19 Gadgets That Changed The World

Apple iPhone users download almost twice as many apps from its App Store as those who go to the Android Market or BlackBerry App World Store, according to a report by consumer measurement firm Nielsen.

Moreover, Apple App Store customers seem more open to paying for their apps. The study found that for every two free apps they download, they generally pay for one. Android Market and BlackBerry App World customers, on the other hand, download more than 3.5 free apps for every one they buy. Least likely to convert from a free trial version of an app to a full, paid version are BlackBerry users, Nielsen's recently released State of Mobile Apps study found.

The most popular apps downloaded for both feature phone and smartphones are games, followed by weather apps. Facebook "reigns supreme" as the most popular individual app on all smartphone operating systems, Nielsen said.

Twitter placed in the top five list only among BlackBerry users, "perhaps because the device's keyboard is optimized for typing," Nielsen said, while YouTube ranked in the top five on Android and Windows Mobile devices, and did not make the list for the iPhone or BlackBerry operating systems.

The other individual leading apps were the Weather Channel among weather apps, Google Maps in the maps/navigation category, and Pandora for the most popular music app. Not surprisingly, iPhone users heavily use iPod/iTunes.

Both feature phones and smartphone users prefer to search application stores on their phones to discover new apps. Since users' main mobile concerns are convenience and security, they prefer to have their charges for app downloads show up on their cell phone provider or credit card bills, the study found.

When it comes to mobile advertising, teenagers are more receptive to looking at mobile apps. The study found that 58% of teens "always" or "sometimes" read mobile ads, and that men of all ages are more likely to view them than women. Viewing mobile ads within an app was the preference of all users of all operating systems, with more Android users likely to click on an ad within an app, the study found. iPhone users were the least likely to click on an ad within an application.

After viewing a mobile ad or hearing about an advertised product or service, about one in five app users turned to search engines or another online source of information to find out more, the study found.

The study was based on a survey of more than 4,000 mobile subscribers conducted in August, Nielsen said.