Phablets are huge: Use grew 148 percent in 2014
Phablets are big. New data released by Flurry Analytics Thursday shows that while tablet usage slowed 20 percent in 2014, phablets -- large-screened devices like the iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note that straddle the line between phone and tablet -- are up an astonishing 148 percent.Looking at the amount of time users spent in apps from January 2014 to January 2015, the Flurry report found that the rise in phablet use far outpaced any other mobile device, including medium (read: regular-sized) phones, which saw a 38 percent increase, and small tablets, which grew 14 percent. Phablets' meteoric growth made up for declines in both small phones and full-sized tablets like the iPad, which has been a weak spot for Apple. "While this is only one year's worth of data, the numbers are impressive, leading us to believe that the mobile industry has found a killer form factor, combining the tablet's bigger screen and ease of navigation with the true mobility of the phone," wrote Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf in a blog post. And what are people doing on their giant phones? Watching sports, apparently. Flurry found that while the use of sports apps on phones and tablets increased a solid 30 percent in 2014, it jumped 158 percent on phablets.