A new report issued by IT industry analyst IDC showed that 54.7 million smartphones were shipped in the first quarter of 2010, showing a 56.7 per cent rise on the same period in the year before.
The study also discovered that converged mobile devices made up 18.8 per cent of all mobile phones shipped over the year, growing from 14.4 per cent in 2009.
Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's mobile devices technology and trends team, predicted that 2010 will be another year of strong growth in the converged device market.
'Consumers will gravitate to smartphones not just because the devices themselves look 'cool' and 'slick', but because the overall experience aligns with their individual tastes and demands,' he added.
Earlier this year, IDC said that users want more than just telephony and messaging from mobile devices, which is driving the popularity of smartphones.
The study also discovered that converged mobile devices made up 18.8 per cent of all mobile phones shipped over the year, growing from 14.4 per cent in 2009.
Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's mobile devices technology and trends team, predicted that 2010 will be another year of strong growth in the converged device market.
'Consumers will gravitate to smartphones not just because the devices themselves look 'cool' and 'slick', but because the overall experience aligns with their individual tastes and demands,' he added.
Earlier this year, IDC said that users want more than just telephony and messaging from mobile devices, which is driving the popularity of smartphones.
