Smartphone Users Want To Have FunSmartphone Users Want To Have Fun

Smartphone users prefer to download entertainment and games programs instead of productivity apps, according to sales information released Wednesday by content provider Handango.

The company's "Yardstick" report said the entertainment and games categories totaled 42% of unit sales of the top 10 categories for the first half of 2008. The games category rose from fourth to second place, thanks to high-profile releases from EA Mobile and Capcom Interactive.

Business and professional applications were in third place with 15%, and productivity apps like address books and calendars took fourth place.

Users of the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry 8830 downloaded the most software, and Research In Motion had four devices in the top 10 list of smartphones adding content. The top-selling BlackBerry apps were a mix of entertainment and productivity.

For Windows Mobile Professional users, streaming television and screen plug-ins dominated the best-selling list. The AT&T Tilt and HTC Touch were the most likely handsets to download content.

Symbian users still had business on their minds, as the majority of the best-selling Symbian apps were business or productivity applications. The top device for Symbian remains the Nokia N95, Handango said.

This report signals a shift not only in who is using smartphones, but how they're being used. Once exclusively used by high-level executives for business purposes, smartphones are increasingly becoming widely adopted mobile entertainment centers.

In a separate Handango survey about smartphone users' behaviors and opinions, nearly 86% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that smartphone content makes their lives easier, while 76% agreed that it made their lives more enjoyable.