How do you use your smartphone?

By Yoon Ja-young

Teenagers in the country use smartphones mostly to play games and listen to music, while adults use the device as a clock or an alarm, a report showed.

According to a report by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), smartphones were used differently by each generation. Those aged between 12 and 18 chose listening to or downloading music, or games and entertainment as the main services they use, picked by 85.7 percent, each; while 90 percent of people 19 or older chose the alarm and clock. Eight out of 10 were also using the smart device as a calendar or as a means to manage their agenda, while 69.1 percent of them were using it for games and entertainment.

The survey also showed a steep increase of tablet users. While users of tablets such as the iPad and Galaxy Tab account for only 8.1 percent of smartphone owners in the first half of last year, it rose to 15 percent in the report based on a survey in the latter half of last year.

It showed smartphones are penetrating diverse classes of society. Among the new users who switched to the smart device less than six months ago, the ratio of those working in services and manufacturing rose to 17.3 percent from 9.5 percent, while the ratio of office workers dropped to 30.4 percent from 43.4 percent.

When asked why they switched to smartphones, 66.3 percent said they wanted to use diverse applications.

Users consider design and size most when choosing the device at 53.9 percent. The size and quality of the screen was also considered by 46.8 percent, while the price of the phone mattered for 43.8 percent.

Forty percent were using smartphones for wireless Internet or mobile applications and for voice or video calls. However, only 18.3 percent were using the phones to send text messages.

Some 67.4 percent said that they check their phones often for no reason. When in need of information, 65.1 percent resorted to their smartphones rather than asking other people. They were spending on average 87 minutes on the Internet phone, which is around 30 minutes more than a survey in July 2010.

Mobile shoppin on smartphones also increased steeply, with 47 percent, up 30.1 percentage points from a survey in July last year. Nearly half of the users did banking transaction with the device, reflecting the increasing role smartphones play as a means of economic activity.