Smart phones are expected to make up 15% of the global
mobile phone market this year, as users adopt wider mobile data
services.
Analyst ABI Research said the number of smart phones sold this
year will reach 123 million devices, representing 15% of total
mobile phone sales.
ABI said increased interest in data services was a key driver of
the growth in sales, alongside wider 3G coverage to fully support
smart phones.
ABI also predicted that, by 2010, 25% of all smart phones will
be able to connect over a Wi-Fi network.
This will enable cheaper calls to be completed over a standard
phone network, and give users easier access to business
applications running on a corporate network.
The analyst added that Linux and Windows were also poised to
take a much bigger share of the smart phone operating system
market, which is currently dominated by the likes of Palm,
BlackBerry and Symbian.
The growth in smart phone use has impacted on the sales of
personal digital assistants (PDAs) without phone capabilities,
according to analyst Gartner.