Android ahead

As many as 850,000 devices running on the Android operating system are being activated every day, according to Android's developer, the US search giant Google. The announcement was made on Monday during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Android thus continues to dominate the smartphone and tablet market. Google said daily activations in which new devices connect to the company's servers were up a staggering 250 percent from a year ago.

Currently, there were more than 300 million Android devices in use all over the world, the company stated.

Google's download platform for smartphones and tablets is also gaining in importance. The company said it increased its product range from 150,000 to 450,000 different apps last year.

Google allows many mobile phone producers to commercialize the Android operating system and adapt it to their own needs.

Apple losing out?

Android already has more than 50 percent market share in the smartphone sector. The other big player is Apple's iOS, but Apple traditionally stays away from Barcelona and hence can't market its operating system there.

With smartphones running on either Android or iOS clearly dominating the market, current opportunities for other producers seem negligible.

But Microsoft manager Achim Berg sees a market niche for cheaper mobile phone brands. "At present, the biggest sales growth is seen in the low-budget range, and I do believe that the market is not yet fully divided up," Berg told dpa news agency.

"There's no doubt still room for a third player," Berg added. Microsoft has its own smartphone operating system which has not yet taken off, although analysts predict that the arrival of Windows 8 will give Microsoft a new chance.

In Germany, Android-operated smartphones had a market share of 60 percent in 2011, with devices running on Apple's iOS only reaching 21 percent.

hg/mll  (dpa, AFP)