 RAIN 5/14: Cellphones increasingly used for data, less for making calls ·May 14, 05:49 AM USERS BROWSING WEB, CHECKING EMAIL, LISTENING TO MUSIC AT INCREASING RATEPeople are increasingly using their cellphones for a lot more than just phone calls: surfing the web, checking email, and streaming Net radio. At the same time, Americans are spending less time talking on their phones. In fact, The New York Times claims that “for the first time in the United States, the amount of data in text, e-mail messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices in 2009 surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls, industry executives and analysts say.”
While the average number of voice minutes per U.S. user has fallen — according to data from wireless industry association CTIA — and the use of texting and data has increased, the NYT doesn’t offer quantitative comparisons between the two. What is clear is that “instead of talking on their cellphones, people are making use of all the extras that iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones were also designed to do — browse the Web, listen to music, watch television, play games and send e-mail and text messages.” Read more from The New York Times here. 25% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS ARE CELLPHONE-ONLYNinety percent of American households have a cellphone, they’re being increasingly used for data over voice calls (see above story) and, according to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 4 U.S. households are now cellphone-only. Additionally, about 15% of households with a landline say “they now receive almost all of their calls on their wireless phone.”
“For mobile developers, this is an interesting trend,” notes ReadWriteWeb (here). “While most developers tend to focus on applications that are meant to be used while on the road, the market for in-home apps that control appliances or allow you to program your DVR will only continue to grow over the next few years.” RAUMFELD SAYS ITS MULTI-ROOM MUSIC STREAMING SYSTEM IS A “SONOS KILLER”Berlin-based Raumfeld has unveiled a slick-looking multi-room music system, capable of streaming Internet radio, Last.fm and Napster. The system, now available in the UK, is a “Sonos killer,” Raumfeld claims. The package includes speakers with built-in Wi-Fi, wireless receivers to hook up to existing stereo systems and a touch-screen remote “a little chunkier than the Sonos version.” The basic system (base, controller and two connectors) goes for £1,000 and those Wi-Fi speakers start at £350 for a pair. AV Review has more here.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE DECIDES ON LOWER INTERIM ASCAP FEESU.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote has handed down a ruling regarding the interim fees to be paid by the radio industry, pending the conclusion of the ASCAP rate case. The decision “calls for a reduction from 2009 levels of some $40 million in annual industry-wide fees payable by the radio industry to ASCAP,” AllAccess reports (here). The interim rates will stay in place until the final decision, which will then be retroactive to January 1, 2010. According to industry attorney David Oxenford, this decision only affects terrestrial broadcasters.share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
