Smart Phone Use in a Higher Educational Setting
INST 525 Eileen O'Sullivan

About Smart Phones

Key Features

photo © 2009 William Hook | more info (via: Wylio)

• Often feature touch screens
• Texting capabilities
• IM capabilities
• Social networking capabilities
• Downloadable applications "Apps"
• Internet connectivity
• Cellular and wireless service
• Small form factor
• Camera and video recording capabilities
• Often include voice recorders

All but a handful of the phones offer a touch screen, driven by consumer friendly and computer-like operating systems, along with access to multiple e-mail accounts and a slew of downloadable applications.

The hottest phones usually include new features, such as a second, front-facing camera for two-way video chats (the iPhone 4 and Evo 4G) and the ability to act as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot for multiple devices (the Droid X, Evo 4G, Google Nexus One, and Verizon’s Palm Pre and Pixi Plus). (Consumer Reports, 2010)

What College-Aged Students Use Their Smartphone For

About 63% percent of surveyed students own an Internet-ready handheld device. Of these respondents, about one-half use theses gadgets for Internet use, with 8 in 10 using it for updating themselves on news, weather, sports, etc. (Smith, Caruso, & Borreson, 2010)

Ball State's research on college students from April 2009, indicates the following:

Students use cell phones to keep in touch with family and friends with 59% texting, 17% using voice, 9% sending IMs and 7% using e-mail.

Cell phone camera usage has surged, with 72% of respondents reporting that they take and send photographs via their cell phone, up from 30% in 2005.

About 39% of students take and send video using their cell phone, up from 4% in 2005. (Survey Finds Smartphones Transforming Mobile Lifestyles of College Students, cellular-news)

More than 30% of respondents surveyed feel mobile is the most important medium to access breaking news, compared to 29% who prefer the desktop web, 21% who prefer television, and a mere 3% who chose newspapers as their the most important medium for breaking news. (Mobile Web Overtaking Computers for Breaking News Stories, cellular-news)

Mobile devices have gained tremendous popularity as a viable method for consumer purchases, with 69% of respondents indicating they had used their mobile device at least one time over the past year to make a purchase. (Mobile Web Overtaking Computers for Breaking News Stories, cellular-news)

About 63% percent of the students own an Internet-ready handheld device. Of these respondents, about one-half use theses gadgets for Internet use, with 8 in 10 using it for updating themselves on news, weather, sports, etc.