PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.-New research shows Japan continues to house the most gung-ho of wireless data users.
According to a new report from The NPD Group, Japanese consumers use the wireless Web, mobile e-mail, ringtones, personal digital assistants, graphics and screensavers, mobile gaming, picture messaging, digital music, video messaging and mobile TV and video far more often than U.S. users. More than three-quarters of Japanese consumers use their phones for Web browsing compared with only 12 percent of U.S. users, said NPD Group.
Other wireless features that have captured the attention of Japanese users are barcode readers, global positioning systems, FM radios, voice recorders, analog TV tuners and mobile-commerce capabilities.
“When it comes to mobile phones, Japanese consumers are always on the lookout for the latest technology trends,” said Neil Strother, research director for mobile devices at The NPD Group. “Japanese carriers are falling over each other to provide the most advanced features to remain competitive. While the U.S. market lags a bit in this regard, given the fact that Americans are also highly susceptible to coveting the latest and greatest communications gadgets, we can expect the domestic mobile-phone market to react in a similar way to new leading-edge features.”
