A US research report shows that smartphone users in the states are relaxed about buying goods and services using their handsets, although poor mobile site functionality is still very common.

The report, from Kantar Media company Compete, also predicts a massive upsurge in what’s known as m-commerce (short for mobile commerce) in 2010.

Known as The Smartphone Intelligence Survey, the report looks at behavioural patterns of those owning Android Devices (Google), BlackBerrys and iPhones, and this latest edition, based on third quarter of 2009, is timed to appear just before the techno love-in held yearly at Las Vegas. It’s known as the Consumer Electronics Show and the great and good of the gadget world pay homage to one another’s clever musings.

But back to the report. A spokesman for Compete says:
“As manufacturers show off the hottest new devices at CES, our research shows that they’d be wise to consider the complete mobile shopping experience and how it varies by individual and device.

“We’re seeing notable behavior differences across devices, so, for example, users of the Android operating system share different characteristics than Blackberry and iPhone enthusiasts. As manufacturers and marketers better understand how each group actually uses their devices, there’s a huge potential in 2010 for mobile commerce to explode.”

The main findings from the report show that 37% of those who own smartphones have bought something non-mobile, using their handset, in the last six months. What’s more, 19% of smartphone users have bought music using their handset; 14% have purchased books, DVDs, or similar items; and, 12% have purchased movie tickets.

But research still wins the day, with 41% of smartphones (actually the iPhones and Android fraternity) using their devices to cannily check sale prices at alternative locations whilst out shopping. And as an extension to that, around 39% of iPhone users and some 31% of Android owners, read reviews about the product they’re thinking of buying before they make a decision.

Although smartphone consumers are not tolerant of sites that are not geared for m-commerce, with 45% abandoning a sale process because the site would not load and 38% saying they left sites that were not developed specifically for smartphone users.

Spanish mobile phone users get the chance to play with the BlackBerry Curve 8520 from next month. Research In Motion (RIM) has just announced that the Curve 8520 will be available from Spanish wireless carriers from September in two colours: Black and Frost. But will the Curve do well in the Spanish market…?

The BlackBerry Curve is a sophisticated smartphone which has become de rigeur for the successful executive. And with 19% of the smartphone market, the Canadian based RIM are one of the few companies that seem able to resist the advances of the iPhone.

The ‘…should I buy a Blackberry, or iPhone…’ debate has become a little like PC versus Mac. One might have all the right whistles and bells, but the other looks cool enough to forget your advancing years. With an iPhone in your hand, it’s a portal to eternal youth. With a Blackberry in your hand, you can afford eternal youth.

For those that like to stay connected to the Matrix, one of the phone’s fortes is easy mobile access to email, messaging (including IM, SMS and MMS) and those ever-popular social sites, including Facebook.

Sending emails around to all and sundry is of course the raison d’être of the BlackBerry, or CrackBerry as it became known, because of its addictive characteristics. The ping of the incoming email was cause enough for many to not sleep and seek external help. But it seems less of a problem these days, as people become used to an ‘always-on culture.’

True to its business pedigree, the phone features a full QWERTY keyboard which allows fast, easy typing.

“More and more cell phone users are choosing to upgrade to a smartphone and the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 will undoubtedly convince many more people in Spain to make the switch. It is a great new addition to the BlackBerry Curve series and delivers all the great messaging, social networking and multimedia features that customers have come to love about BlackBerry smartphones.” said Carlo Chiarello, vice president, product management, Research In Motion.

Features include:
•    touch-sensitive trackpad;
•    256MB Flash memory and 512Mhz processor;
•    voice activated dialing; Bluetooth (2.0);
•    2 MP digital camera with zoom and video recording;
•    Advanced media player for music, pictures and videos;
•    Access to BlackBerry App World;
•    BlackBerry Internet Service support for access to up to 10     supported email accounts;
•    expandable memory via hot swappable microSD/SDHC memory     card slot, supporting up to 16 GB cards;
•    built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g);
•    Quad-band world phone: EGDE/GPRS/GSM (850/900/1800/1900     MHz).

Go to www.blackberry.com/curve8520 to have a look.