Are Smart Phones Spreading Faster than Any Technology in Human History?

New digital technologies tend, as a rule, to achieve mass marked adoption faster than older analog technologies. That seems to hold true for smart phones and tablets, for example. 


It took landline telephones about 45 years to get from 5 percent to 50 percent penetration among U.S. households, and mobile phones took around seven years to reach a similar proportion of consumers. 


Smart phones have gone from five percent to 40 percent in about four years, despite a recession.  Over time, successful new technologies get adopted faster, every decade. 


Here's another visualization.

Of $93 Billion in Online Travel Purchases, 3% Are Mobile

About three percent of online travel transactions are conducted using a mobile phone. That suggests something on the order of $2.8 billion in annual purchases in the U.S. market. As more tablets are adopted, the percentage of "mobile" transactions should grow dramatically.


According to Greystripe (which was acquired by ValueClick) research, 47 percent have used a tablet to book a hotel, 37 percent to book a flight, 28 percent to make a restaurant reservation and 24 percent to rent a car. Overall, 91 percent of iPad users have used their device for a travel related activity of some kind.

However, more often than not, users choose to interact with full websites rather than dedicated apps. Some 69 percent of iPad users and 60 percent of smartphone-owning respondents have used the mobile web to book travel, get travel information or research local attractions, restaurants and activities. 

In comparison, 50 percent of iPad and 52 percent of touch smart phone owners have used apps for the same purpose.

Greystripe got the data from 971 users on its network from June 1, 2011 to July 31, 2011. Frequent travelers were defined as people who travel two or more times per year.

Sprint Announce Evo 4G LTE Is Coming May 18; But LTE Network Isn't Active, Yet

The HTC Evo 4G LTE, a device branded as the "One" on other mobile networks, will launch on May 18, 2012. Here's the issue some will need to know: Sprint's Long Term Evolution network isn't built yet. Sprint is aiming for activation in 2013, for a "majority" of its sites. It is probable that six metro areas might get LTE service sometime in 2012,though.

The device, don't get me wrong, will delight many people who use it, as the earlier generations of HTC Evos have. The kickstand is really useful, for example. But there will be no LTE access for a while.

Deutsche Telekom Has No Really Great Options for T-Mobile USA

Deutsche Telekom AG is discussing a merger of its T-Mobile USA business with MetroPCS Communications, Bloomberg reports. In an ideal world, that wouldn't be DT's first choice, which was exiting the U.S. market by selling all its assets to AT&T. A second option, despite its operational and technological difficulties, might have been a combination of some sort with Sprint.

That would have combined the number-three and number-four firms, in terms of market share, despite many obvious network issues, namely the legacy air interfaces. But both Sprint and T-Mobile USA were committed already to Long Term Evolution, which would effectively resolve the air interface problems with the legacy networks each company operates.

Nobody seems to think such a deal would be approved by the Justice Department, though. All that really leaves is a combination with a smaller, regional carrier that doesn't disturb the existing top of the market too much.

There are some strategy issues to be faced. T-Mobile USA is trying to position as a brand more businesses can buy, though it has been effectively positioned recently as a brand for consumer "hipsters."

Combining with a brand known for lower-cost consumer offers therefore would pose some issues in terms of customer segmentation.

Deutsche Telekom is considering a stock-swap transaction that would give the German company control over the combined entity.

In Case You Were Wondering About Why People Find Social Media So Engaging...

The reason that Facebook, Twitter and other social media are so popular and addictive is that they pleasantly stimulate the same part of the brain as when people eat food, get money or have sex, according to a  study conducted by researchers at Harvard University.

The researchers found that people simply like to talk about themselves and social media outlets provide a very effective way to do that.