Mobile internet users now more switched on

Mobile internet users are using local search services in increasingly sophisticated ways

Mobile users are becoming increasingly switched on when it comes to searching the mobile internet. A survey by local search technology company m-spatial shows that mobile phone users are smartening up to what they can find, with a greater appreciation of what services are searchable on a phone.

The m-spatial survey for Winter-Spring 2007 found growing numbers are using their phones to search out Wi-Fi hotspots, check local travel information and live updates, and to see what's on at the local cinema.

Topping the search categories for m-spatial's Winter/Spring Mobile Local Search Index charts is cinema, with 18 per cent of local searches. Fast food info came next (17 per cent) followed by drinking (16 per cent) and taxis (11 per cent). Supermarket searches came next, with 8 per cent, suggesting that users are doing more than searching for local entertainment information on their phones.

m-spatial's quarterly survey also found some more unusual local info searches during the period; lime kilns, toilet hire, diving services, marine engineers, genealogists and historians, model villages and animal transportation were among the searches requested.

Top 10 local search categories January-April 2007

  1. Cinema (18 per cent)
  2. Fast Food (17 per cent)
  3. Drinking (16 per cent)
  4. Taxi (11 per cent)
  5. Supermarkets (8 per cent)
  6. B&B (7 per cent)
  7. Clubbing (7 per cent)
  8. Electrical & Electronics (6 per cent)
  9. Home (5 per cent)
  10. Clothing & Fashion (5 per cent)
Latest in Phones
Samsung Galaxy S25 from the front
The Now Bar on Samsung One UI 7 is about to get a lot more useful – and could soon match Live Activities on iOS
An iPhone running iOS 18 on a purple and blue background
iOS 18.4 could launch soon with a major upgrade to your iPhone’s notifications
Google Pixel 9a being held, from the back
The Google Pixel 9a’s mysterious delay may have just been explained
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
A fresh Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge leak hints at a 2K display and a titanium frame
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Paris in front of the Louvre pyramid
I switched to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 five months ago and I haven’t looked back – here are five things you need to know before buying a foldable phone
iPhone 16 Pro Desert Titanium in hand
I think the rumored iPhone 17 Pro redesign looks great – but is it Apple enough?
Latest in News
DeepSeek
Deepseek’s new AI is smarter, faster, cheaper, and a real rival to OpenAI's models
Open AI
OpenAI unveiled image generation for 4o – here's everything you need to know about the ChatGPT upgrade
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
An aerial view of an Instavolt Superhub for charging electric vehicles
Forget gas stations – EV charging Superhubs are using solar power to solve the most annoying thing about electric motoring