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Data: Less Talk, More Action

Time was when a person used a phone for calls. Yet, for the first time in the United States, the amount of data in text, email messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices in 2009 surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls, industry executives and analysts tell The New York Times. "For many Americans, cellphones have become irreplaceable tools to manage their lives and stay connected to the outside world, their families and networks of friends online," writes The Times.

"But increasingly, by several measures, that does not mean talking on them very much." While nearly 90% of U.S. households now have a cellphone, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has stagnated, according to government and industry data cited by The Times. What's more, figures from the CTIA show that over the last two years, the average number of voice minutes per user in the United States has fallen. Meanwhile, the number of text messages sent per user increased by nearly 50% nationwide last year, according to the CTIA, the wireless industry association.

Read the whole story at New York Times »

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