'Smartphones new sleeping partners in India'

New York, July 29: More and more Indians are now hooked to smartphones and some are even sleeping with the devices in their hands, a survey has revealed, adding that some would rather give up sex for a weekend than part from their new “sleeping partner”. Released on July 28, the seven-country survey of more than 7,000 people about smartphone habits by Motorola, now owned by Chinese electronics giant Lenovo, found that 60 percent of those surveyed slept holding their handsets - with the highest percentages in India (74 percent) and Chi (70 percent). While one in six smartphone users said they used their phones while taking a shower, 54 percent said they would reach for the smartphone before saving their cat in a fire, phys.org reported.

Around 40 percent tell secrets to their phones they would not reveal even to their best friend. But the relationship is not perfect. Only 39 percent said they were “happy” with their smartphone, and 79 percent felt bothered that their devices interrupted them at inopportune moments. The survey was conducted online by global public opinion research consultancy KRC research with a total of 7,112 smartphone owners in the United States, Britain, Brazil, Chi, Spain, Mexico and India.

In a similar survey last year, B2X Care Solutions, a global customer care provider for smartphones, found that 57 percent of Indians can not live without their smartphones. The findings showed that 98 percent of Indians sleep with their smartphones and 83 percent keep it on their body or within reach throughout the day. (IANS)