It seems that smartphones have become a latest trend, as nearly half of the Americans are having it. This has been found during a Nielsen survey based on over 20,000 mobile users. The poll found that as much as 49.7% are proud owners of a smartphone in the month of February, while the figure was at 36% last year in the same month.

The report further revealed that Android has been able to maintain its strong foothold in the market with a 48% market share. The second spot has been achieved by iOS at 32%, and BlackBerry phones are found in 11.6%.

The poll claimed that Apple is gradually dominating the market over other competitors like BlackBerry and Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

You see all of your friends using Facebook and Twitter on their mobile devices and you feel left out if you are not able to participate with them”, said Jonathan Carson, CEO of Digital at Nielsen, who was of the view that there is still a segment of the population foe whom making calls is the sole purpose of having a phone. While this report has affirmed the position of Apple and Google, it is going to be a tough ride for RIM and Microsoft in the time to come.