TORONTO – More Canadians are finding they can'?t sleep, or even brush their teeth unless their smartphones are within arm?s reach. Nomophobia (no-mobile-phone phobia), which refers to the fear of being out of mobile phone contact, has taken hold of 65% of Canadian smartphone users who say they feel naked without their smartphone and Internet access. A little more than half sleep with their device next to them, and 82% use their smartphone in the bathroom. Over half admit they check their mobile device before brushing their teeth in the morning. The figures come from the latest Rogers Innovation Report, commissioned by Vision Critical and released today by Rogers Communications.
And it appears the obsession with smartphones may deepen with 80% of Canadians predicting people will choose their wireless device to go online versus their desktop computer. The online survey was conducted from November 15-19, 2012 among a sample of 1,040 Canadians that own and use a smartphone or tablet, and who are Angus Reid Forum panel members.
?Consumers are absolutely passionate about their online connections. And, that?s only expected to increase as technology advances,? said Reade Barber, Vice President, Mobile and Fixed Internet at Rogers Communications. ?From mobile banking and work flexibility, to downloading the latest e-book or watching the big game on the go, Canadians are doing more online today and will be even more connected in 2013 and beyond and as they sign up for the fastest Internet speeds and the latest connected technologies.?
According to those surveyed by Rogers about 52% said they increased the amount of TV and movies they watched over the Internet at home in 2012. Men were almost twice as likely as women to watch TV and movies on their mobile devices while on the go. Eighty-six per cent of young adults and 43% of those surveyed caught the Gangnam Style music video on YouTube. Over the next five years, the majority of those surveyed (65%) expect to have seamless connections that allow them to go from room to room without missing a second of a TV show, movie or game.
Most feel that wireless network speeds have improved in the last year and by 2017, almost half expect to save at least two hours a day by using faster home and mobile Internet.
BYOD or Bring Your Own Device is also on the rise with 55% reporting they were able to use the device of their choice at work or for work-related purposes in 2012. Seventy-two per cent believe that the majority of Canadians will be able to use their preferred mobile device at the office within the next two years.
More Canadians also expect to work from home thanks to cloud services and faster mobile speeds. Some 59% of respondents predict that over the next two years cloud services, combined with faster mobile networks, will mean more Canadians will work from home.
More than one in ten used an app to pay for a purchase in 2012 and that will only increase with 67% of those surveyed saying they think that within two years most Canadians will use mobile devices to pay for purchases and save money.
