BlackBerry Users Won't Go Back to Handsets, Says ISG

By Editor Wireless and Mobile News on February 20, 2008 12:39 PM

In amarket research survey released by Magmic Games and Information Solutions Group (ISG), users of mobile entertainment products on smartphone devices responded overwhelmingly that smartphone devices provided a superior entertainment experience than traditional feature-phone handsets.

The survey results represent more than 3,750 consumers that have purchased games, themes, music and other entertainment products for BlackBerry devices or other smartphones.

Key findings of the survey:

90 percent of respondents who play games felt that gaming on a BlackBerry device or other smartphone device was a superior experience to that of a traditional feature-phone device
91 percent of respondents who prefer playing games on a BlackBerry device or other smartphone device said that they would be unlikely to switch back to a traditional feature phone for entertainment products, citing the better image quality, larger screen size, easier controls and easier product downloading all as important factors
Over half (51 percent) of respondents said that they played games on their BlackBerry device or other smartphone device more than on any other type of gaming platform/hardware (computer, console, handheld, arcade, etc.); among women only, this figure was 60 percent
83 percent of respondents fell within the 22-49 age segment

"This survey speaks volumes about the powerful riptide smartphone and BlackBerry devices are creating in the mobile entertainment market," said Nicholas Reichenbach, executive vice president of publishing for Magmic Games. "The results suggest that positive entertainment experiences on devices are a critical factor in product adoption and loyalty. As a result, it is important for mobile carriers, OEMs and entertainment publishers to continue efforts to offer compelling entertainment products to mobile customers."

Other results from the survey:

65 percent of BlackBerry device or smartphone users purchase a mobile entertainment product (games, themes, music or other products) at least once every three months
45 percent of respondents earned an annual household income of $100,000 U.S. or more; 63 percent work as business executives/professionals
Puzzle games (e.g. Tetris, Sudoku) were identified as the most popular game genre, with 60 percent of respondents reporting that they enjoyed those types of games
41 percent of respondents indicated that they played games during their workday, with 69 percent doing so primarily during lunch or other official breaks
79 percent of those that play games at work said that they felt "more relaxed and less stressed out" after playing mobile games, by far the most cited feeling produced

Respondents were offered 50 percent off their next purchase to complete the survey. Additional information from the survey is available upon request.

(a) ISG conducted the online survey exclusively for Magmic Games, Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of mobile games and entertainment across all mobile platforms. Magmic Games owns and operates Bplay.com, a direct-to-consumer BlackBerry device shopping portal, and offers other smartphone products through Magmic.com. Randomly selected users were polled from January 25, 2008, through February 2, 2008. Of the total group surveyed, 70 percent of respondents were male, 30 percent female.