<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/weekinreview/10giridharadas.html">This rather philosophical New York Times article</a> takes a look at the use of mobile phones in India, staking the claim early on that the popularity of phones there can be explained by the fact that the mobile: <br/> I guess so. Anyhow, it is an interesting read. My take? Mobile phones are wildly popular everywhere in the world for basically the same reason: it is totally, wonderfully awesome to have a little gadget in your pocket that lets you instantly communicate with anyone else on the planet. Looking deeper into it and searching for some kind of cultural / existential relevance can be fun - and - but seems a little bit like saying the car is popular among Mongolians because of their deep desire to return to the nomadic ways of their tribal horseman ancestors. Maybe it is just that cars are really cool?