Handsets running on Google’s Android operating system were most popular among consumers in the United States who bought a smartphone in the past six months, research firm Nielsen Co. reported on Tuesday.


With sales of Android phones picking up paces, Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s Blackberry “are in a statistical dead heat for second place among recent acquirers,” Nielsen said.
Data from the research firm showed that Android phones captured 32 percent of U.S. smartphone sales in August, while 26 percent and 25 percent of consumers bought BlackBerry and iPhone respectively.
Among all U.S. smartphone owners, Blackberry still held the dominant share of 31 percent in August, down from 36 percent in January, Nielsen said.
And iPhone ranked second with the share remaining relatively steady at 28 percent. Share of Android phones leaped to 19 percent, compared with just 8 percent in January.