8 In 10 Smartphone Users Frustrated By Content

By W. David Gardner

What do smartphone users really want?

Most users want better search capability on their devices, because they often can't find the information and content they want, according to a survey of 2600 mobile content users conducted by a Qualcomm subsidiary.

"They are frustrated by the time required to access the content they want," the survey report states, adding that they complain of "slow page loads (and) the need to click through too many pages and having to scroll through too much irrelevant content." Eighty percent of the respondents cited difficulty obtaining content as a major problem.

That's the bad news. The good news, according to Qualcomm's Xiam Technologies, which conducted the survey, is that there is a great opportunity for providers to facilitate personalized content over mobile phones, because most users said they are prepared to spend more time accessing and purchasing content if it's easier to access.

Noting that smartphone users tend to access the same content categories repeatedly, the survey found that users aren't inclined to seek new categories and applications very often. "Mobile Web browsers," the Xiam report said, "prefer to use search engines (especially Google), [bookmarks], or to enter URLs directly."

Xiam, which Qualcomm acquired in 2008 to boost its consumer links, also compared mobile phone users in the U.S. and the U.K. In the U.S., e-mail and qwerty keyboard features were of paramount importance. In the U.K., users tend to place greater importance on the looks of phones as well as their related entertainment functionality in providing music, video, and gaming applications.