Users take their PDA with them on dates, plus other PDA usage stats

As long-time readers of this newsletter know, I love getting surveys. Especially when they're about mobile computing. The latest survey I've received is the 2003 My AvantGo survey.

The company polled 1,709 My AvantGo users in February and March 2003 on their PDA usage and habits. Some of the results and statistics are revealed below:

* Almost 69% of those surveyed have purchased two or more PDAs for their own use since the Palm Pilot was first introduced.
* About 94% own a PDA that doesn't contain a cell phone, with 65.4% owning a cell phone. Only 5.9% own a converged device (combined PDA and cell phone). However, when asked what their next mobile device would be, 28.4% said a converged device. Another 28.7% said they would get another PDA, but would wirelessly connect via a cell phone or Bluetooth. I guess that's good news for wireless devices and/or services.
* When asked about the amount of time spent with their device (personal vs. work), only 0.1% said they used their devices for 100% work. The highest percentage (37.1%) said they used their PDAs about 50% of the time for work, and 50% for personal use.
* On the issue of wireless data services, 21.9% said they currently used them on their PDAs, 39.8% said they would use it on their next PDA purchase; and 31.4% said they would not use them in the near future.
* People are working too much - 88.6% said they take their PDAs on vacation.
* There are probably a lot of single people out there - 51.1% said they take their PDAs on dates.
* PDA users are loyal - 47.3% said they would give up their cell phones before their PDA. Only 24.3% said they would give up their PDA before their cell phone.
* Speaking of single people, 11.1% said they would give up their significant other before either their PDA or cell phone.

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As long-time readers of this newsletter know, I love getting surveys. Especially when they're about mobile computing. The latest survey I've received is the 2003 My AvantGo survey.

The company polled 1,709 My AvantGo users in February and March 2003 on their PDA usage and habits. Some of the results and statistics are revealed below:

* Almost 69% of those surveyed have purchased two or more PDAs for their own use since the Palm Pilot was first introduced.
* About 94% own a PDA that doesn't contain a cell phone, with 65.4% owning a cell phone. Only 5.9% own a converged device (combined PDA and cell phone). However, when asked what their next mobile device would be, 28.4% said a converged device. Another 28.7% said they would get another PDA, but would wirelessly connect via a cell phone or Bluetooth. I guess that's good news for wireless devices and/or services.
* When asked about the amount of time spent with their device (personal vs. work), only 0.1% said they used their devices for 100% work. The highest percentage (37.1%) said they used their PDAs about 50% of the time for work, and 50% for personal use.
* On the issue of wireless data services, 21.9% said they currently used them on their PDAs, 39.8% said they would use it on their next PDA purchase; and 31.4% said they would not use them in the near future.
* People are working too much - 88.6% said they take their PDAs on vacation.
* There are probably a lot of single people out there - 51.1% said they take their PDAs on dates.
* PDA users are loyal - 47.3% said they would give up their cell phones before their PDA. Only 24.3% said they would give up their PDA before their cell phone.
* Speaking of single people, 11.1% said they would give up their significant other before either their PDA or cell phone.

Some statistics about the My AvantGo service:

* 86.1% use the service daily.
* The service is used primarily when people are waiting in line, or at the doctor's office, etc. (40.1%); About 29% use the service when taking a break from work; 13.7% use it when commuting.
* The service is mainly used to catch up on news (69.1%); but 16.3% use the service for entertainment. Only 7.1% use it to obtain critical information for their jobs.
* The service enhancement most wanted by users is faster synchronization (53.2%); but a memory increase from the current 2M bytes is close behind (49.4%). Music and video downloads (42% and 38.6%, respectively), were also noted as enhancements wanted.

For more information about the My AvantGo service, head to the AvantGo Web site (http://www.avantgo.com).

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.