The top 12 responses to a question asking respondents to imagine the "must-have features" of an "all-in-one dream device" were:
- Calendar/contact list
- Easily syncs with PC
- Great battery life
- E-mail/messaging
- Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
- Compact size
- MP3 player
- Phone
- Large screen
- GPS locator
- 20+ gigabyte memory
- Camera
AvantGo is a free service of iAnywhere that is said to deliver "rich, personalized mobile websites to PDAs and smartphones." As a result of its service, AvantGo is in good a position to poll a wide range of handheld users. Additional notable findings from the recently completed survey include:
- Nearly two out of three respondents said they planned to purchase a regular PDA rather than one with phone capabilities.
- 31 percent said they would be purchasing a phone/PDA hybrid, while only 3 percent would switch to a Symbian smartphone device and 4.5 percent to a RIM Blackberry device.
- 50 percent of respondents reported that they own Palm OS devices, 40 percent own Pocket PC devices, and 10 percent own other brands.
- Over three quarters (77 percent) of respondents reported purchasing their own current handheld device, while 13 percent received it as a gift, and only 9 percent received it from an employer.
- 70 percent have downloaded four or more applications and 34 percent have downloaded 10-plus applications to their handheld device.
- Among respondents who download PDA and smartphone applications, 15 percent spend $100 or more a year, 38 percent spend more than $50 and 58 percent spend more than $25 a year.
- A notable 31 percent of respondents use paid location-based or travel applications such as event, restaurant and movie listings.
"Our findings seem to run counter to reports that the PDA is declining in popularity or that people are abandoning early platforms such as Palm for newer handheld platforms such as Pocket PC or Symbian," said Neil Versen, senior director of AvantGo at iAnywhere.
The 2004 Mobile Lifestyle Survey is based on responses from 3,260 AvantGo users. The self-administered survey was completed over a two-week period and delivered on mobile devices via the free AvantGo service. Respondents were self-selecting.
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