Apple’s iPhone and iTouch sold 57 million units in 28 months, according to Morgan Stanley’s The Mobile Internet Report.

Smartphones and other Internet-ready handheld devices have gained immense popularity. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 83 percent of people own cell phones or smartphones and 35 percent of people have surfed the Internet with their phones.

Ashley Cox on smartphone

“I go on there for everything,” says Ashley Cox of her mobile smartphone, “I’m on it everyday, all day.” African Americans are the most active users of mobile Internet. On an average day, 29 percent of African Americans used mobile Internet in 2009, up 141 percent from 2007. In 2009 the national average was only 19 percent.

“Mobile Internet expands people’s realization of the power of the Internet,” says Michael Morgan, an industry analyst on mobile devices for ABI Research, “you know you can be connected to information wherever you are.”

“Wireless Internet is the most pervasive device you can imagine,” says Justin Shi, associate chair of Temple University’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences. Wireless Internet constitutes the last mile of Internet connectivity says Shi. It connects those whom are hard reach through wired networks.

Wireless Internet is becoming the connection of choice for the majority of Americans. In 2009, 56 percent of Americans accessed the Internet wirelessly, according to Pew.

“I go online with my phone a lot, maybe every hour to check my e-mail,” says Rod Quemuel, a smartphone user. Quemuel uses his phone to do research, check Facebook and look up directions.

Percent of U.S. mobile subscribers

People generally use their mobile Internet to check general information, such as e-mail, weather, news, social media and web searches, Morgan says. The most popular use of mobile Internet is to browse and listen to music. Sixty-five percent of iPhone users and 35 percent of smartphone users access music online. Gaming, social networking and web searching round out the top four uses of mobile Internet, according to The Mobile Internet Report.

James Thomas, a mobile Internet user uses mobile Internet conventionally. “I use it for things that have something to do with the city, like SEPTA bus schedules.” Thomas also uses it to entertain his daughter when traveling. She can play games and watch movies using his phone.

“Mobile access strengthens the three pillars of online engagement: connecting with others, satisfying information queries, and sharing content with others,” John B. Horrigan, associate director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, said in a press release about the organization’s report on mobile. “With access in their pockets, many Americans are ‘on the fly’ consumers and producers of digital information.”

According to RuderFinn’s Mobile Intent Index, which is updated quarterly, 91 percent of mobile Internet users go online to socialize compared to 79 percent of traditional desktop users. However, mobile Internet users are 1.4 times less likely to educate themselves using their phones.

Traditional computers are used for serious and productive work while mobile devices are becoming the dominant platform for entertainment, according to the Mobile Internet Report. Also, the smartphone’s popularity is growing so quickly that within five years more users may connect to the Internet via mobile device that with a traditional computer.

Mobile Internet is helping to bridge the digital divide. “Mobile Internet is allowing people who couldn’t afford any web access something,” Morgan says. “It’s the cheapest, easiest, and best way to get them the power of the Internet.” Cox and Thomas only access the Internet through their smartphones, and they do not feel the need to get a home broadband connection.

James Thomas on smartphone

Cost, convenience and portability are of the three main determinants when purchasing mobile Internet versus home broadband.

“Its a lot easier and a lot more accessible,” Thomas says. “Also, I can take it anywhere.”

“It’s cheaper,” Cox says when asked why she chose mobile Internet.

Home broadband use is more prevalent in homes with higher incomes, while low-income households turn to wireless. Seventy-three percent of households with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 have home broadband access. Comparatively, only 42 percent of households with incomes less than $30,000 have home broadband. Approximately 43 percent of Philadelphians live in households with incomes below $30,000. Mobile Internet can provide access to those who cannot afford home access.

“I prefer my laptop for Internet,” says Quemuel, “with mobile phones you can’t see all the features with a laptop.” He says only uses his mobile Internet for basic searches.

Lost cost wireless provider

While mobile Internet helps to close the digital divide as far as access to information is concerned, it does little to help with actual computer skills. “Mobile Internet offers no keyboard or mouse experience,” said Morgan. These are essential skills when using a traditional computer and are important skills in the workforce. However, Morgan added that helping people understand the value of the Internet is just as important as technical skills in the bridging the digital divide.

Shi believes that currently mobile phones do not have the capability to close the digital divide, but that may change in the future. As the technology develops, mobile devices will become people’s primary computing platform.

“In short the smartphone is becoming the PC, the PC is becoming the server, the server is becoming the cloud, and the cloud is becoming the new app store,” said a notable line in The Mobile Internet Report.

According to the eMarketer, a research firm, the total number of mobile Internet users is expected to reach 134 million people by 2013.

Below, watch a video Q&A with Temple University Computer Science Department Associate Chair Justin Shi about mobile technologies…

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

Philly, your life just got a little more Comcastic.

Comcast has completed its local rollout of “wideband” internet, introducing two new premium tiers of service.

Extreme 50, the higher tier, offers up to 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload. The lower tier, Ultra, offers 22 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up.

In other words, customers in the metropolitan area will soon be able to turn their Internet connections up to 11. The fastest current offering is 16 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up.

The company has been upgrading our tubes since December 2008 and has already covered 50 percent of the nation with the upgraded DOCSIS 3.0 network.

After the jump, a Comcast tech is in to bondage, Comcast helps you go green and how you will soon be able to buy hapiness for under $7 a month.

In order of importance for your convienance.

• Comcast’s usage meter is still being tinkered with, according to CNET. The meter is designed to let power users moniter thoer broadband use so that they do not surpass the 250 GB limit. Currently Comcast reccomends that all users who wish to monitor their usage use McAfee’s Security Suite. Customers can have their account suspended for a year by twice surpassing the monthly limit.
• The Comcast iPhone application we told you about last Thursday�has surpassed 100,000 downloads in the week, making it the third most downloaded�free “entertainment” app and the 18th overall, as company spokesman Charlie Douglas told Technically Philly yesterday.
• Along with Cisco, Comcast has invested in iControl a platform for managing homesecturity over the Internet. The startup is based in Silicon Valley. Some speculate that the company will use iControl to help customers keep an eye on thier energy usage.
• The cable giant has a playful side too. Comcast has annoucned that it has partnered with RealGames and Bunchball to provide games for comcast.net/games. The site will offer premium games for a $6.99 per month subscription.
• KidZui, a kidfriendly browser, has partnered with Comcast. The deal includes prominent placement on the Comcast.net homepage as well.
• Calibre has entered a preferred partnership with Comcast, liscening its TrueDelivery for moving large media files. Presumably, the technology will aid in its OnDemand offerings.
• As we reported last week, a Comcast technician has been arrested in Portland, Oregon for attempting to rob a check cashing store of $3,000. While still in uniform, the tech cut the telephone line and bound and gagged an employee of the store. Comcast is coperating fully with the investigation. Below see the local news coverage of the would-be thief:

When there is just too much Comcast news to follow, the Comcast Roundup will be there to fill your every Comcast desire or fantasy.

Christopher Wink and Brian James Kirk contributed to this report.

Brian Roberts (far left) sits on a panel about new media at The Cable Show.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts had the honor of being a panelist at the cable industry trade show in Washington. All of the cable big wigs are slated to attend the event hosted by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, including News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch.

According to reports, Roberts used his time to persuade his colleagues that the Internet is not the enemy and is another avenue for monitization. The cable industry has been abuzz over customers canceling pricey cable packages in favor of getting media via broadband Internet connections. The practice, known as “cord-cutting” in cable-company-speak, has had an impact on cable companies. Many companies are also suffering because of cost-cutting consumers not renewing service to save money, and the Center-City based Comcast is no exception. As covered previously in Technically Philly, the company lost 233,000 cable subscribers last quarter.

Of the five member panel, Roberts was the most supportive of placing video online.The Comcast CEO stated bluntly that the customer should only pay for cable once and receive it across all mediums. Comcast’s OnDemand strategy employs this tactic: subscribers to premium channels, such as HBO, automatically receive the channel’s content on demand for no additional cost.

Comcast is planning an “OnDemand Online” service that would create a walled garden available only to subscribers. Currently, Comcast offers TV episodes for free at Fancast.

�It�s going to be hard but we�re in an industry that can afford to widen the moat by continuing to invest,� he said, quoted by tvweek.com.

Suddenlink Chairman and CEO Jerry Kent was leery with Roberts’ philosophy of giving all mediums with a single subscription. Kent didn’t want the cable industry to make the same mistake as the newspaper industry and give their content away online for free however he added that the cable industry could not keep ignoring the Web. Roberts noted that most broadcast stations always have been free, and he could not understand why they didn’t reach out to every medium available.

(Sources: paidcontent.org, Wall Street Journal | Disclaimer: I have applied to positions at Comcast Interactive Media)