Android Sees More Fans Around the World

Google's Android operating system is gaining more and more fans all around the world, a recent report from digital measurement firm comScore shows. According to the firm, the main reason for the increased popularity of the platform is the availability of the Motorola DROID at Verizon, and due to the ad campaign the carrier has put in place for the handset.

At the same time, the company also notes that around 17 percent of the American consumers that are using a smartphone are aiming at purchasing a device that runs under the Android operating system within the next three months. In comparison, 20 percent of them are thinking about acquiring an Apple iPhone, the firm further states.

“With handsets on multiple carriers, from multiple manufacturers, and numerous Android device models expected to be in the U.S. market by January, the Android platform is rapidly shaking up the smartphone market,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. “While iPhone continues to set the bar with its App Store and passionate user base, and RIM remains the leader among the business set, Android is clearly gaining momentum among developers and consumers.”

For the time being, the Android platform enjoys only a small market share, yet one should agree that it has been growing pretty fast when compared to the last year. According to comScore, the media behavior of Android phone users is what shows why operators and media companies are bound to adopt the platform and help it grow even more.

“An analysis of mobile media consumption on smartphones revealed that users of both Apple and Android-supported devices were more likely to engage with mobile media than an average smartphone user. Users of the Apple iPhone were most likely to consume mobile media, with 94 percent of users doing so in September 2009, while 92 percent of Android device users, predominantly T-Mobile G1 users, engaged in mobile media activities, 12 percentage points higher than an average smartphone user,” the company notes.

Moreover, it seems that the behavior of Android and iPhone users tends to be about the same when it comes to accessing news via the phone's browser, or to the application management. However, it appears that iPhone users are far more fond on their email than users of Android-based handsets, namely 87 percent versus 63 percent. “Overall, these data suggest that Android users will behave more like iPhone users than other smartphone users,” comScore concludes.