Apple iPhone user behaviour part of new O2 study

The behaviour of mobile phone users in the UK has been analysed by one network operator this week, which has suggested many people may want to rethink some of their messages.

Conducted by O2, the provider which currently boasts the Apple iPhone 3G S among its range of British exclusives, the Pulse monitor survey considered what handsets are used for at certain times of the day.

In particular, the research looked at periods where users might be heading home from the pub and revealed that people were more likely to be sending a drunken email at night than engaging in a voice call.

O2 suggested that this behavioural change was reflective of the way in which smartphones were altering how we connect with one another when under the influence of alcohol – with sites like Facebook also featuring heavily in consumers’ actions.

It was revealed that the top five most-used mobile internet services between the hours of 22:00 and 23:00 were sending emails (42 per cent), accessing news headlines (35 per cent), social networking (33 per cent), checking the weather (30 per cent) and web searching (27 per cent). It was also found that around one in five people are downloading music at this time of the evening.

Antony Douglas, head of content for O2, said the report was indicative of how the public are becoming more reliant on the wide selection of communication options available to them.

"Customers are hungry to chat, gossip, play and Facebook the small hours away on their phones, which might lead to a few embarrassed red faces in the morning – and not just from over-dosing on chilli sauce," he noted.

Earlier this month, O2 added the first Samsung phone to boast Google Android to its range – the Galaxy i7500.