US consumers are more likely to buy a smartphone than any other electronic gadget this year, according to a new survey. Technology research company Gartner said on February 17 that consumers in the United States are more likely to buy a smartphone in 2011 than a personal computer, a basic mobile phone, an electronic book reader, a tablet computer or gaming products.
Gartner said the next most popular electronics items for US consumers after smartphones were laptop computers, desktop computers, basic mobile phones, e-book readers and tablet computers. "Continued low retail pricing and widespread adoption of applications like Web browsing, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, GPS and games will continue to stimulate consumer demand" for smartphones, Gartner principal research analyst Hugues de la Vergne said in a statement.