More than 80% of iPhone buyers in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom use the device to browse the Web for news and information, compared with only 32% of other users, a market research firm said Friday.

With the latest numbers based on usage of the original iPhone, the faster iPhone is expected to drive usage even higher, ComScore said.

"Our data confirm that the iPhone and its requisite data plan have succeeded in drawing consumers to the mobile Web," ComScore analyst Paul Goode . "Even without 3G networking, users are happy to browse and consume as much content as they can, and as soon as the data speeds improve, these figures will likely continue to increase."

Fully 42% of iPhone users visited a social site on their device in May, compared with 10% of other smartphone users and 3% for the cell phone market as a whole, ComScore said. was another popular feature, with nearly 70% of iPhone users sending and receiving messages, versus 25% for other users of advanced mobile phones and 7.6% of the market as a whole.

The lower price of the new iPhone, which is $200 less than the basic model of the original device, is expected to boost adoption in the European markets, where penetration of carriers' faster 3G, or third-generation, data networks has reached 26% of the market in the United Kingdom, 23% in Germany, and 17% in France.

Despite the favorable numbers for the iPhone, remains the smaller player in Europe in the smartphone market. The Nokia's N95 with high-speed 3G support accounts for more twice as many users as the iPhone in the three European countries, ComScore said.

"Yet the iPhone, despite its small user base, is already in the top 10 handsets for online browsing in the U.K. and in the top five in France and Germany," Goode said. "It is giving devices like Nokia's N series and Sony Ericsson K and W series a definite run for their money."