Mobile email devices, which include BlackBerrys and all other smartphones capable of handling email, are used by just five per cent of Australians, according to a recent report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ACMA. Given the stereotypical image of the CrackBerry addict, it’s perhaps no surprise to hear that the typical user is a 20-39 year old male who uses their phone primarily for work.
Then again, perhaps all those statistics are surprising. Five years since the launch of 3G networks in Australia, why aren’t more than five percent of us getting our email on the go? And why is it mainly a work-related activity?
It can’t be anything to do with our passion for email, which has long been viewed as the killer app for 3G mobiles. Many of us admit to feeling lost or even edgy when we’re unable to check our email for several days, and that’s not just work stress. With our social life also revolving around email, there’s always that nagging feeling that we’re missing out on something when we go cold turkey.
Technology can’t be the sticking point, either. Early 3G networks came with unreliable service and unenviable phones, but today more and more 2G voice traffic is being routed over our increasingly reliable 3G networks, and email is a standard feature on ever more, ever sexier phones from all the major manufacturers. It’s not like you need an IT expert to get you started, either. Helpful applications like the wizards on Nokia’s phones can get you connected to POP 3 or http accounts in seconds.
So where’s the rub? If we love getting access to our email, and the technology is there to make it happen, surely that leaves us with only one possible culprit: pricing. It’s those rip off merchants the networks at fault again.
