mobileu.co.uk

Google Android sales up by 350 per cent

The number of people buying smartphones running on Google's Android operating platform jumped by 350 per cent in the first six months of this year.

German research group, GfK, found that Android's share of the contract mobile phone market is now 13 per cent, shooting up from three per cent at the beginning of the year. The figures show that around one in 10 contract phones now sold in the UK is a Google Android handset.

GfK analyst, Megan Baldock, said the brand recognition was building very rapidly. “The figures suggest an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name," she said. “Operating systems are no longer simply a by-product but a key selling point in their own right.”

The rapid rise of the operating system is largely due to the increasing number of phone manufacturers opting to run their devices on the system.

Google launched its own-brand Nexus One handset earlier this year, while the HTC Legend and HTC Desire have been well-received by consumers. The upcoming flagship phone from Samsung, the Galaxy S, is also being run on the system. Its as-yet-unconfirmed launch date is being preceded by a very high-profile marketing campaign.