US Smartphone Penetration Leads Europe

It is common for observers to decry some way in which the United States lags other regions by some measure of Internet, broadband or wireless adoption. Sometimes that is accurate, but only for a time. In other areas, the U.S. adoption rate exceeds that of other regions. Smartphone devices and applications and Internet apps provide examples.

"It’s strange that the US, which was light years behind Europe, which itself was light years behind Japan, is now the hotbed of change where this innovation originates," an opinion piece in the Register argues.

US smartphones – Once you’ve had Android there’s no going back

U.S. Smartphone Penetration Now at 28%

Smartphone penetration in the United States reached 28 percent in the third quarter of 2010, according to The Nielsen Company.

The growing popularity of smartphones like Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s Blackberry devices and a variety of Google Android-based models on the market has accelerated the adoption rate.

Among those who acquired a new cellphone in the past six months, 41 percent opted for a smartphone over a standard feature phone, up from 35 percent last quarter.

Mobile Snapshot: Smartphones Now 28% of U.S. Cellphone Market | Nielsen Wire

Half of Mobile Users to Be Web-Enabled by 2013

85.5 million mobile users will access the web from their mobile devices in 2010, more than eMarketer earlier had forecast.

In 2013, penetration will reach the halfway mark, and by 2014, 142.1 million users, representing 54 percent of the U.S. mobile user population, will access the internet using mobile browsers or applications.

Half of Mobile Users to Be Web-Enabled by 2013 - eMarketer