Three out of four mobile phone users in the U.S. now has an Internet-connected smartphone, according to an industry study.
That translates to about 182 million people in the U.S. with the advanced mobile phones — with smartphone penetration at an all-time high of 75 percent, according to the comScore report.
The quick market adoption of smartphones has been seen by safety experts as a factor in the widespread problem of electronic distracted driving, with the phones providing speedy access to email, instant messaging, Web browsing and social media access, as well as video and photography.
Facebook ranked as the top individual app used by the smartphone users, reaching more than 70 percent of them. Google Maps, frequently used by drivers, came in at 45 percent. Other apps with significant usage on smartphones included YouTube (52 percent), Google Play (games, 51 percent), Pandora Radio (45 percent) and Instagram (33 percent).
The 74 percent mobile market penetration in December was up 4 percent since September. The manufacturer Apple had the largest share of the market.
This is a screen in the car that is dangerous. But distraction is about to get worse thanks for a new law requiring all new cars to have a backup camera in their cars to prevent the accidental death of children in the driveway. Now that a screen is mandated in all cars, manufacturers will use that screen for other purposes like pushing Facebook.