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This #+#!!+ smartphone is too darn slow

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Shoppers glued to smartphones and tablets this Black Friday may not lead to as much of an increase as retailers are hoping to see.

Keynote Systems Inc., a San Mateo, Calif.,-based Internet and mobile cloud testing company said in its 2012 Holiday Retail Mobile Performance Forecast that sales from mobile devices will jump 110 percent this year and will account for 21 percent of all online sales. However, four in five mobile devices shoppers will use the technology to compare prices, search for coupons and study product reviews.

Additionally, the company's user study shows 64 percent of smartphone users want pages to download in less than four seconds and 60 percent of tablet users want results in less than three seconds before frustration sets in. However, the Keynote Worldwide Mobile Retail Index shows the average response time for sites is around 11.8 seconds. 

“Based on this extreme gap between site performance and users’ expectations, we believe this year’s contribution from mobile will represent a significantly lost opportunity in goodwill and sales,” said Aaron Rudger, senior manager for mobile web performance.
“While some sites have taken mobile web performance seriously and are delivering great experiences, the vast majority are still far behind the curve.”

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