Macwold UK reports on a recent survey carried out by Solutions Research Group which looks at the likely demographic of US purchasers of the iPhone. The results are based on an online survey of 1,230 American consumers in May 2007, and reveal some interesting, though arguably predictable results, about who said they would buy the $499 device.

• 72 % of early adopters will be male with an average age of 31-years.
• 58 % will have completed college, and that they will have higher incomes than most US consumers.
• The research claims iPhone user’s $75,600 per year household income will be 28 % higher than the national average.
• 48 % of potential buyers don’t currently own an iPod.
• Residents of tech-savvy regions, New York and California, will account for 43 % of total first wave iPhone buyers.

So your average iPhone early adopter will be male, in their late 20s to early 30s, affluent, and live on the East or West coast.

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Sporting a 10inch screen and full-size keyboard, Palm’s new device called Foleo — which the company’s founder Jeff Hawkins talked up as a new product category in itself — is essentially a note-pad-sized laptop, designed specifically to dynamically sync with and compliment the computing power of a smart-phone. The problem that Palm is attempting to solve is that no matter how powerful cell phones have become, there are times when a larger screen and proper keyboard makes more sense — such as composing emails, editing a spreadsheet, or using web apps.

BT and Sony have inked a four year deal that will see the two companies bring voice calls, video conferencing, and IM functionality to PlayStationPortable (PSP) users across Europe. The partnership intends to integrate the PSP with BT’s existing broadband video and voice ‘softphone’ products, and in the following months, additional features will be launched to enable calls and messages to PCs, fixed lines and mobiles. The service will initially roll-out in the UK, with other parts of European to follow.

In a joint press release, Steve Andrews, BT chief, Mobility and Convergence, is quoted as saying:

“The PSP is an excellent device for both gaming and communications, because of its high quality screen and audio capabilities. With over 8 million PSPs shipped across Europe, we are very excited by the opportunity to give customers a whole new communications experience, connecting and seeing friends across the world through BT’s technology”.

It’s certainly true that Sony’s hand held game console has a very nice screen and good audio, but I can see a couple of issues holding it back from being a really useful communications device. Instant Messaging will be a pain, as there is no touch screen or physical keyboard. Additionally, the machine will have to connect over WiFi, and in the UK at least, we are far from free or low cost ubiquitous WiFi access, and I don’t think the PSP’s younger users are going to have the spending power to hang out at Starbucks all day long — making it OK for use around the home, but not really viable as a mobile communications device.

Update: The BBC has more details, including a video demonstrating the snap-on video camera for video calls. Also of note, the new PSP functionality will only work on home or BT wireless hotspots because it utilises BT’s 21 Century Network (21CN), which is specifically designed for Internet Protocol (IP) technology such as VoIP.