[May 18, 2011]

Tablet Use for Business Soars; Smartphone Addiction Continues Apace, Says RingCentral

Fifty-one percent of SMB professionals would rather take their tablet with them when traveling than a laptop or PC, according to a new survey. RingCentral (News - Alert), the leader in cloud based business phone systems, today announced the results of their 2^nd annual survey on smartphone and mobile device use for business. The survey showed nearly one in every three professionals surveyed (29 percent) owns a tablet. Tablet owners are heavy users of the device - 62% reported using the tablet multiple times a day for business. Primary use for business includes checking emails, visiting websites, and reviewing presentations.

In addition to the fast-growing use of tablets, RingCentral's survey also revealed continued growth in smartphone use for business where smartphones and landline office phones are now tied 50/50 as the primary phone used for business. Smartphone addiction is also on the rise. Almost half of SMB professionals admitted they are addicted to their smartphones, resulting in some surprising behaviors: 58% reported they would take an urgent call in the bathroom; 49% said checking their phone was the first thing they did before getting out of bed in the morning, even before kissing their significant other or turning on the TV/radio.

Beyondsmartphone addiction, below are other key findings on how SMBs are using smartphones for business:

• Overall, smartphone usage is increasing; 64 percent of professionals said they use their smartphone for business more than they did last year
• Professionals stay connected; 85 percent said they use their smartphone at least a few times a day
• Business is most likely to take place on an iPhone (News - Alert); 34 percent reported using an iPhone for business
  • 29 percent reported using an Android device
  • 15 percent reported using a BlackBerry (News - Alert)
• E-mail matters most - across mobile devices; 47 percent believe the ability to respond to e-mail anytime, anywhere is the best part of having a smartphone for business

About the Study

RingCentral is the authority on smartphone and mobile device use for business. RingCentral conducted their 2^nd annual study from March 16, 2011 to March 28, 2011. More than 400 customers answered an email survey. For more information on the survey or the complete results, please visit: http://blog.ringcentral.com/2011/05/smartphonesurvey2011.html

About RingCentral

RingCentral is the leading cloud-based business phone system which enables businesses to get all the features of a traditional PBX (News - Alert) and more. With top industry honors, including PC Magazine Editor's Choice Award, Small Business Computing Excellence in Technology Award, and the 2010 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award, RingCentral delivers on-demand phone systems that are designed for the modern mobile and distributed business world, at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, RingCentral is privately held with backing from Cisco (News - Alert), Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures and DAG Ventures. For more information, please visit: www.ringcentral.com

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