Handheld Church Experience on the Horizon

  As mobile & wireless technologies diffuse, we will see more innovations using mobile capabilities for ministry purposes.

  According to recent Pew data, some 62% of adult Americans have taken advantage of mobile access to digital data and tools.

  The Pew Internet & American Life Project's new report, Mobile Access to Data and Information, examines mobile access and reveals:

• 58% of adult Americans have used a cell phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) to do at least one of ten mobile non-voice data activities, such as texting, emailing, taking a picture, looking for maps or directions, or recording video.

• 41% of adult Americans have logged onto the internet on the go, that is, away from home or work either with a wireless laptop connection or a handheld device.

• 62% of adult Americans have either accessed the internet with a wireless connection away from home or work or used a non-voice data application using their cell phone or PDA

John B. Horrigan, the Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and author of the report concludes, "People's growing reliance on their cell phones, together with wireless internet access from laptops, suggests a shift in expectations about cyberspace."

"For many people, access to digital information and resources is an 'always present' utility for answering questions and documenting what is going on around them through photos or video recording."

Here's access to the full report.

Additionally, John's commentary, Seeding The Cloud: What Mobile Access Means for Usage Patterns and Online Content is also available.