• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 1, 2009

While one in five American adults already has a smartphone, a new survey from Best Buy Mobile reports that everyone else is befuddled by all the choices.

The poll, which included 500 men and 500 women, found that of those who plan to buy a smartphone in the next 12 months, 47% say they are too confused to make a decision yet. The major barriers? More than half -- 53% -- are torn about which brand or model to buy, including 52% of women and 42% of men.

Close to 40% of those planning purchases say they have not taken the plunge yet because they hate shopping for electronics, period -- with 45% of women expressing this concern. And 64% of the respondents overall say they think the devices are just too pricey. Don't look for the unbelievers to cross to the BlackBerry side anytime soon: The poll says that of those without smartphones, 49% say those who use them are too connected to their work.

But when it comes to cell phones in general, Americans couldn't be more committed. One in three people would prefer to give up TV for their cell phones, 60% say they'd rather give up alcohol for a week than their cell phones, and 37% would rather have a cell phone than an umbrella if caught in a rainstorm. About 15% even say they'd rather have their teeth drilled at the dentist's office than give up their mobile phone for a week.

The survey, conducted by Gfk Roper, also pinpoints the features consumers value most in smartphones. Those who already use one say they most like to access the Internet, send messages and take photos. About 58% say the ability to listen to music is important, 41% say it's important to access Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, and 36% believe games are important.

But the poll also revealed a wide Mars and Venus rift. Women are far more eager to rate texting as very important (71% compared to 46% of men), cameras (55% of women versus 30% of men), listening to music on their mobile devices (44% of women versus 25% of men) and game functions (14% versus 9% of men.) Women were also more likely to rank GPS and book reading features as very important.

Men, on the other hand, are far more likely to rank calendar functions that link to their computers as very important (46% versus 39%).