Photo by Phil Roeder

When mobile phones were invented in 1980s, their primary function was to allow people to make and receive calls on the move.

According to a recent survey however, that function placed 5th when people were asked what they use their mobile phone for.

Here are the amazing – but perhaps not unexpected – results.

Browsing the Internet
Almost 25% of mobile phone users stated that the thing they use their mobile phone for the most is browsing the net. This is due in large part to the cost drops and technological advancements of data exchange.

To give you an idea, if I spend £20 topping up my phone, I get over 1 GB of data connection on the net. And that is for free on top of the £20 credit!

Checking Social Networking Sites
Well, with sites such as Facebook and Twitter where you can find out just how my times your friend has sneezed that day, why would you need to call someone?

A lot of the small talk has been cut down by social networking, so instead of calling someone on the phone to tell them about the resort you are in right now, you post it on Facebook.

Listening to Music
When was the last time you saw a walkman or a portable CD player? Even Mp3 players risk biting the dust since mobile phones can do the same job just as well.

Playing Games
Now that’s a surprising one. Personally I don’t play a lot of games on my mobile, but that shows just how much the smart phone has become popular.

In order to play decent games a phone has to have quite a lot of processing power and battery life. Even low budget smart phones and feature phones can have a hard time with that.

Yet with technological advances comes better developed phones, so even those who are just one or two generations behind cost a lot less while still being able to handle games.

This is a good time to buy a new phone, even if it isn’t the newest one, whether you do it from a store, an online retailer or through a penny auction.

Making Calls
I am not even sure if I can say ‘last but not least’ here. What I should say is probably ‘last and certainly the least.’ So there you have it, your phone is no longer a phone. It’s a miniature tablet in disguise.

I am curious, what do you use your phone for?

Attached Images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

James Duval is an expert in all things techy and can be found most evenings glued to his Xbox. When he’s not playing with his consoles, he’s probably playing with his mobile. Here he writes for deal2reveal.co.uk.