Android growth strongest in smartphone market, report

CNET Science and Information Network April 7 International report smartphones account for a growing share of the US handset market, with the strongest growth in the mobile phone using Google's Android software. Android phones currently account for only 9% of the U.S. smartphone market, but it is the fastest-growing smartphone platform in the past 3 months, according to comscore.　　From November 2009 to February 2010, the market for Android was up 5.2%, probably thanks to the popularity of the Motorola Droid mobile phone. However, Android phones are ranked only fourth in the US smartphone market. Rim and Apple were ranked first and second, with a market share of 42.1% and 25.4% per cent.　　RIM's share of the market has increased by 1.3%, and Apple's share has fallen by 0.1%. At the same time, the biggest drop in market share was Microsoft, which slipped 4% to 15.1%.　　The fifth-largest palm market has also slipped, showing a low acceptance of the palm pre and Pixi handsets. Most American users still use mobile phones in general, comscore surveys show. Americans over the age of 13 have 254 million mobile phones and 45.4 million smartphones. The growth momentum, however, is clearly on the smartphone market, where sales rose by 21% between November and February.