Google got some good news today from The NPD Group as it prepares for about 4,000 developers to converge on the San Francisco Moscone Center. NPD released the numbers just prior to Google I/O
conference set to kickoff May 19 and 20. That's when the search engine turns a focus toward technical sessions and lectures organized around Google Web Toolkit, APIs, Android and Chrome.
The
Android OS ended the quarter with U.S. market share of 28%, up from approximately 20% in the December quarter. The NPD report attributes the increase to strong sales of handsets like the Droid and
Droid Eris at Verizon Wireless. That compares with Apple's iPhone that held steady at 21% in the U.S. Research In Motion (RIM) remains in the No.1 spot. RIM's BlackBerry family of smartphones owns 36%
of the market.