Turns out, Facebook isn’t just tops on the Internet. The social network is also one of the most popular smart phone applications as well.
A new mobile application survey from Nielsen reveals that Facebook was the most downloaded application on four out of the five smart phone systems covered, including BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm and Windows Mobile. It came in second on Android, for which the second most popular app in the survey, Google Maps, was No. 1.
So beyond keeping in touch with friends or figuring out where they are (or where they’re going), what else do smart phone users care about? The weather and music, of course! The Weather Channel and music service Pandora also were among the top five apps downloaded on all five smart phone operating systems.
Another Nielsen number should come as no surprise: Smart phone owners are on the rise. Smart phone users now make up 21 percent of wireless subscribers in the United States at the end of 2009, up from 14 percent at the end of 2008. Further, Nielsen reports that smart phone users have more apps — an average of 22 compared to the 10-app average on feature phones.