Canadians love their smartphones

Sixty-five percent of Canadians say they must have their smartphones, and Internet access, constantly available, a survey indicates. Some people said they feel 'naked' without the phones. The Rogers Innovation Report, commissioned by Vision Critical, found "nomophobia," a term that originated in Britain to describe the stress of being without mobile-phone contact, affected most Canadians, A little more than half of Canadians said they sleep with their smartphone next to them. Eighty-two percent said they used the phones in bathrooms. Eighty percent said they would choose their wireless device to go online versus their desktop computer. "Consumers are absolutely passionate about their online connections and that's only expected to increase as technology advances," Reade Barber, vice president of mobile and fixed Internet at Rogers Communications, said in a statement. The online survey of 1,040 Canadians who used a smartphone or tablet computer was conducted Nov. 15 to Nov. 19. The margin of error was 3.1 percentage points.