Yours truly quoted, Anna Rohleder at Opera News:
“Folks have their phones with them at all times. And because of the way they move around using a lot of public transportation, a good percentage actually hold their phones.” Being so visible to others, the mobile then also becomes an object to be decorated for display. He continues: “From young to not so young, people go beyond just putting a case on their phones. There are stickers, photo stickers, extensions with cute things on them or lights sometimes.”
In South Korea the ‘handphone’ is essential.