Smartphone is Indian's must have

New Delhi: Tech-savvy Indians have emerged as the most hooked on to gadgets globally with as many as 95 per cent finding their smartphones "critically important" while 75 per cent use their smartphone or tablet to book a hotel, says a survey by leading online travel firm Expedia. "The findings clearly suggest an increasing dependency on the mobile platform. 95 per cent Indian respondents feel that their smartphone is very or of critical importance to their daily life," Vikram Malhi, MD, Asia, Expedia said. He further said that Indians lead in app booking and data roaming plans globally.

"In fact, 75 per cent of Indians who have used their smartphone or tablet to book a hotel have booked a hotel stay using a mobile app (the highest of any country), he said. The survey highlights the maturation of Indian traveller who is fast moving up the ladder of travel apps and is no longer hooked with conventional modes of bookings, the findigs said.

This survey was conducted from August 25 to September 17, among 8,856 employed adults aged 18 years of age andolder across 25 countries. The research further said that India has the second highest number of Google Glass owners at 6 per cent after South Korea at eight per cent. Google Glass is a type of wearable technology, developed by Google with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer.

The survey also says that 85 per cent of Indians currently have and use a laptop, fourth highest in the world after Denmark (89 per cent), Austria (86 per cent ) and Norway (86 per cent), it said. Indians rank second highest in carrying laptops with them on leisure trips (47 per cent ) after UAE (48 per cent), the survey says.

"India ranked fifth in number of people saying they always bring their smartphone with them on leisure trips, with 88 per cent of Indians who have at least one mobile device they always travel with their smartphone on leisure trips, and 38 per cent say they always travel with a tablet.