Coming to a smartphone party near you

I realize I'm a little biased in the world of smartphones. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a proud iPhone user. I love the apps, the ease of use, the large screen and the "bells and whistles."

In real estate, having a smartphone is not just an option but a necessity. Everyone wants a response right now, not later today.

So the question remains, can the iPhone still hold its lead in 2010 as the top smartphone in the United States?

According to Nielsen …

According to Nielsen ratings, the iPhone is still the most popular smartphone, followed by the BlackBerry 8300 series, but despite all the new smartphones flooding the market, Motorola's trusty Razr (yep, the RAZR!) flip-phone was the third most-popular phone of the year.

What about Android?

ComScore.com, a research and metrics company, announced a few days ago the release of its latest report on the mobile market, "Android: Crashing the Smartphone Party." The report provided an overview of the current U.S. mobile environment and offered an in-depth look at the Android operating system. Among the report's findings: consumer awareness of Google's Android is growing rapidly, due in large part to the Verizon Droid ad campaign.

Here comes Google!

Coming to the smartphone party (possibly) next month is Google's Nexus One. Nexus One puts Google in business against other providers of Android-based phones. Google is the major force behind Android. Will this create a backlash against the company, or did other providers get into the Android game aware that Google eventually would make this move?

A major shift happened …

A new survey of smartphone users by PC World and Macworld found that 85 percent of smartphone owners were extremely or very satisfied with their handsets, and the same percentage said they rely heavily on them. On a typical day, people use their phones two-thirds of the time for personal use and the balance for business. This highlights the HUGE shift with smartphones from primarily corporate use to a wider consumer customer base, courtesy of the iPhone.

So what is it about the iPhone?

I think one of the biggest reasons consumers, especially real estate professionals, love the iPhone is because of how easily it works -- not to mention Apple's incredible branding campaign. ...CONTINUED

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