No.2 in gadget-owning survey

No.2 in gadget-owning survey
By Chua Hian Hou

GADGET-MAD Singaporeans have propelled the Republic to second place in a global survey on entertainment technology ownership.

According to a survey published yesterday by research firm The Nielsen Company, 97 per cent of households own computers, 87 per cent have DVD players and 64 per cent have MP3 players.

Singapore also has the 'highest rate of mobile phone ownership in the world' - a mobile phone penetration rate of almost 130 per cent.

The survey ranks markets according to the ownership and usage levels of 11 entertainment devices, including television sets, CD players and high-definition Blu-ray players.

Singapore came in behind Ireland and ahead of Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, followed by Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Hong Kong and the United States.

These were the top 10 markets in terms of ownership of entertainment products. Nielsen polled 26,000 users in 52 markets worldwide, including 500 here, last year.

Mr Mark Teo, for instance, owns nine of the 11 devices listed in the survey - he does not have a portable video player or Blu-ray player.

But the 36-year-old, who works in the financial industry, does intend to get a Blu-ray player 'some time this year'.

The survey also found that one in four Singapore Internet users downloads movies, and one in three downloads songs from the Internet, putting Singapore in 34th position globally in this area.

Playing videos and music straight from a Web page, known as streaming media, is even more popular among Singaporeans, with six in 10 enjoying streaming music and over half catching television shows this way.

According to the survey, 21 per cent of Singaporeans download television shows and 18 per cent download video games every month.

For now though, Singaporeans lag behind China's netizens, who topped the survey in this area: 84 per cent download movies and 85 per cent download music every month.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_323372.html