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Curve Grabs Top Spot as Best-Selling Smartphone

BlackBerry zooms past iPhone with giveaways

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 5, 2009 1:54 AM CDT

(Newser) – The Blackberry Curve has overtaken the iPhone to become America's best-selling smartphone, Ars Technica reports. First-quarter figures from research firm NPD reveal that the iPhone fell into second place for the first time since the iPhone 3G was launched last summer, according to first-quarter figures from research firm NRD. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion's phones also took the third and fourth spot, and T-mobile's G came in fifth.

Giveaway promotions contributed heavily to Curve's success, according to NPD, which noted that smartphones now account for almost a quarter of mobile phone sales. "The more familiar and less expensive, Curve benefited from these giveaways and was able to leapfrog the iPhone, due to its broader availability on the four major US national carriers," said an NDP exec. He added that the iPhone may be set to reclaim top spot with the impending release of new hardware.

The BlackBerry App World application is shown in use on a Blackberry Curve.
The BlackBerry App World application is shown in use on a Blackberry Curve.   (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
Smartphones now account for almost a quarter of US mobile phone sales, according to research firm NPD.
Smartphones now account for almost a quarter of US mobile phone sales, according to research firm NPD.   (©ydhsu)
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Verizon Wireless's aggressive marketing of the BlackBerry Storm and its buy-one-get-one BlackBerry promotion to its large customer base contributed to RIM capturing three of the top five positions. - Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis
at the NPD Group

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