Americans love mobile phones more than Internet: study

Americans would find it harder to part with their mobile phones than the Internet, television or landline telephones, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project also found that Americans are using their cellphones and other wireless devices for more activities including text messaging, taking pictures or sending email.

Some 51 percent of those surveyed said they would find it hard to give up their cellphones, compared with 45 percent for the Internet, 43 percent for television and 40 percent for landline phones.

"When asked how hard it would be to give up a specific technology, respondents are now most likely to say the cellphone would be most difficult to do without, followed by the Internet, TV, and landline telephone," the report was quoted by AFP as saying.

"This represents a sharp reversal in how people viewed these technologies in 2002," when the landline telephone was the favorite technology, the report said.