• by Mark Walsh , May 5, 2011

The worldwide smartphone market grew 80% in the first quarter compared to a year ago as manufacturers rolled out much-anticipated new devices and prices on older models dropped, according to new data from technology research firm IDC. The number of smartphones shipped in the quarter nearly doubled to 99.6 million units from 55.4 million a year ago.

Powered by sales of Android-based handsets, Samsung and HTC have both seen their share of smartphone sales increase dramatically in the last year. Samsung's market share in the first quarter reached 10.8%, up from 4.3% a year ago, while HTC went from 4.9% to 8.9%.

Apple's share grew from 15.7% to 18.7%, aided by the release of the Verizon iPhone in the first quarter, and the debut of its signature device in greater China. By contrast, category leader Nokia's share has fallen from 38.8% a year ago to 24.3%, while BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion has seen its piece of the market slip from 19.1% to 14%.

"The rise of Android as a prominent mobile operating system has allowed several suppliers to gain share quickly," said Kevin Restivo, an IDC senior mobile research analyst, in a statement. "Also, the relatively nascent state of smartphone adoption globally means there is ample room for several suppliers to comfortably co-exist, at least for the short term." Read more here

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