Smartphones Most Popular Mobile Device by 2011

Mobile access has been a small business owner's best friend and competitive edge for as long as the technology's been affordable to the masses. And, as a recent study by the Nielson Company shows, smartphones are edging out their slightly less-smart mobile phones.

It's understandable. Standard mobile phones may offer email and games, but mobile smartphones offer a whole raft of productivity applications, not to mention app stores with a seemingly endless supply of software for virtually every need.

EnterpriseMobileToday.com has the details about the shifting trend, and if you're in the market to buy a smartphone for yourself or your business, you can learn how to buy the best smartphones in our Guide to Small Business Smartphones.

Smartphones are rapidly growing in popularity and acceptance and will likely surpass the feature phone -- standard phone handsets with a few extra bells and whistles like basic e-mail and some games -- some time next year.

That's the projection from Nielsen Company, which found that smartphone growth is continuing to accelerate. Smartphones accounted for 21 percent of wireless subscribers at the end of 2009, but 45 percent of people surveyed said their next device will be a smartphone.

Read the complete Smartphones to Overtake Feature Phones in U.S. by 2011 article