Mobile search growing in tandem with smartphone adoption

Close to one-fifth of all U.S. mobile subscribers now use smartphones, with nearly half of all consumers planning to upgrade to a more advanced device within the next two years, according to a new survey conducted by research, data and strategic analysis firm The Kelsey Group in conjunction with research partner ConStat. While 18.9 percent of American mobile subscribers have now made the switch to smartphones, 49.2 percent plan to make the leap within the next two years.

The Kelsey Group cites the acceleration of smartphone adoption as the catalyst behind the growth of mobile search activities, reporting 17.6 percent of consumers downloaded or viewed maps or directions in the last six months, up from 10.8 percent in 2007. Other findings of the survey:

• Mobile web searches for products or services within the consumer's local area increased to 15.6 percent in 2008, up from 9.8 percent in 2007.
• Mobile web searches for products or services outside the consumer's local area increased to 14.3 percent in 2008, up from 6.4 percent in 2007.
• Mobile queries on movies or other entertainment increased to 13.7 percent in 2008, up from 8.2 percent in 2007.
• Mobile connections to social networks like MySpace and Facebook increased 9.6 percent in 2008, up from 3.4 percent in 2007.

For more on the Kelsey Group survey:
- read this release

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