According to The Harris Poll in November 2012 there are both divergences and similarities in actions performed by smartphone owners using both the phone and the computer. When smartphone owners are asked which of a set of actions (common to both devices) they regularly perform on a smartphone and/or on a computer, the IM, or instant message is the most common smartphone use (87%) and the least common use for a computer (20%). In contrast, emails are the top use for computers, with 90% for all email uses combined. Email is still a highly utilized feature on smartphones (72% combined), though reading emails (67% personal, 38% work) outpaces actually writing emails (56% personal, 32% work) on smartphones. Smartphone owners also appear to favor computers for researching goods and services (3rd most reported activity vs. 8th for smartphone use) and purchasing products or services such as clothing and holiday gifts (4th vs. 12th). In contrast, mapping/navigation is among the top uses for smartphones (73% / 2nd), but only a mid-tier use for computers (56% / 7th). Despite the many differences between smartphone and computer use, combined social media interactions make for the 5th most frequent use for both a smartphone and a computer. In both cases, reading posts (56% smartphone, 62% computer) is the top activity, followed by sharing and writing. A similar percentage use their smartphones to "check in" (43%), while far fewer do so on computers (28%). Media and Communication Actions Regularly Performed on Computer and Smartphone(% of Respondents; Smartphone and Computer; Base: Smartphone users) Using a ComputerUsing a Smartphone Email [NET]90% Send or receive text or instant messages 87% Send personal emails 84 Mapping, navigation, etc. 73 Read personal emails 82 Email [NET]72 Send work emails 60 Read personal emails 67 Read work emails 59 Send personal emails 56 Take surveys 86 Read work emails 38 Research goods or services 81 Send work emails 32 Purchase other products or services (e.g. clothes holiday gifts, etc.) 78 Download free applications, music or videos 66 Social Media [NET]69Social Media [NET]64 Read social media posts on sites or apps such as Facebook or Twitter 62 Read social media posts on sites or apps such as Facebook or Twitter 56 Share social media posts (e.g. news, jokes, pictures, etc.) 51 Share social media posts (e.g. news, jokes, pictures, etc.) 44 Write social media posts 50 "Check in" via social media 43 "Check in" via social media 28 Write social media posts 43 Find or research restaurants 61 Play games 56 Mapping, navigation, etc. 56 Find or research restaurants 53 Play games 52 Research goods or services 45 Download free applications, music or videos 38 Purchase applications, music or videos 42 Purchase applications, music or videos 37 Take surveys 24 Video chat (e.g. FaceTime, Skype, etc.) 35 Video chat (FaceTime, Skype, etc.) 23 Send or receive text or instant messages 20 Purchase other products or services (e.g. clothes, holiday gifts, etc.) 23 Source: Harris Interactive, January 2012 ( Multiple responses allowed) Smartphone owners with children in their household are significantly more likely than those without to indicate using smartphones for most of the activities tested, including mapping/navigation uses, downloading free applications, music or videos, combined social media use, playing games, researching goods or services, and many others. Actions Regularly Performed Using A Smartphone (by Children in HH; Base: Smartphone users) Total Smartphone UsersSmartphone Users With Children <18 In HHSmartphone Users Without Children <18 In HH Send or receive text or instant messages 87% 89% 86% Mapping, navigation, etc. 73 79 68 Email [NET]727669 Read personal emails 67 71 64 Send personal emails 56 60 53 Read work emails 38 44 34 Send work emails 32 37 29 Download free applications, music or videos 66 72 62 Social Media [NET]647259 Read social media posts on sites or apps such as Facebook or Twitter 56 63 51 Share social media posts (e.g. news, jokes, pictures, etc.) 44 51 40 "Check in" via social media 43 53 36 Write social media posts 43 51 37 Play games 56 62 52 Find or research restaurants 53 56 50 Research goods or services 45 54 39 Purchase applications, music or videos 42 50 36 Take surveys 24 31 19 Video chat (FaceTime, Skype, etc.) 23 28 19 Purchase other products or services (e.g. clothes, holiday gifts, etc.) 23 30 17 Source: Harris Interactive, January 2012 ( Multiple responses allowed) The report concludes by noting that understanding what smartphones are used for is an integral part of designing a successful device. The prevalence of text messaging calls for a well designed keyboard interface. Similarly, smartphone users' reliance on their devices for mapping and navigation services calls for either a well designed mapping interface. As reliance on these devices continues to grow both data plans and entire data networks may be affected in any number of ways. For additional information from Harris Interactive, please visit here.