03 August, 2014
From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
A new study finds Indonesians are increasingly exchanging their older mobile phones for smartphone, a device that combines a phone and a computer. The Nielsen Survey company talked to 1,900 people last year in some of Indonesia's largest cities, including Medan, Bandung, Surabaya and Makasar.
Anil Anthony is the Consumer Insight executive director of Nielsen Indonesia. He says the survey shows smartphone ownership has increased by 5 percent in the country since 2012. He says about one quarter of Indonesians use a smartphone. But he says that is very low compare to smartphone use in other developing countries in Asia, however he says it is more than both India and the Philippines.
Uday Rayana is a communications observer in the capital, Jakarta. He says smartphone use has become part of the daily life of many Indonesians. But he questions whether social media activities using the devices is a good use of time.
Karania is a human resources worker. Like many Indonesians, she uses only one name. She told VOA that her smartphone has helped her in her job. She says she uses her smartphone both as a telephone and as a way to get on the Internet. She says she spends a lot of time using her smartphone.
Eggi lives near Jakarta. He operates an online food business. He uses his smartphone mostly for business. He says it lets him communicate with his customers.
The Nielsen Study found that the average Indonesian smartphone users spends more than two hours a day on their phones. The study showed users talk, go on the Internet or use apps or applications.
The study found women spend more time talking on their phones than men. It says people between the ages of 25 and 30 are the most active smartphone users. And it found smartphone use reaches its highest level after the workday is complete.
A Nielson report last year found that smartphone usage is very different among countries in East Asia. More than 80 percent of people in Singapore and Malaysia own smartphones. But in the Philippines and India fewer than 20 percent do.
And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. For more technology stories, go to our website testbig.com. You can email comments to us at learningenglish@voanews.com. I'm Jonathan Evans.