Burst Media has released the results of its annual holiday survey, indicating that consumers are prepped with their smartphones.

The latest annual holiday survey from Burst Media has revealed that consumers are already getting ready to start their shopping during the heaviest season of the year, and that while they plan to head to brick and mortar shopping malls and online shops, alike, they will be using mobile commerce in a number of different ways to help them throughout their purchasing journeys.

This year’s calendar has shaken up the pattern of events when compared to previous recent years.

For instance, this year, Hanukkah will be starting ahead of Thanksgiving, and for the first time since 2008, Cyber Monday will be occurring in December. This could be a defining pattern, particularly when it comes to mobile commerce, as it was barely in existence the last time this happened, so this year will present the first real data regarding what retailers can expect when online shopping kicks off when December has already started, and after Hanukkah is already in full swing.

The survey provided a considerable amount of online and mobile commerce insight for this year’s season.

Among the key findings of the holiday shopping and mobile commerce survey from Burst Media are the following:

• Marketers have time on their sides. Among the respondents of the survey, a large portion (40 percent) begin their holiday shopping following their Thanksgiving celebrations. Only 14.3 percent have already begun, and 11.8 percent started just after Halloween.
• Smartphones and tablets are playing an increasing role in the overall shopping process. Among the respondents, 45.7 percent use smartphones, and 41.3 percent use tablets for online browsing and shopping for holiday gifts and products. This is far greater than last year’s statistics.
• Mobile commerce apps will play an important part in the shopping this season, as 54.6 percent of women and 41.9 percent of men use shopping apps at least somewhat frequently – far more than in 2012.
• Smartphones are helping with shopping in brick and mortar shops, as 40.3 percent of the respondents use their devices while inside the stores to assist in their decision making.
• Parents are using mobile commerce to comparison shop for better prices while inside brick and mortar retail locations. This was the case among 64.5 percent of moms and 63.2 percent of dads.

These devices are being labeled “smartpens” and are the very latest in note taking tools.

The Livescribe 3 gadgets are being nicknamed smartpens are devices that are used to automatically transfer notes that have been written by hand onto the screen of a tablet or smartphone.

However, they also have a type of capacitive tip that allow them to be used as a stylus, as well.

The Livescribe 3s are in essence gadgets that work like a premium form of ballpoint pen that will allow you to take notes on paper and wirelessly transfer them to the virtual world in a quick and easy way. It connects to the mobile device by way of Bluetooth. Once that connection has been activated and the supporting app has been launched on a smartphone or tablet, any notes that are taken on paper through the use of the smartpen.

These gadgets provide a comfortable and realistic bridge between handwriting and the digital world.

At the same time, even if the gadgets aren’t activated, or connected to a mobile device, it can still perform. Its battery lasts as long as 14 hours and, as long as it is fully charged, it can store everything that has been written so that it can be transferred to the device once it is reconnected. Moreover, the pen can be used for activating the microphone of a device so that audio can be recorded at the appropriate location within the notes. Beyond that, it also has a cap that converts the traditional pen into a stylus that can be used against the screen of the smartphone or tablet.

According to the Livescribe CEO, Gilles Bouchard, who spoke about these gadgets, “People shouldn’t have to choose between their pen and their digital devices. The Livescribe 3 smartpen sends everything they write on paper to their tablet or smartphone, where our mobile application makes this information useful in truly innovative ways.” Bouchard added that “It’s simply the most elegant and versatile pen we’ve ever made.”

These gadgets are compatible with iPhone 4S devices and newer, as well as everything including and after the third generation of full sized iPads, all of the iPad Mini tablets, and everything including and after the iPod Touch fifth generation.

There are two different version of the Livescribe gadgets. The first smartpen costs $149.95 (RM471), and includes both a USB charging cable and a 50 page notebook. The other model is the Pro Edition, which costs $199.99 and includes the charging cable, a 100 page notebook, an additional ink cartridge, and a subscription for one year to Evernote Premium. Already available in the United States, its launch in Canada, Europe, and Asia is coming soon.