Pokey Mobile Broadband Isn't Cutting It in the New App Era

As more people pick up smartphones and shell out for mobile data plans, carriers, application developers and phone manufactures need to keep one thing in mind: Speed matters. Even if it's mobile, a connection to the web still needs to feel like broadband. Otherwise, people aren't going to use their phones as often, or for as long. But speed is a double-edged sword because as newer, faster networks are deployed, the data tsunami already swamping carriers grows taller. Data from AdMob shows that folks using an iPod touch and Wi-Fi to connect to the web spend 100 minutes a day on their devices using apps, while those using 3G on the iPhone spend just 79 minutes. For other 3G handsets, that number rises to 80 minutes for Android phone users and 87 minutes for those on Palm devices. Message: if it ain't fast, then users go home.