Smartphones: not just for nerds anymore

Online mobile phone retailer Wirefly, a site operated by InPhonic Inc., released a report on the sharp growth in smartphone sales of late. The company said smartphone sales have increased 70 percent in less than six months from the third quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2007.
The company attributed the sharp growth to two factors: the public’s increased awareness of smartphones due to national advertising programs, and the widening field of thinner, more stylish smartphones to choose from.
Drastically reduced prices for smartphones-many of which now sell for $100 or less-also likely pushed sales of the devices.
“Smartphones are no longer just high-tech toys for IT specialists or mobile offices for business executives. The general public is now starting to embrace QWERTY keyboard smartphones as versatile cellphones for everyday use. Also, a wider audience is attracted by the availability of slimmer, more pocket-friendly smartphones packed with fun and useful applications,” Wirefly President Brian Westrick said.
The Blackjack from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is Wirefly’s best-selling smartphone, while Motorola Inc.’s Q and Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry Pearl and BlackBerry 8700 series round out the list, according to Wirefly’s sales figures.