone. That's probably my only reason for having one these days.) Also, many corporations have to get mobile phones for lower level employees for various reasons (like me, being in our lab much of the time, and people have to be able to find me within minutes under many circumstances, so I have to have a phone) but they don't need the extra features of a smartphone. (In my case, my company bought me a $20 basic, basic slider phone. It's a cheap phone, but it is durable enough.)

I really don't think the basic phone is going to die any time soon. There are far to many reasons for having them around.


RE: Nielsen
By Zoomer on 6/30/2011 9:44:35 PM , Rating: 3
Anyone that wants good battery life, good voice quality, and a small slim form factor.

Esp true if utility for the surfing, apps, etc is near zero for that user.


RE: Nielsen
By inighthawki on 6/30/2011 10:32:55 PM , Rating: 2
While I certainly agree with battery life and form factor, I'm unsure how being a smartphone or not has anything to do with voice quality. Can you explain?


RE: Nielsen
By Samus on 7/1/11, Rating: 0
RE: Nielsen
By Targon on 7/1/2011 8:19:29 AM , Rating: 2
This is because people are so obsessed with phones being THIN, the manufacturers put small batteries in the phones. You can get larger batteries, but for various reasons, cell phone makers always put small batteries in their devices.


RE: Nielsen
By Targon on 7/1/2011 8:21:00 AM , Rating: 2
Here is something to look forward to...
http://dvice.com/archives/2011/03/carbon-nanotube-...


RE: Nielsen
By bigdawg1988 on 7/1/2011 12:24:36 PM , Rating: 1
This is because people are so obsessed with phones being THIN,

Freaking Zoolander sh*t!

I have big hands, I want a BIG phone! I want a big screen on my phone! And no, I don't want a damn ipad either!

I have a legacy phone, because I don't want to pay $30/month for internet access when I'm already paying for it at home too. Give me one charge for internet access and I'll switch. Until then, f your smartphones!


RE: Nielsen
By fleshconsumed on 7/1/2011 9:36:34 AM , Rating: 2
Stop perpetuating the same nonsense like everybody else. The poor battery life on smartphones is not due to the fact that it is a smartphone, but because it always stays connected to the web through wifi/3G. If I disable wifi/3G data on my Optimus V I can easily get 4-5 days of standby time, just like a dumbphone. But unlike a dumbphone I can check mail/weather/web anytime I need to, it just takes a few more taps to enable/disable data before and after I'm done. This is how I use my Optimus, I keep wifi/3G disabled unless I need to check my mail and I have no problem with battery life. I charge it every other day once the battery indicator dips to around 60%.


RE: Nielsen
By WelshBloke on 7/4/2011 8:33:44 AM , Rating: 2
Most dumbphones can access the web and do email as well and have done for ages.

The poor battery life IS partly to do with it being a smartphone and the increased hardware need and background services running.


RE: Nielsen
By Aloonatic on 7/1/2011 3:35:09 AM , Rating: 2
Purely anecdotal but in my experience, smart-phones order their priorities as they are named.

Smart first, while being a phone comes a distant second.

My brother has an old fangled Nokia for his work, and a new fangled iPhone. He's had a few of them too. When he calls, its always been oh so obvious which one he is using. When he's on his iPhone (been the same for his 3G, 3GS and 4) conversations are, at times, almost unbearable and it's hard work to understand him at times. Often resulting in me calling him back on a land line, or his other mobile if he has it with him. When he's on his old skool Nokia, then he comes through loud and clear.

I've had similar (but not quite so pronounced) experiences when being called by people on other smart-phones too, and the HTC desire that I had was not exactly brilliant. Sometimes it couldn't even bring itself to send text messages.

As it happens, my Desire got ran over and my contract isn't due for renewal until September, so I bought a Nokia C1 to see me through until then. Frankly, I love it. Sure, there are times when I wish I had the net at my fingertips, but it's great to be able to quickly send text messages and to be able to talk to people and hear them clearly.

Voice/phone-calls are something that all smart-phones really need to work on in my experience, but maybe it's just me and I've been unlucky.


RE: Nielsen
By InsGadget on 7/1/2011 6:25:16 AM , Rating: 2
Meanwhile, my Samsung Focus has perfectly fine call quality. Were both of your friend's phone, smart and otherwise, on the same network?


RE: Nielsen
By Aloonatic on 7/1/2011 8:58:12 AM , Rating: 2
I don't think network is the issue, to be honest. Everyone that I know who has an iPhone suffers the same problem and they are on all sorts of networks.

It's got to the point where if someone is calling me and the quality is almost unbearably bad I'll ask them if they are using an iPhone, and they nearly always reply with "how did you know".

Maybe (only when someone is calling me using an iPhone) I'm holding my own phone wrong? Who knows? :o)

As I said before, it's not just an iPhone thing, and It's probably quite understandable. Being able to talk to people using a smartphone is just 1 of many features, and probably not the primary one for many. As such, maybe we should not be surprised that manufacturers might not be so demanding on voice quality when specing, designing and testing their devices.


RE: Nielsen
By fleshconsumed on 7/1/2011 9:51:17 AM , Rating: 2
That's why all stories are anecdotal. Call quality mainly depends on three factors, such as phone itself, codec used to transmit the call, and the network.

From my anecdotal experience I have had bad results with Motorola Droid on Verizon network. For one, the phone itself had a flaw with noise cancelling algorithm that degraded call quality instead of improving it (I think it was later fixed via software update), and two the phone supported newer codecs which were designed to use less bandwidth while supposedly retaining the same call quality. Except that it didn't work in reality, if I manually forced my phone to use older higher bandwidth codec I got slightly better call quality. Still even after forcing my phone to use older codec the quality was only average.

Three or so months ago I switched to Optimus V with Virgin Mobile (Sprint network) and my calls are crystal clear now. The only issues I have with call quality is when I call someone on ATT, for example my dad on his ATT work blackberry or one of my friends with feature phone on ATT. I think your brother's problem has more to do with iPhone/ATT network than him owning a smartphone. My Optimus V is a smartphone and I have no issues with it. Is your brother's Nokia also on ATT, or a different provider?


RE: Nielsen
By Aloonatic on 7/1/2011 1:20:08 PM , Rating: 2
Please see my other comment (above)

It's not just been my brother and his 1 network. In the UK you can get an iPhone on most networks now, not just the one, and I've had pretty bad experiences with everyone who has an iPhone that I've ever called or been called by. To be fair, that goes for most other smartphones too, frankly.

As I said above, it's perhaps not surprising that call quality is not as good as they are only a small part of what a smart phone is used for, and there is so much more for manufacturers to think about.


RE: Nielsen
By nafhan on 7/1/2011 9:26:51 AM , Rating: 2
Also, I think the a lot of people who want to have non-smart phones have no reason to buy a new phone. If you look at the regular phones from one of the carriers, the non-smart phones aren't any different than they were 2 or 3 years ago, and why buy a new phone if it's the same as the one you've got? This leads me to think that usage of non-smart phones may be going down, but probably not as fast as new phone purchase numbers would suggest.


RE: Nielsen
By DanNeely on 7/1/2011 11:57:32 AM , Rating: 2
Yup. My phone's 6 years old and still makes voice calls just as well as when it was new and I don't need anything else. I hate working on small screens and trying to do work on a touchpad is second only to playing Diablo 2 in the speed it gives me RSI pain, so why would I want a touch centric gadget?

The only smart phone feature I see as truly compelling would be tethering as backup internet/dodging hotel gouging. But since I live in an area where network quality makes VZW the only serious choice getting that would cost about $1400 ($50/mo * 24mo for data service + $200 for the phone). I might save $150ish over 2 years at hotels, and my ISP only has 2 or 4 outages longer than an hour yearly (and it's been several years since the last outage that lasted more than a day); which makes it exorbitantly expensive as backup internet.


RE: Nielsen
By Zoomer on 7/1/2011 12:21:43 PM , Rating: 2
Get a MiFi from Virgin.


RE: Nielsen
By DanNeely on 7/1/2011 1:41:00 PM , Rating: 2
That's only useful if you're in an area with good Sprint coverage (see my comment about VZW being the only reasonable choice where I live).


RE: Nielsen
By inighthawki on 6/30/2011 7:38:51 PM , Rating: 3
Anyone who wants a phone and doesn't want to pay for a data plan (that they may not want/use) or pay $300+ for the phone (because they didn't get a data plan). Does this really surprise you that much?


RE: Nielsen
By Shig on 6/30/2011 8:29:39 PM , Rating: 2
Well to be fair, just because the US is completely corrupt on the telecom front, doesn't mean Europe and Asia are getting screwed like us.

WTB 1 year contracts and flexible unlocked options :(


RE: Nielsen
By mcnabney on 6/30/2011 11:21:35 PM , Rating: 2
Europe and Asia have much higher population densities to support very expensive build-outs. Also, US wireless carriers have to pay LUDICROUS amounts of money for the spectrum they use. Those higher costs lead to higher service and equipment fees.


RE: Nielsen
By WelshBloke on 7/4/2011 8:38:21 AM , Rating: 2
And the fact that American consumers are happy to make excuses for the carriers while getting FITA by those same carriers.


RE: Nielsen
By frobizzle on 7/1/2011 9:20:32 AM , Rating: 2
While (not-so) smart phones are fine for some folks, I have no interest or need for one. For computing, I have laptops and desktops with more computing power than any phone currently has. I spend (waste) plenty of hours on the Internet and do enjoy it but I don't need to schlep the Internet around with me 24/7.

I also have minimal phone requirements and have a pay as you go plan basic phone.

I'm not saying this is applicable for everyone but it's what works for me.


RE: Nielsen
By taisingera on 7/1/2011 10:43:44 AM , Rating: 2
Agreed. I also have no use or interest in smart phones. I use a used slide LG phone on AT&T with no internet/texting. Actually downgraded to this phone after having an LG touch screen Vu that was bought with contract 2 years ago. Can't stand browsing internet on small screens, there are highly restrictive data caps anyway, and I don't text.


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