Tablet owners seek mix of work and play

In a study detailing the different preferences for apps among mobile users, analysis firm Lightspeed Research reveals smartphone owners tend to gravitate toward "fun" apps, while tablet computer owners are more about taking care of business.

According to the report, smartphone owners are more drawn to social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter. In a survey, 73 percent of respondents say they access social networks through their smartphones at least once a day.

In contrast, tablet owners take a more function-oriented approach to mobile apps. The survey finds business apps to be popular, with 63 percent of tablet users indicating they use these programs. Fifty-six percent of respondents use finance and banking apps, while 32 percent say they use social networking apps daily.

However, tablet users are not all about work and no play. According to Lightspeed Research, games are among the top three types of apps used by tablet owners.

Tablets have proven disruptive for a number of computing behaviors. As the technology's popularity continues to grow, experts anticipate tablets will supplant many video-watching and gaming habits, as well as shopping, web browsing and work tasks.