We recently took a look at U.S. consumer mobility trends of smartphone usage. Today I’d like to switch gears to focus on mobility trends with regard to tablet usage. Data shows that people use tablets for games, as a social tool, as e-readers, or a combination of all three. So how does your tablet usage compare?

Let’s dive in to some fun tablet stats to see how your tablet habit compares with that of your friends and neighbors:

1. 25 percent of smartphone owners also use a tablet.
2. The average tablet user spends 90 minutes on their tablet every day.
3. Over 60 percent of tablet owners use their tablet for at least 2 hours per day, and 11 percent say they use their tablet “constantly.”
4. 80 percent of tablet users say that tablets have improved their work/life balance.
5. 70 percent of tablet owners play games on their device. (I’ll raise my hand for this one, as I’m a frequent gamer on my BlackBerry ® PlayBook ™ tablet. Madden NFL 12, anyone?)
6. 60 percent of tablet owners use their device to read e-books. With larger screens than smartphones and a nearly unlimited supply of books, the ability to curl up with a good (electronic) book is becoming increasingly popular on tablets.
7. 34 percent of tablet owners use their tablets for shopping during the weekends. 46 percent of those said they would turn to a competitor’s website instead if they had a poor tablet shopping experience.
8. 35 percent of tablet owners say they have used them in the bathroom. Now that’s just gross.

Sources: ComScore, Staples, Zmags

If you have a tablet habit, I’d like to hear your thoughts about why you own a tablet and, if so, how and why you use it. Feel free to share, comment, and submit questions in the comment section below.

It’s no secret that more and more people use their smartphones as an extension of their hands—look around any public place and it won’t be long before you see someone with their head down, focusing on their BlackBerry® smartphone. Inbound Marketing Blog Hubspot® estimates that in the United States alone, smartphone users will number around 107 million in 2012 – roughly one-third of the population. And Reuters claims that global smartphone sales will top 1 billion units in 2014.

So, how are people using their smartphones? We curated research from industry sources and rounded up five reasons why people are grabbing their smartphones at home and at work:

1. Surfing the Web: For those of you surfing the digital cosmos via the BlackBerry Browser, you’re not alone. Hubspot estimates that the number of mobile internet users will reach 113.9 million in 2012.
2. SMS Text/BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) Messaging: Portio Research found that about 8 trillion SMS messages were sent in 2011, and they predict that number to grow to nearly 10 trillion by the end of 2012.
3. Socializing: A recent ComScore survey found that 70 percent of mobile users posted a status update to Twitter®, Facebook®, LinkedIn® or another social network via their smartphone in 2011.
4. Email: Another ComScore report states that 90 million Americans use their smartphone to access email, with 64 percent of those users accessing their email almost every day.
5. Gaming: Reports form several sources found that in 2011, about 1 in 3 smartphone users played games on their devices (that’s a lot of Angry Birds).

How many of these five examples describe your mobile life? I’m pretty much using my BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone for all five of them – how about you?

You spoke, we listened!

Last spring, we asked for your thoughts and feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly – on your overall user experience with BlackBerry® Beta Zone. Now, based on more than 3,000 responses from the BlackBerry Beta Zone community, we’ve made changes based on what you asked for!

Some quick background: BlackBerry Beta Zone gives users a unique opportunity to get the newest BlackBerry software and applications before they’re ready to be released to the general public. Once users test out the software, they have the opportunity to offer feedback and suggestions directly to us about how to improve the experience for all users.

Now that you’re caught up on what BlackBerry Beta Zone is, let’s go through the new changes and improvements:

A more user friendly interface

We’ve redesigned the site from top to bottom. It’s more engaging to use, has more interactive elements, and offers a more intuitive user experience to make sure you can find what you’re looking for quickly and easily.

A clearer division between Business and Consumer beta programs

We’ve also now separated BlackBerry Beta Zone into two distinct sites: BlackBerry Beta Zone and BlackBerry Beta Zone for Business. BlackBerry Beta Zone for Business now has its own dedicated URL so users can more easily access enterprise programs, while consumers only see content and programs that are of interest to them.

More opportunities to get involved

We know BlackBerry Beta Zone members have a lot to say, so we’ve added a blog-style newsfeed to provide the latest site news and allow you to comment and share in the conversation. We’ll also be posting more frequent polls and surveys, ensuring that there are more opportunities than ever to get your feedback.

Improved mobile experience

BlackBerry beta testers are always on the move, so we’ve optimized our mobile site to make it easier to provide your feedback on the go. We’ve revised the mobile layout, simplified the download process, and added access to a number of new features – all to improve your mobile beta testing experience.

And that’s just what we’ve got launching today! We’re always looking for your feedback on how we can continue to improve your BlackBerry Beta Zone experience – so make sure to log in, check out the new site, and tell us what you think!

The BlackBerry® Mini Keyboard with convertible case is here! This is an accessory that can add a huge amount of value to your work and productivity. By leveraging the keyboard along with the convertible case, you get the additional screen space (rather than using the on-screen keyboard), and a stylish case that doubles as a stand for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Check out the video below for an in-depth demo of the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard as well as multiple use cases via the Citrix® Receiver for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

We’re happy to announce that eBay® 2.0 for BlackBerry® smartphones is now available. With the eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones, you can search, watch, and bid – and now the app is designed so that you can share and publish a listing (sell) right from your BlackBerry smartphone. (As a soon-to-be buyer of holiday gifts for friends and family, I’d like to confirm that it’s an invaluable shopping tool!) But there are many more enhancements, too, so we asked product manager Ryan P. to share the highlights of the new and improved eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones. Take it away, Ryan! – Ed.

First up, we’ve revamped the user interface and it is designed so that it can allow for easier navigation and quicker access to the features you use most. You’ll also find that the new advanced search options allow you to refine your search to help you find what you’re looking for. You can modify your search to indicate whether you’re looking for new or used items, which country eBay sites you’d like to reach, price range, and more! We’ve also added BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) integration, giving you the opportunity to post an item you’ve won as a personal message, or share a listing with your BBM contacts and chat about the item before purchasing it. You can even invite your BBM contacts to download the application if they don’t already have it.

Of course you’ll still find all of the buying features available from the first version, including items you’re bidding on, watching, won and lost, plus access to your saved searches and favorite sellers. The messaging system has also been enhanced to support more message types – including rich HTML messages – and you’ll still receive notifications about items you’re bidding on.

As mentioned earlier, you can now use the eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones to not only buy items but also sell them. Selling from just about anywhere using your BlackBerry smartphone is designed to be easy — you can use the integrated camera on your device to publish a new listing to one of the largest online trading communities. Already have a picture ready? Just select it from your photo library and rotate it if necessary, then upload it to your listing. Just like using your desktop browser, you can upload up to 12 images to your listing, and you have a full range of payment and shipping options to choose from.

In addition to being able to post new listings, as a seller you’ll be able to keep on top of all of your active and scheduled listings as well as your listing history of sold and unsold items.

So what are you waiting for? Download the eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones today and bring your eBay buying and selling experience with you wherever you go.

The BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet browser is far more than a simple application for viewing web pages. It has been carefully designed to provide an enhanced tablet experience, complete with options for customizing the browsing experience, private browsing, bookmarks management, HTML 5.0, Adobe® Flash® and JavaScript® capabilities, location-aware features, and so much more. Consider this powerful tool to be a window into not only viewing and interacting with a variety of web sites, but to also access powerful enterprise web applications.

There are a number of complete and secure web app solutions that you and your business can take advantage of – apps that are designed to offer new ways to collaborate in real time. Access to your internal enterprise network may also be possible from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet through supported VPN suppliers.

Research In Motion® (RIM®) has a large number of enterprise software partners in the mobile industry, and we are constantly working with them to deliver apps and access to web-based hosted solutions optimized for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. This means that employees will be able to use existing tools while on the go.

I’m sure at this point you’re looking for examples. Well, here are seven of our favorite enterprise apps that are BlackBerry PlayBook tablet browser-ready!

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

Have you ever run into a technical support issue while you’re out and about? Or perhaps you recently posted to the BlackBerry® Support Community Forums already and are waiting to receive a reply from the community? Well, we’ve got an awesome little-known secret to let you in on: The BlackBerry Support Community Forums are fully optimized to be viewed right on your BlackBerry smartphone!

The site offers much of the functionality available via your desktop browser, but displays in a clear, concise format to accommodate mobile browsers. Reading and responding to posts is as easy as it is on your computer!

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »