Worldwide mobile phone sales totalled 286.1 million units in the second quarter of 2009, a 6.1 per cent decrease from the second quarter of 2008, according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphone sales surpassed 40 million units, a 27 per cent increase from the same period last year, representing the fastest-growing segment of the mobile-devices market. The recession continued to suppress replacement sales in both mature and emerging markets.

LiMo Foundation™, a global consortium of mobile industry leaders today announced the newest round of LiMo-compliant handsets has been released to market. Developed by leading device manufacturers and LiMo members NEC and Panasonic Mobile Communications for LiMo board member NTT DOCOMO, these latest handset models offer an array of next-generation features and functionality. This announcement signals a continued expansion of LiMo’s footprint in the global mobile marketplace, as well as growing industry endorsement and coalescence around its collaborative device platform.

Apple® yesterday announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 third quarter ended June 27, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $8.34 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.23 billion, or $1.35 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.46 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion, or $1.19 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.3 percent, up from 34.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 44 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Nokia has posted its second quarter results yesterday. The company used its second-quarter results announcement to talk up its Internet services strategy once again, unveiling a target to have 300 million users of its mobile services by the end of 2011. Nokia has put a huge focus on its strategy of combining “services with high-quality devices” as it faces competition from traditional device manufacturers as well as new competition from the PC and Internet industries.