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Sales of smart-phones are soaring, with a 95% increase in numbers shipped over the last three months alone. According to figures from research company Canalys in the most recent quarter, 80.9 million smart phones were shipped, compared almost half of that figure this time a year ago. World mobile phone market leader Nokia still sold the most devices, Canalys reported, though its share of the global smart phone market slipped to 33%, while Apple saw its share rise to 17%, just over-taking RIM, which managed a 15% share. 

In the US, the newcomer’s lead over RIM was more pronounced, as Apple, buoyed of course by its iPhone sales, took 26% of the American market for smart phone sales in the three month period to end of September 2010. RIM’s latest baby, Torch, featured only partially in the quarter’s figures. 

Canalys pointed out that devices running the Android platform saw spectacular growth in the period, soaring from sales of only 1.4 million in the third quarter of last year to a massive 20 million units in the same period in 2010. This equates to almost 25% of the current smart phone market. Part of the reason behind this is Canalys points out, the fact that so many different and differently priced Android devices are now available. All the same, the Nokia backed Symbian Foundation remained the leading operating system for smart phones in the period.

Devices running Microsoft’s OS accounted for only 3% of worldwide smart phone shipments in the third quarter. However, following the launch of the new Windows Phone 7 devices, Microsoft can expect to make a much bigger impact in the future.