Usage of Smartphones and Backup

Plaxo, Inc., creator of powerful address book, announced results of its Mobile & Online Backup Trends Study which focused on how U.S.-based smartphone consumers use online backup tools and interact with their contact info.

The survey results highlighted demographic tendencies across Gen Y, Gen X, Baby Boomers, and the Greatest Generation.

In support of the survey findings, a recent study by Pew Internet Project finds that one third of American adults – 35% – own smartphones. Plaxo’s study reinforces that trend and includes these significant insights:

Keeping in the Know While on the Go

• Contacts info is kept in multiple places: on PCs, laptops, smartphones, and in email and on social networks, with 71% storing contacts on their smartphone
• Approximately half of respondents rely more on remote access to contacts/address book information in the last three years than in the past
• Over the next 2 years, two-fifths expect to increase reliance on remote or cloud access to contacts/address book

Mixing Business & Pleasure is the Modern M.O.

• 66% store both professional and personal contacts in the same address book

Losing Your Contacts – Total Nightmare

• 55% cited contacts/address book information as the biggest hassle when losing a phone – above photos, documents/email, apps, calendar and music
• 68% of smartphone owners back up their personal computers more than the general population
• One in five has lost smartphone data by dropping it in the toilet (#1 reason for losing)

People Place a Premium on Their Contacts

• One in 10 consider avoiding the hassle of losing contacts/address book information as ‘priceless’

Gen Y is Gen Mobile

• Gen Y (21-31 years old) is much more likely to rely upon tools/apps that support remote access to contacts and to see that reliance increasing over the next two years

Backing up Contacts & Cloud Usage

• 72% of smartphone owners back up their contacts/address books from their smartphone
• One-quarter of respondents are using the cloud for backup of their personal computer data
• People who back up their computer data are even more likely to also back up contacts/address book information on their smartphone than those who don’t back up their computer data

"Living a mobile-ready lifestyle in both one’s professional and personal lives requires having information at your fingertips," said Preston Smalley, general manager for Plaxo. "These survey results reinforce the trend around an increasingly untethered world. Even though people are on the go more and more, they have not lowered their expectations around access to their latest updated data including their address book, and in fact, have increased expectations. Plaxo recognizes these market trends and offers innovative mobile services so people can find and reach those who are important to them. We take things a step further by actually automatically updating address book content with our new line of services."

On the mobile front, Plaxo has made it easy to stay connected and offers native applications including:
an improved iPhone app;

• a new BlackBerry app; a Windows Mobile app; and
• syncing for Android phones with an app coming out by the end of Q3.

Plaxo is not a social network but rather complements social networks and media companies by helping users pull in disparate sets of contacts (e.g. from Facebook, LinkedIn, Outlook, MacOS, Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, CSV, etc.) into one common, secure online address book. Additionally, Plaxo’s recently launched Personal Assistant service suggests ways to update the info in your address book by leveraging publically available contact info. By using Plaxo, you’ll know that not only will your address book be everywhere you are, the contact info within it will be accurate and up-to-date.

Commissioned by Plaxo and conducted by MarketTools, the June 2011 survey of 1,000 U.S.-based consumers over 21 who own a smartphone reveals insights about computer/smartphone backup, issues around the contact/address book and mobile trends.

For a copy of the study or view the infographic depicting key findings