Embedded content key when choosing new handset

Embedded content has become a key factor in choosing a new handset, according to survey by app store GetJar.

Embedded content is more important in a purchase decision than price, design or touch screen capability for 69% of users.

Twelve percent of those polled said embedded content is the most important factor when choosing a new phone.

This is behind handset brand (28%) and user interface (17%), but is ahead of amount of memory (8%), design (7%) and price (5%).

Only 4% of users ranked touchscreens as the most important feature.

In Europe, 47% of users said embedded content is ‘extremely important’ in their choice of handset, whilst in the USA the figure was 60%.

European phone users are more likely to buy a new handset this year, with 75% expecting to upgrade in 2009, compared to 60% in the US.

Ilja Laurs, founder and CEO of GetJar, said: “While the phone’s user interface and brand prove to be dominant factors for deciding which handset consumers choose, the big change in consumer preference we see within this survey is the importance they are placing on content.”

GetJar surveyed 1,000 of its customers from 130 countries. Three quarters of the respondants were male, and 79% were under 25.