Mobile app or mobile browser? Which do you prefer? Or do you like to use both?If you said you like to use both mobile apps and a mobile browser depending on what you're trying to do on your mobile device, than you're like the majority of Americans.eMarketer reports that 75% of the U.S. population subscribes to a mobile phone service and 114 million people are expected to access the web via a mobile device in 2012. Those millions of mobile consumers share something in common -- there are some mobile activities that they prefer to do via a mobile browser and some that they prefer to do via mobile apps.According to a study by Yahoo! and Ipsos (a market research company), which was conducted in the latter half of 2011, mobile shoppers prefer mobile browsers while people looking to connect with other people while they're on the go prefer to use mobile apps. Here's the detailed breakdown of browser vs. app activities from the study:

• Shop: 73% browser, 27% app
• Search: 63% browser, 37% app
• Entertain: 60% browser, 40% app
• Manage: 46% browser, 54% app
• Inform: 39% browser, 61% app
• Navigate: 35% browser, 65% app
• Connect: 31% browser, 69% app

It's important to point out that mobile behaviors are changing quickly, and as new apps are developed, these results could shift significantly. For example, based on this study there are clearly huge opportunities for mobile app developers to provide better apps for mobile shopping.Without a doubt, there is much more of this story to be told, and 2012 might be the year we see some developments in the mobile space that will define the future of mobile activities in a brand new way -- or at the very least, end the app vs. browser battle.So which do you prefer -- mobile app or mobile browser?Image: Bruno Pedro