Smartphone sales to soar in 2009

Smartphone sales are set to grow in 2009 partly because of the wide variety of web applications available for the handsets, according to Mobile Choice magazine.

The publication said that the smartphone’s ability to download various applications is a major appeal to consumers and will contribute to increased sales over the next year.

Huw Morgan, editor at Mobile Choice, highlighted Apple’s current domination of the mobile web applications, which is due to the way it has “packaged and promoted these applications on its App Store”.

He added that although users have been able to download applications for years from dedicated online libraries such as Handango, the announcement of application developments from Research in Motion Blackberry and Android will enable users of more smartphones to do the same.

According to projections from ABI Research, the market for mobile internet devices - the new class of internet-connected products offering “always-on” web browsing, photography, video and navigation - will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 167 per cent over the next five years.