Just a year ago, the mobile industry’s giant duo owned roughly half the market. This year, Apple and Android dominate more than 80 percent of it. According to a report released Thursday by International Data Corporation, 59 percent of the 152.3 million smart phones shipped in the calendar quarter ending in March were Android and 23 percent were Apple iOS. That's nearly a 30-percent jump from the two companies’ 54.4 percent share of shipments during the same period in 2011. The remainder of the market is split between Symbian (6.8 percent), RIM Blackberry (6.4 percent), Linux (2.3 percent) and Windows 7/Mobile (2.2 percent).

If the trend continues, consumers loyal to Blackberry, Linux and Windows may have to turn to dealers of used cell phones to stick with their chosen product. That said, there are certainly good reasons to switch over to the user-friendly products that are most popular. From the PCW story:

The popularity of Android and iOS stems from a combination of factors that the competition has struggled to keep up with," Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program, said in a statement. "Neither Android nor iOS were the first to market with some of these features, but the way they made the smartphone experience intuitive and seamless has quickly earned a massive following," he added.

In addition, both platforms have been able to build robust developer communities, added Kevin Restivo, a senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker program. "In order for operating system challengers to gain share, their creators and hardware partners need to secure developer loyalty," he observed.

"This is true because developer intentions or enthusiasm for a particular operating system is typically a leading indicator of hardware sales success," he added.

Soon it’s going to become trendy to have a different phone for different areas of life: One for talking to mom, one for work, and one for each of your boyfriends. Okay, we’re kind of kidding – but not really. CTIA, the Wireless Industry Association, recently released a survey showing that mobile “penetration” has risen to exceed one device per person in the U.S.

According to the survey, U.S. wireless subscriber connections increased 7 percent between 2010 and 2011, reaching 331.6 million people, according to CTIA.  Most significant is the finding that wireless penetration has reached 104.7 percent, greater than one device per person. The CTIA research, titled “CTIA Wireless Industry Indices Report”  includes wireless service providers serving 95 percent of U.S. wireless subscribers as of Dec. 31, 2011.

We just can’t resist pointing out that if the trend is heading toward multiple phones per person, as this shows, consumers could save a boat-load of money by making their array of devices used cell phones. The lightly used, refurbished ones are just as cool, and way cheaper—promise. And most importantly, you can keep those racy text messages from one boyfriend on one phone away from your other boyfriend while he’s looking at your other phone…

For Memorial Day, a Bozeman funeral home teamed up with a national non-profit organization to help keep soldiers connected to their loved ones while collecting used cell phones for them to use. Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit that provides pre-paid calling cards and free phone services to deployed military members.

"I think what they do is fantastic. I really wish we had the opportunity to use their services," said Sgt. Jack Morehead, a member of the 163rd Cavalry Regiment. Sgt. Morehead returned home to Belgrade in September from a yearlong deployment to Iraq. "It's easy to lose sight of when the deployment will end so being able to call home every day or whenever you got the opportunity keeps you grounded and keeps you strong."

Cell Phones for Soldiers was started in 2004 by two siblings – Since then, they’ve provided more than 150 million minutes of free talk-time to soldiers.

"We so often take for granted that we can pick up a phone and call our mom or dad and obviously for our troops that are deployed overseas that's not always an option for them. So, this program really facilitates that and what a great way to help out as a community. We can join together and get these phones collected and sent off," said Dokken-Nelson Funeral Director Chris Remely.

Memorial Day is over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still contribute to a worthy cause. You can always send your used cell phones to the non-profit or donate money.

If you’ve been pining away for the new LG smart phone, you may have to wait a bit longer. LG Electronics, based in South Korea, announced that a shortage of Qualcomm Inc. mobile-phone chips will likely foul plans to raise production and sales of smart phones this year.

“It’s one of the issues that is giving us headaches,” Park Jong Seok, head of the company’s mobile sector, said in Seoul after unveiling a new Optimus phone using a Qualcomm chip today. “They aren’t able to give us what we are asking them for.”

Qualcomm is the largest maker of chips for phones, and it’s in short supply of the chips needed to offer faster connections to the Internet from mobile devices that use the Long Term Evolution, or LTE, technology. Phone makers such as LG are adopting the technology to lure consumers demanding higher speed.

While you might have to wait for that brand-new high-speed LG phone, you can find any number of used cell phones to keep you talking until they come along.

While a couple of years ago you couldn’t have said so, nowadays it seems people don’t prefer certain cell phone carriers over others – among the top four companies, that is.

Likely because Sprint Nextel and AT&T have spent time and money on improving their customer service, they succeeded in “narrowing differences among the Big 4 wireless carriers to the point that they're basically even in terms of pleasing their subscribers, according to a study released Tuesday.”

The American Customer Satisfaction Index — developed by the University of Michigan and now run by a private company, ACSI LLC– puts Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless within two points of each other on a 100-point scale of customer satisfaction — the smallest spread since the survey started examining all four companies in 2005. It’s also recent, though. Last year, AT&T was trailing, while Sprint and Verizon led. That was new for Sprint, which was last just four years ago.

Since the stragglers have caught up, it looks like at least for now, whether consumers are talking courtesy of Sprint, Verizon or another top carrier, they’re pretty much happy. So what if they added to that the ability to get a lightly used handset at a super low cost through a dealer who sells used cell phones – and remain with the carrier of their choice? Seems like that would be the cherry on top.

A research lab in Belgium is developing a 60GHz radio transceiver chip that would allow huge amounts of data to be sent between mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones. Says here in this Techeye.net piece that, “the prototype chip could help push adoption of the wireless signal spectrum in consumer products in the future.  While much radio spectrum operates at much lower frequencies - the upcoming UK 4G auction will be selling at around the 2.6 GHz range - 60GHz spectrum will offer vastly increased speeds.”

Apparently data rates of 7Gbps are attainable over short distances, and Imec, working with Panasonic, says they can provide that kind of speed  while keeping power consumption down.  What does his mean for you, dear reader? Well, that you could send vast quantities of information, or large files, at speeds much higher than we’re currently used to.

“Imec says that one of the areas which has been blocking uptake so far has been the amount of power required for using spectrum in mobile devices,” the story says. “The research lab says that its CMOS-based transceiver is aimed at requiring less energy for use with the IEEE802.11ad standard.”

Obviously it will be awhile before all of this gets sorted out, but it could speed up our lives quite a bit it sounds like, and they’re already moving pretty fast! In the meantime, maybe we should enjoy our “dumb phones,” first generation iPhones or used cell phones of varying brands…

While people used to clip coupons, meticulously file them in a drawer and then tuck them into their wallet when they went to run errands, now, the whole process has gone digital. Half of smart phone and tablet owners are now using their devices to snag the best deal at a store, whether through coupon searches on their phones in-store, price comparison apps or social network recommendations.

A report by a firm called GfK found that half of all smart phone and tablet users do this, most of them in order to feel like they have more “control” over the buying process. (Not shocking, really). The ones who are really into it, the report covered in Mediapost says, “are leveraging their device at every key stage of the purchase process, from research to peer recommendations, value-seeking to the purchase itself.” Most of those folks are also making wide use of various social networks, not just Facebook.  On sites like Pinterest, people can follow each other’s shopping or product profiles, seeing recent items bought and reviewed and trending. On niche sites like Houzze.com, people looking for design elements for their homes or yards can browse items and see what designers are using, what items are trending highly and which have fallen out of favor. This makes for less browsing in store and more preparation before heading out to shop. It also means more people are finding a better price online and thus leaving the place they’re currently shopping in – yet another incentive for retailers to ensure their prices are competitive.

People who don’t yet have smart phones may see this as one reason to finally buy one. But if they’re such heal hounds, they might want to browse – online, of course! – the wares of companies that buy used cell phones and fix them for resale. These outfits typically sell lightly used cell phones for around half the price of a brand new version at a carrier shop such as Sprint. That way, they can get a deal on a device through which to get more deals!

No matter which top-tier carrier happens to be on the very top at any given time, you certainly can’t feel badly for Sprint Nextel, which according to our news-savvy sources just landed a four-year, $2 billion wireless contract from the Western States Contracting Association. The contract is one of the biggest this year for Overland Park-based Sprint, and as the above story points out, it will give participants access to wireless devices, unlimited data plans, accessories, applications and other products. So, um, what is the WSCA? It’s a group of 15 states that united to bolster their purchasing power and in turn manages concerns such as public safety, public education, utility and health care entities, as well as certain nonprofits.

If, like some of our friends, you happen to be a Sprint client and you dig the service but are not too keen on the devices the company offers you, remember that you can always turn to independent businesses that sell refurbished used cell phones. You can still use Sprint’s network if you so choose, but you have a much wider selection of devices to choose from and can spend somewhere in the neighborhood of half the money than you would at Sprint’s retailers. And hey, since the big carrier continues to rake in money from its service and from contracts like the one we just mentioned, you don’t have to feel badly about it (not that you would…).

Between smart phone banking and the emerging generation of “wearable” devices that conjure a 21^st Century space-age Bond, those of us with a preference for things like screen-free days and used cell phones are feeling a little uneasy. Consider the idea of tap-to-pay apps for smart phones. Yes, inventors and code writers are doing their best to enable us to just tap a screen with our finger to pay for our groceries, but as Caribou Honig, cofounder and partner of venture firm QED Investors, points out in Forbes, we technophobes can rest easy for a while. Here’s his analysis:

The path to a successful mobile payment solution in the U.S. has been long, windy, and full of potholes.  The carcasses of failed mobile payments companies litter the curb like roadkill.  Predicting the future of mobile payments has been difficult at best, or a fool’s errand at worst.

He continues:

Apple will include Near Field Communication (NFC) in the next iPhone, embed a digital wallet as part of iOS, and enable Tap to Pay.  3^rd party developers will create innovative, value-added “spokes“ to plug into the mobile wallet “hub.”  This will be the watershed event that prompts merchants, motivated by a mix of fear and greed, to upgrade their point-of-sale terminals to support NFC, and as a consequence even competing mobile wallet platforms will benefit.

Tap-to-Pay On Plastic

Before jumping into the discussion of mobile payments, first consider the abject failure of tap-to-pay on plastic.  Whether branded as MasterCard’sPaypass or Visa’s payWave, the payment networks make a simple promise: “make everyday purchases without having to swipe the magnetic strip on your card.”

There are two big problems here.  Fatal problems, actually.

First, the value proposition is very weak.  Do consumers care about shaving a few seconds off the time it takes to swipe a card?  Is tapping really 10X better than swiping?  The user experience of swiping plastic has been refined over the course of fifty years.  It’s really quite good.

Tap-to-pay with plastic was a technology solution in search of a problem.

Second, like most innovations in payment technology, the tap-to-pay technology suffers a chicken-and-egg problem.  Without widespread adoption by consumers, merchants have little reason to support the new technology.  Without acceptance at a high proportion of merchants, consumers have little incentive to even try the technology.

Well, in that case, it looks like it’s going to be a while before there’s a magic tap-to-pay app. Doesn’t bother us a bit.

Stumped for what you’re going to get mom this year, and resisting the urge for the same old bouquet? You’re not alone. And a lot of folks are going to opt for something electronic. According to the National Retail Federation, the average person will spend $152.52 on gifts, up from $140.73 last year. Certainly the most common purchase is a greeting card, with 83 percent of the sample planning to buy one, followed by flowers and some sort of pampering service, like a spa day or a massage.

But 13 percent say they plan to choose an electronic gift, such as tablets, digital cameras or a cell phone. If your mother is like ours, she might be somewhat interested in a smart phone but hesitant to dive into the brave new world of virtual keyboards and apps. In that case, giving the gift of technology – and some tutorials to introduce her to it – could get you a super high score of good-child-points this year.

And here’s the thing –since mom isn’t super phone savvy and probably doesn’t care about having the latest version of Angry Birds or Siri on her device, you don’t have to spring for the most expensive new phone on the market. You could make a solid from a wide selection of lightly used cell phones and still take her on a technological leap without breaking the bank. In fact, you could get a great device gift for around the price of this year’s average gift – or just a little bit more.