Samsung has managed to outsell both Apple and Nokia in the first three months of 2012. The manufacturer claims to have surpassed both smartphone makers by more than 7 million units and now claims to be in control of almost a third of the market. Samsung managed to ship over 42.2 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2012, claiming about 29% of the total market. During the same period, Apple only sold 35.1 million units, while Nokia sold 11.9 million.

According to statistics from Nielsen, U.S. smartphone penetration is nearly at the halfway mark as of January. 48% of American adults now have smartphones,up from 44% in the third quarter of 2011. The Nielsen findings are based on a survey of 20,000 mobile users.

According to a study by Forrester, the number of global smartphone users will reach over 1 billion by 2016. According to the study, 350 million users will be using their devices for work purposes. Furthermore, 50% of those users will be bringing in their own devices to work. The study also revealed that global mobile spending could reach $1.3 trillion by 2016, with consumers paying somewhere around $55 billion on mobile apps only.

According to a new report by research firm Gartner, Google's Android mobile OS was installed on more than half of smartphone devices sold in the third quarter.The study revealed that Android was installed on 52.5% of the total smartphones sold. According to Roberta Cozza, an analyst with Gartner, Android "benefited from more mass-market offerings, a weaker competitive environment, and the lack of exciting new products on alternative operating systems". The study also revealed that smartphone sales have increased by 42% in the third quarter, and have accounted for 26% of total mobile phone sales around the world.

A new survey by Arab Advisors reveals that smartphones constitute 43.7% of cellular handsets in the UAE. The survey also revealed that the Blackberry is the most popular smartphone in the UAE, accounting for 51% of smartphones in the region. The iPhone ranked second, while Symbian operating phones came in third. 

Two additions to the LG Optimus Series of smartphones, the LG Optimus Pro (LG-C660) and the LG Optimus Net (LG-P690) were introduced by LG Electronics (LG) today. Both smartphone series run on the latest Android 2.3 platform. The version 2.3 of Google Android mobile operating system, best known as Gingerbread, offers enhanced multimedia support, enhanced power management and better gaming support.

The gaming ecosystem is undergoing major technology and business model transitions that will last beyond 2015. Gartner, Inc. estimates that worldwide spending on the gaming ecosystem will exceed $74 billion in 2011, up 10.4 percent from 2010 spending of $67 billion. By 2015, spending will reach $112 billion.