The smartphone market is evolving rapidly, irrespective of the well-known spread within the business sector. In recent years the average users tend to replace their traditional mobile phones, PDAs and Palms with smartphones. These devices have become a pervasive part of everyday life. Dealing with huge amounts of data, the mobile device's and application's demand for certain security standards cannot be underestimated. In recent studies the individual user's needs in terms of technical features, applications etc. have not been addressed and analyzed properly. To capture the problem in its full extent it is vital to understand the user's expectations. Besides, the usage patterns have to be described especially against the background of security aspects. As mentioned before, recent analyzes did not specifically ask what the user expects from a smartphone. Hence, the main objective of this work is to get a broad picture on how smartphones are used today and what users expect, taking into consideration security aspects..
An international web-based online survey was designed and performed to measure and analyze users' behaviour when using smartphones, with the aim of finding out what they want and expect from a smartphone. The main goals were to identify user needs in the context of smartphones, to analyze their knowledge and acquisition to security aspects and to get significant data about the user's behaviour.
The main findings of the survey are that on the one hand, most of the users want a smartphone to provide classic mobile phone features, such as performing phone calls, writing messages or storing contacts. On the other hand they want a smartphone to provide mobile internet access, navigation features, multimedia aspects, a comfortable usability and a good look and feel/design. The brand, price and battery performance plays a minor role for them. With respect to security aspects, most of the users have a good knowledge about security in general, pointing out that the security of the smartphone is a very important aspect for them. The obtained results can be provided as recommendations to smartphone vendors, application developers and carriers, who can use them in product portfolio management and product development
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
1.2 Approach
1.3 Structure
2 Background And Related Work
2.1 Smartphones
2.1.1 Ubiquitous / Pervasive Computing
2.1.2 Smartphones - An Introducion And Definition
2.1.3 Smartphone Operating Systems - Mobile Operating Systems
2.1.3.1 Operating System - A Definition
2.1.3.2 Smartphone Operating Systems - Mobile Operating Systems
2.2 Surveys - Online Surveys
2.2.1 An Introduction To Surveys - Online Surveys
2.3 Related Work
3 Problem Analyzis
3.1 Smartphones - The Evolution And History
3.1.1 The Early Years
3.1.2 The Rise Of Symbian And BlackBerry
3.1.3 The Rise Of Android And IPhone
3.2 Problem Analyzis Based On The Background To Smartphones And Surveys
4 Solution Approach And Realization
4.1 Solution Approach - A Web Based Smartphone Online Survey
4.2 The Concrete Practical Smartphone Online Survey Realization
4.2.1 Financial And Technical Matters
4.2.2 How The Smartphone Online Survey Was Published
5 Evaluation
5.1 The Survey Results For Every Question And Their Interpretation
5.1.1 Introduction And General Questions About The Used Smartphone
5.1.2 Applications And User Behaviour
5.1.3 Security Aspects
5.1.4 Social Networks
5.1.5 Statistical User Data
6 Summary And Future Prospects
A Appendix: Smartphone Usage - Online Survey
Research Objectives and Focus Areas
This thesis examines the current state of smartphone usage by investigating user behaviors, preferences, and expectations. By analyzing technical features and security consciousness, the study aims to identify what drives smartphone adoption and how users manage their devices in everyday life, ultimately providing insights for future product development and security enhancements.
- Analysis of smartphone evolution and its impact on user expectations.
- Evaluation of user behavior regarding smartphone applications and services.
- Examination of security awareness and protective measures among smartphone users.
- Identification of usage patterns for social networks on mobile platforms.
- Comparison of major mobile operating systems and their role in user satisfaction.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Motivation
Nobody can deny today’s success and importance of smartphones, especially for business users. It started in 1992, when IBM designed and introduced the initiatory smartphone called "Simon" as a concept product at the COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The year-on-year growth of smart mobile devices was 74.5 percent in the 1st quarter of 2006 and increased to about 150 million sold units by 2008. One out of eight cell phones in the United States are smartphones.
But what is a smartphone? Trying to give a basic definition for a smartphone, which is not easy, Analyst house Gartner gives the definition of a smart phone as: "A large-screen, data-centric, handheld device designed to offer complete phone functions whilst simultaneously functioning as a personal digital assistant (PDA)." Jason Langridge, UK mobility business manager at Microsoft, says: "For us, smart phones combine traditional communication devices and provide rich applications and rich data applications." On the other hand, David Wood, EVP at the largest smartphone operating system seller Symbian, says: "Smart phones differ from ordinary mobile phones in two fundamental ways: how they are built and what they can do. The way they’re built - using open systems to take advantage of the skills, energy and innovation of numerous companies from a vast range of industries - means that smart phones extend the phenomenal track record of mobile phones by improving constantly and rapidly, year by year."
Even though there is no unique definition for a smartphone, one reason that makes them so successful is, that smartphones are designed to a sleek, lightweight form factor that elegantly integrates to a wearable handheld. For a user it’s a question of functionality how smartphones can be described and defined. In general a smartphone is an electronic handheld device that integrates the functionality of a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) and other information devices. A smartphone provides a solution to the problem of carrying many different devices like a cell phone, a calculator, an adress book, a music player or a camera.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides the motivation for the study, defines the scope of smartphone research, and outlines the structure of the thesis.
2 Background And Related Work: Establishes the theoretical foundation, covering pervasive computing, operating system definitions, and a review of existing literature on smartphone usage.
3 Problem Analyzis: Traces the historical evolution of smartphones and identifies the gaps in current research that justify the need for the conducted survey.
4 Solution Approach And Realization: Describes the design, methodology, and implementation of the international online survey used to gather empirical data.
5 Evaluation: Presents the analysis and interpretation of the survey data, categorized by general usage, behavior, security, social networks, and demographics.
6 Summary And Future Prospects: Concludes the thesis by summarizing findings and offering recommendations for future developments in the smartphone industry.
Keywords
Smartphone, Mobile Operating Systems, User Behavior, Pervasive Computing, Online Survey, Security, Android, iOS, Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Mobile Applications, Social Networks, Data Privacy, Market Analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work focuses on analyzing contemporary smartphone usage patterns, user needs, and the role of security in mobile device adoption.
Which central topics are addressed?
The study covers technical smartphone definitions, the evolution of mobile operating systems, user behavior regarding apps, and security awareness.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The main goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how users interact with their smartphones today and what they truly expect from these devices.
What scientific methodology was employed?
The research relies on an international, web-based quantitative online survey to collect primary data from users across various demographics.
What is discussed in the main part of the thesis?
The main part encompasses an extensive literature review, an analysis of the smartphone evolution, a detailed explanation of the survey methodology, and an evaluation of results.
How is the work characterized by keywords?
Key terms include smartphone usage, mobile security, operating systems (Android, iOS, Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile), user behavior, and online survey methodology.
Why are security aspects considered so vital?
As smartphones become repositories for personal and business data, understanding how users perceive and manage security risks is essential for developers and vendors.
What conclusions does the author draw about the future of smartphones?
The future smartphone must offer a seamless integration of classic mobile features, internet access, navigation, and robust security to satisfy increasingly demanding users.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Tobias Himmelsbach (Autor:in), 2011, A Survey on Today's Smartphone Usage, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/192504
