Study Shows Gaming Priorities For Cell Phones

A study by market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) has indicated that sophisticated gamers are in the lower reaches of what U.S. mobile phone users look for in a new handset, far beneath other features such as battery life. A mere 23 percent of U.S. respondents to the TNS study, which canvassed an overall 6,800 adults in 15 countries, listed "gaming features with super graphics" as their most important consideration when buying a new phone. Games were a higher priority in other territories, however, scoring as high as 43 percent in China and 35 percent in India. The features that U.S. users did find important were battery life that would last two days of active use (73%), high resolution still and video camera (50%), compatibility with Microsoft Office applications (42%), and 20 gigabytes of memory (41%). "The study shows that there is an appetite among consumers for powerful new applications, particularly those around entertainment media and imaging," said TNS Global Account Director Hanis Harun. "However, the research also indicates that consumers now fully realize that such applications require enhanced battery life and increased memory and they are demanding these improvements as a priority."