May 6, 2007

Keypad Economics: Why Talk When You Can Type?

Source: New York Times

By PHYLLIS KORKKI

Talking is starting to seem so old school to many cellphone users.

Almost half of all cellphone subscribers are now availing themselves of services other than voice, said a recent report from Forrester Research. That means more typing and less vocalizing. Can a study showing a rise in thumb injuries be far behind?

Prices for voice minutes are falling, so cellphone carriers need new sources of revenue. That is why they have packed their tiny devices with data-driven diversions.

The most popular of them is messaging, followed by the downloading of things like ringtones and games. Eleven percent of cellphone subscribers use the Internet on their phones.

As with almost all new technology, young adults are leading the way. Seventy-eight percent of cellphone subscribers ages 18 to 26 use data services, Forrester says.

The older that cellphone users are, the most likely they are to be flummoxed by all those newfangled features and to stick with their tried-and-true vocal cords. PHYLLIS KORKKI