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One quarter said they would feel completely disconnected. Interestingly, Gen X women (females aged 35-44) led all other gender and age groups with nearly a third saying they’d feel completely disconnected. Conversely, 25-34 year-old men lead the response category “Yes! Please disconnect me, I need the break!” with 16.6 percent of respondents feeling they’re too connected.


The desired to be connected is still increasing. ABI Research forecasts there will be over five billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010, with an approximate 4.8 billion connections having been reached by the end of the year’s first quarter. Africa remains the fastest growing mobile market with a year over year growth of more than 22 percent. Mobile penetration in Asia-Pacific will rise significantly to 65 percent by the end of 2010 with India and Indonesia driving growth. ABI Research credits this growth to falling monthly tariffs and ultra-low-cost mobile handsets that have democratized the reach and use of the mobile phone, and aggressive rollouts by mobile operators in these countries.

At the other end of the spectrum, developed countries in North America and Europe continue to add subscriptions despite already having crossed the 100 percent penetration threshold. Driving this growth in subscriptions are new mobile devices and the “third screen” - including netbooks, tablet computers, USB dongles and e-book readers.

The world’s smartphone markets continued to build on their strong 4Q-2009 performance in the first three months of 2010. According to the latest ABI Research data, a little more than 55 million smartphones shipped during the quarter. In fact that represents a drop of about one million compared to 4Q-2009, but seasonal sales cycles always produce lower results in the first quarter of any year compared to the previous quarter. “Normally we would see a much greater decline in shipments in the first quarter,” said senior analyst Michael Morgan. “The fact that the drop was so relatively small highlights the continuing dynamic growth of the smartphone market.”

Much of the fastest growth is being seen in markets previously little penetrated by expensive, cutting-edge smartphones. With less expensive models becoming available, the global market is becoming much more diverse. An example is provided by Nokia. Its shipments rose quarter over quarter from 20.8 million to 21.5 million despite the usual quarterly decline, building on an explosive last quarter of 2009 which saw the firm’s smartphone shipments expand 25 percent, largely on the strength of its new models such as the “C” and “X” lines which are experience-focused, lower-cost smartphones that directly address markets in the developing world. ABI Research pointed out that Nokia has a history of success in lower-cost feature phone markets, but until recently their smartphone lineup was exclusively high-end.

“These are not iPhone-killers,” noted Morgan. “They’re simpler, lower-end devices, not bleeding-edge top-of-the-line technologies, but they can still deliver satisfying social networking and other basic smartphone experiences.”

iPhone shipments also rose slightly, from 8.7 to 8.8 million, partly on the back of strong performance in markets such as Japan and China. Morgan believes that “The smartphone market as a whole was probably buoyed by improving first quarter holiday season demand from the Asia-Pacific region.”

Unfortunately, as the use of smartphones increases, so does the potential for malicious activity. That’s why smartphone users are urged to beef up the security in their devices. One of the best products on the market is from Lookout and it protects Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. The security app may be downloaded free from www.mylookout.com. Lookout has users all over the world, in 170 countries across over 400 mobile networks. Even business users are turning to this free security app with Lookout users represented in over 50 percent of the Fortune 100.

No discussion about connected gadgets would be complete without a word about the iPhone. Apple is struggling to work out the kinks in the iPhone 4, but the device is popular nevertheless. Companies are already offering accessories to customize it. For example, Coveroo (www.coveroo.com) customizes cases for mobile devices including the iPhone 4. Prices start at $29.95.

“Coveroo has more than 3,000 unique designs to choose from — as well as the option to make your own custom design - making it easy to find the perfect way to express yourself,” said Coveroo’s CEO, Karl Jacob.

Coveroo supports all major mobile brands. For some devices Coveroo customizes and replaces the original backs or battery covers so the design becomes an interchangeable accessory and doesn’t add any bulk. For iPhones and other devices that don’t have removable covers, Coveroo customizes high quality cases manufactured by reputable brands. Coveroo engraves designs onto covers and cases using the company’s laser technology or proprietary HighColor process. The colors won’t fade, rub off or peel.

To get a Coveroo case, customers select their phone type at Coveroo.com, then choose the design or provide it to Coveroo. The customized cover or case ships within 48 hours. Customers do not have to send their phone to Coveroo and while the company is headquartered in San Francisco, they’re delighted to ship internationally.