Reality Check: Mobiles Take Over the World

I was on the Northern Coast of California this weekend, one of the few places in North America that is still off the mobile grid. One of the few places in the world I guess... some recent statistics from a Malaysian newspaper:

• Over one trillion text messages were sent via mobile phones worldwide in 2005.
• One billion mobile phones will be sold in 2006 (812 million sold in 2005)
• The mobile phone is the most common electronics device in the world and considered the fourth window of content after television, the big screen and the personal computer.
• Asia Pacific is the world’s largest mobile phone market.
• There are 409 million mobile phone users in China as of the end March 2006.
• There are more mobile users than landline customers in China.
• During the recent Chinese New Year season, 2.7 billion SMS-es were sent.
• About 50% of all handsets shipped around the world have inbuilt cameras.