It’s official: We’re all (really!) attached to our smartphones

Glance at any group of people the next time you’re out on the town and you’re bound to notice a common theme: Nearly all of them have smartphones.

But exactly how ubiquitous have our beloved devices become? A nationwide survey conducted by Google sheds light on some of the compelling trends that mobile consumers are shaping. Here are some of the highlights:

• The majority of Americans now own smartphones. Smartphone use has grown from 31% of American consumers in 2011 to 56% today. Only 35% of Americans have mobile phones that aren’t smartphones. (A paltry 9% percent don’t have either type of cell phone.)
• We use them even when we’re at home. Popular locations for smartphone use include our homes (96%), on the go (84%), in stores (83%) and in restaurants (82%).
• We are attached to our phones.  It’s estimated that 83% of Americans don’t leave home without their device. About 67% of Americans have used their smartphone every day in the past seven days. Google’s survey shows that 36% of Americans would rather give up TV than their smartphone!