Smartphone sales this year will pass 420 million devices, while by the end of 2016 sales this will exceed 1 billion. That's according to IMS Research, an independent provider of market research and consulting service to electronics companies.

In Q1 of 2011, Nokia led the industry in market share with 24 percent, followed by Apple with 19 percent and RIM with 16 percent. That sounds good for Nokia, but it shows a drop from 40 percent during the same period last year. Happier news came for Samsung, whose share grew 10 percent grow for a 13 percent share and HTC, whose share reached 10 percent (4 percent growth). Source: IMS Research