Smartphone use on the rise in the US

New figures from research firm Nielsen reveal that smartphone use was up by 23% in the first quarter of 2010, to 25% of the US mobile phone population.

This usage means more smartphone users are accessing the mobile internet space, with eMarketer separately projecting 85.5 million mobile users will be accessing the web from handsets this year.

“Mobile internet usage will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7%, much faster than the CAGR of 2.1% expected in mobile subscribers over the same period,” the company said in a statement.

The company says this is fertile ground for advertisers, who will want to jump in on both mobile sites and the sophisticated apps that come with these devices.

“Rather than reaching people with SMS text messaging campaigns, advertisers will be able to reach them with both mobile search and display campaigns,” it said.