For the first time, more than half of all American mobile customers own a smartphone, according to a report released May 16th 2012 by Nielsen. That's up from 38% a year ago.

As smartphones eclipse "feature" phones -- the industry's term for phones without touchscreens -- the way Americans are using their handsets is changing. The number of apps downloaded to Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPhone and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) Android devices grew 28% over the past year to an average of 41 apps per phone.

Smartphone users are spending 39 minutes per day using their apps, up 10% from a year ago. A Google study also released Wednesday found that 26% of U.S. smartphone owners would rather give up their computer than their smartphone -- a sign that the smartphone devices are truly becoming mini-PCs.