(AP) CAIRO (AP) — Al-Qaida vowed to keep fighting the United States and avenge the death of Osama bin Laden, which it acknowledged for the first time Friday in an Internet statement apparently designed to convince followers that it will remain vigorous and intact even after its founder's demise.
Al-Qaida's plots are usually large-scale and involve planning over months or even years. But Western intelligence officials say they are seeing increased chatter about cheap, small-scale attacks — perhaps by individuals or small extremist groups inspired to take revenge for the killing.
"USA, you will pay!" chanted more than 100 participants in a pro-bin Laden protest outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Friday.
A Western intelligence official said no concrete threat has emerged so far that authorities considered credible. "There have been mentions of shootings, bombings and random violence, though it is not surprising, given bin Laden's death," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Authorities in the U.S. and Europe chose not to elevate threat levels.
Interpol has asked law enforcement agencies in 188 countries to be on alert for retaliatory attacks. Communities have been warned to report anything suspicious. Embassies and some American businesses have added new security measures.
Despite the Internet chatter, reaction in the Islamic world to bin Laden's death has been relatively muted compared with the rage that he long inspired, raising questions about his relevance in the Middle East — a region that has been changed by a wave of pro-democracy uprisings.
The al-Qaida statement, entitled "You lived as a good man, you died as a martyr," did not name a successor to bin Laden. His deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, is now the most prominent figure in the group and a likely contender to take his place.
"The blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is too precious to us and to all Muslims to go in vain," the statement said. "We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries."
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/06/ap/business/main20060481.shtml
Friday, May 6, 2011
Suspected Osama bin Laden aide set for US extradition over 1998 bombings
A Saudi man accused of conspiring with Osama bin Laden in the bombings of two US embassies expects to be extradited to face charges after more than 12 years in British custody, according to documents which have emerged from a US court.
Prosecutors in New York have charged Khalid al-Fawwaz with helping al-Qaida to orchestrate the 1998 car bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people.
A letter from a lawyer seeking to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence counsel said: "He [Fawwaz] anticipates extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States within the next few months to face these charges."
The lawyer, David Kirby, told Reuters that he had been in touch with Fawwaz's British lawyers, who he said had told him they had exhausted all efforts to fight Fawwaz's extradition, and he could arrive in the US in the next few weeks.
Kirby's request to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence lawyer was denied by Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan federal court, who is presiding over the case. He asked him to renew his application once Fawwaz arrives.
Fawwaz, who was arrested in 1998, moved to London in the 1990s from Kenya with his family, and established an organisation called the Advice and Reformation Committee, a political group headed by Bin Laden that was said to be campaigning for peaceful reform in Saudi Arabia.
US investigators said Bin Laden, through Fawwaz, published several threats against the US in the 1990s for keeping troops in Saudi Arabia, and also against so-called crusaders for allegedly waging war on Muslims.
Fawwaz has fought against his extradition, denied any involvement with Bin Laden and rejected allegations that the committee was a British arm of al-Qaida.
Ahmed Ghailani, a former bodyguard for Bin Laden, was sentenced to life in prison in January over the embassy bombings, following a six-week trial in Manhattan. He was the first former Guantánamo Bay detainee to face a civilian trial in the US.
He was captured in 2004 in Pakistan after a battle with government troops, and was later found guilty of being part of the plot in which hundreds of were killed in twin bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
Four co-defendants of Ghailani were convicted of all charges, including joining an al-Qaida conspiracy to kill US nationals, during a 2001 trial in New York.
Prosecutors in New York have charged Khalid al-Fawwaz with helping al-Qaida to orchestrate the 1998 car bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people.
A letter from a lawyer seeking to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence counsel said: "He [Fawwaz] anticipates extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States within the next few months to face these charges."
The lawyer, David Kirby, told Reuters that he had been in touch with Fawwaz's British lawyers, who he said had told him they had exhausted all efforts to fight Fawwaz's extradition, and he could arrive in the US in the next few weeks.
Kirby's request to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence lawyer was denied by Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan federal court, who is presiding over the case. He asked him to renew his application once Fawwaz arrives.
Fawwaz, who was arrested in 1998, moved to London in the 1990s from Kenya with his family, and established an organisation called the Advice and Reformation Committee, a political group headed by Bin Laden that was said to be campaigning for peaceful reform in Saudi Arabia.
US investigators said Bin Laden, through Fawwaz, published several threats against the US in the 1990s for keeping troops in Saudi Arabia, and also against so-called crusaders for allegedly waging war on Muslims.
Fawwaz has fought against his extradition, denied any involvement with Bin Laden and rejected allegations that the committee was a British arm of al-Qaida.
Ahmed Ghailani, a former bodyguard for Bin Laden, was sentenced to life in prison in January over the embassy bombings, following a six-week trial in Manhattan. He was the first former Guantánamo Bay detainee to face a civilian trial in the US.
He was captured in 2004 in Pakistan after a battle with government troops, and was later found guilty of being part of the plot in which hundreds of were killed in twin bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
Four co-defendants of Ghailani were convicted of all charges, including joining an al-Qaida conspiracy to kill US nationals, during a 2001 trial in New York.
Father of captured soldier seeks Pakistan's help
(AP) BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The father of the only U.S. soldier held captive in the Afghan war appealed to the Pakistani military for help in freeing his son in a video posted on YouTube on Friday.
The parents of Spc. Bowe Bergdahl have declined to say much publicly since their son went missing from his base in southern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. While it's unclear where the 25-year-old soldier is being held, a video released on the Internet earlier this week shows him standing next to a senior official in the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network in Paktika province in Afghanistan.
In Friday's video, Idaho resident Bob Bergdahl urges members of the Pakistani military to help secure his son's release. He directly references Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the head of the country's intelligence service.
"Our family is counting on your professional integrity and your honor to secure the safe return of our son," he said. "And we thank you. Our family knows the high price that has been paid by your men in the army and the frontier corps. We give our condolences and thanks to the families of those who have fallen for Pakistan."
Idaho National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano, a liaison for the U.S. Army in Idaho, confirmed that Bob Bergdahl is the man in the video.
Wearing a long beard he began growing just after his son's capture, Bob Bergdahl speaks in both English and Arabic in the video, and he talks directly to members of the Haqqanis and their military commander, Mullah Sangeen.
"Strangely to some, we must also thank those who have cared for our son, for almost two years, Mullah Sangeen, the Haqqanis, and others who have played a role in sheltering the American prisoner," he said. "We know our son is a prisoner and at the same time a guest in your home."
The U.S. considers the Haqqani group to be its greatest enemy in Afghanistan. U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, complained last month that Pakistan's military-run intelligence service maintains links to the Haqqani network. The Haqqanis are Afghan Taliban who control parts of eastern Afghanistan and have bases in Pakistan's North Waziristan frontier tribal region.
The video comes after Osama Bin Laden's death on Sunday in Pakistan. Bergdahl doesn't allude to any relationship between that and the timing of this video.
Speaking to his son, Bob Bergdahl offered reassurances that the family has done all it can — and that they want him home safe.
"We have been quiet in public, but we have not been quiet behind the scenes," Bob Bergdahl said. "Continue to be patient and kind to those around you. You are not forgotten."
In the video, Bergdahl appears to reference the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or Taliban.
"We understand the rationale the Islamic Emirate has made through their videos," Bergdahl said. "No family in the United States understands the detainee issue like ours. Our son's safe return will only heighten public awareness of this. That said, our son is being exploited. It is past time for Bowe and the others to come home."
Bergdahl does not indicate to whom he's referring to with the phrase "the others." There are no other U.S. soldiers in captivity in Afghanistan.
Marsano said he was uncertain about the passage.
"I'm not privy to all the information Mr. Bergdahl has, nor did he ask me to expand upon his remarks," Marsano said.
A phone call to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., wasn't immediately returned.
The Bergdahls, who live in a home outside of Hailey near the tourist resort of Sun Valley, have largely shunned media attention following their son's capture. Last year, Bowe Bergdahl's mother, Jani Bergdahl, attended an elementary school ceremony after students wrote President Barack Obama urging him to help bring about the captive's release.
The parents of Spc. Bowe Bergdahl have declined to say much publicly since their son went missing from his base in southern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. While it's unclear where the 25-year-old soldier is being held, a video released on the Internet earlier this week shows him standing next to a senior official in the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network in Paktika province in Afghanistan.
In Friday's video, Idaho resident Bob Bergdahl urges members of the Pakistani military to help secure his son's release. He directly references Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the head of the country's intelligence service.
"Our family is counting on your professional integrity and your honor to secure the safe return of our son," he said. "And we thank you. Our family knows the high price that has been paid by your men in the army and the frontier corps. We give our condolences and thanks to the families of those who have fallen for Pakistan."
Idaho National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano, a liaison for the U.S. Army in Idaho, confirmed that Bob Bergdahl is the man in the video.
Wearing a long beard he began growing just after his son's capture, Bob Bergdahl speaks in both English and Arabic in the video, and he talks directly to members of the Haqqanis and their military commander, Mullah Sangeen.
"Strangely to some, we must also thank those who have cared for our son, for almost two years, Mullah Sangeen, the Haqqanis, and others who have played a role in sheltering the American prisoner," he said. "We know our son is a prisoner and at the same time a guest in your home."
The U.S. considers the Haqqani group to be its greatest enemy in Afghanistan. U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, complained last month that Pakistan's military-run intelligence service maintains links to the Haqqani network. The Haqqanis are Afghan Taliban who control parts of eastern Afghanistan and have bases in Pakistan's North Waziristan frontier tribal region.
The video comes after Osama Bin Laden's death on Sunday in Pakistan. Bergdahl doesn't allude to any relationship between that and the timing of this video.
Speaking to his son, Bob Bergdahl offered reassurances that the family has done all it can — and that they want him home safe.
"We have been quiet in public, but we have not been quiet behind the scenes," Bob Bergdahl said. "Continue to be patient and kind to those around you. You are not forgotten."
In the video, Bergdahl appears to reference the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or Taliban.
"We understand the rationale the Islamic Emirate has made through their videos," Bergdahl said. "No family in the United States understands the detainee issue like ours. Our son's safe return will only heighten public awareness of this. That said, our son is being exploited. It is past time for Bowe and the others to come home."
Bergdahl does not indicate to whom he's referring to with the phrase "the others." There are no other U.S. soldiers in captivity in Afghanistan.
Marsano said he was uncertain about the passage.
"I'm not privy to all the information Mr. Bergdahl has, nor did he ask me to expand upon his remarks," Marsano said.
A phone call to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., wasn't immediately returned.
The Bergdahls, who live in a home outside of Hailey near the tourist resort of Sun Valley, have largely shunned media attention following their son's capture. Last year, Bowe Bergdahl's mother, Jani Bergdahl, attended an elementary school ceremony after students wrote President Barack Obama urging him to help bring about the captive's release.
Passage of growth management bill angers environmentalists
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida legislators hit environmental advocates with a one-two punch in the final two days of the session, wiping out 30 years of growth-management laws and passing measures to restrict the public from challenging controversial development projects in the name of economic development.
“This will create jobs for Florida and this will help us turn Florida in the right direction,’’ said Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, as the Senate debated the growth-management bill in the waning hours of the session Friday.
The two bills were pushed through by Republican leaders, who used their majority to squelch Democratic attempts to weaken the bills.
The sweeping growth-management bill, HB 7203, was included in the state’s $68 billion budget bill, which was approved by the House and Senate late Friday night.
The bill dismantles the Department of Community Affairs and repeals the 1985 landmark law that requires developers to take into consideration the impact of their projects on the community and the environment. Its repeal was the priority of House Speaker Dean Cannon as well as Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on the promise of reducing regulations he believes hamper development in Florida.
The legislation shifts oversight of development from the state to local governments while giving the state the final say over development plans that affect regions or sensitive land considered “areas of critical state concern.”
“What we really want the state of Florida to do is provide assistance when they ask, not stuff it down their throats,’’ said Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, sponsor of the Senate bill.
But environmentalists warn that the changes will dramatically change the future of Florida’s land and water resources and harm quality of life.
“More acres of wetlands will be drained and more farmland lost while we neglect to provide adequate funding for infrastructure in our cities,’’ warned Janet Bowman of the Nature Conservancy. “Is this the Florida we want to leave our children?”
While the measure gives local governments added flexibility at imposing requirements on developers, it also restricts how far they can go. The bill bans cities and counties form imposing any impact fees for nonresidential development for two years and automatically extends all permits for large-scale developments for seven years.
Environmentalists tried and failed to soften the impact of the legislation, warning that it could open the door to unfettered growth in the name of economic development.
“People are going to wake up in a couple of years and see the results of this growth management and say ‘What can we do to keep our countryside from being chewed up by development,’ ’’ said Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida. “And the answer will be nothing.’’
The original growth-management laws were enacted to curb urban sprawl that burdened roads, utilities and water supplies. But legislators said that over the years the laws became too complicated and the layers of rules too deep.
The changes remove the requirement that schools, parks and roads be built along with the development that uses them, but it allows local governments to decide whether they want to impose similar requirements.
The bill was such a priority that House and Senate leaders took the unusual move of tucking the House’s growth-management bill into a must-pass budget document. The Senate approved it 31-8, while the House voted it 87-31.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/06/2205303/passage-of-growth-management-bill.html#ixzz1Ld5UgZye
“This will create jobs for Florida and this will help us turn Florida in the right direction,’’ said Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, as the Senate debated the growth-management bill in the waning hours of the session Friday.
The two bills were pushed through by Republican leaders, who used their majority to squelch Democratic attempts to weaken the bills.
The sweeping growth-management bill, HB 7203, was included in the state’s $68 billion budget bill, which was approved by the House and Senate late Friday night.
The bill dismantles the Department of Community Affairs and repeals the 1985 landmark law that requires developers to take into consideration the impact of their projects on the community and the environment. Its repeal was the priority of House Speaker Dean Cannon as well as Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on the promise of reducing regulations he believes hamper development in Florida.
The legislation shifts oversight of development from the state to local governments while giving the state the final say over development plans that affect regions or sensitive land considered “areas of critical state concern.”
“What we really want the state of Florida to do is provide assistance when they ask, not stuff it down their throats,’’ said Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, sponsor of the Senate bill.
But environmentalists warn that the changes will dramatically change the future of Florida’s land and water resources and harm quality of life.
“More acres of wetlands will be drained and more farmland lost while we neglect to provide adequate funding for infrastructure in our cities,’’ warned Janet Bowman of the Nature Conservancy. “Is this the Florida we want to leave our children?”
While the measure gives local governments added flexibility at imposing requirements on developers, it also restricts how far they can go. The bill bans cities and counties form imposing any impact fees for nonresidential development for two years and automatically extends all permits for large-scale developments for seven years.
Environmentalists tried and failed to soften the impact of the legislation, warning that it could open the door to unfettered growth in the name of economic development.
“People are going to wake up in a couple of years and see the results of this growth management and say ‘What can we do to keep our countryside from being chewed up by development,’ ’’ said Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida. “And the answer will be nothing.’’
The original growth-management laws were enacted to curb urban sprawl that burdened roads, utilities and water supplies. But legislators said that over the years the laws became too complicated and the layers of rules too deep.
The changes remove the requirement that schools, parks and roads be built along with the development that uses them, but it allows local governments to decide whether they want to impose similar requirements.
The bill was such a priority that House and Senate leaders took the unusual move of tucking the House’s growth-management bill into a must-pass budget document. The Senate approved it 31-8, while the House voted it 87-31.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/06/2205303/passage-of-growth-management-bill.html#ixzz1Ld5UgZye
New Android IceCream Sandwich version on the way
It is expected to be Android version 3.1 and is likely to be a merger of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
The next version of Android operating system will be known as Ice Cream Sandwich, a posting by Google engineer Romain Guy has indicated.
It is expected to be version 3.1 of Android, and is likely to be a merger of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, had recently indicated that the name of the next version of Android would start with 'I' or may even be 'Ice Cream. Even Android chief Andy Rubin had dropped some hints about it in an interview with a news website some time back.
The earlier versions of Android are called Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo (Frozen Yogurt), Gingerbread and Honeycomb. As users may notice, all the versions are named after desserts, and Ice Cream Sandwich could be a new addition to the list.
Honeycomb is the only version that has been created specifically for tablets. The use of the word 'Sandwich' also suggests that it could be a combination of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
The next version of Android operating system will be known as Ice Cream Sandwich, a posting by Google engineer Romain Guy has indicated.
It is expected to be version 3.1 of Android, and is likely to be a merger of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, had recently indicated that the name of the next version of Android would start with 'I' or may even be 'Ice Cream. Even Android chief Andy Rubin had dropped some hints about it in an interview with a news website some time back.
The earlier versions of Android are called Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo (Frozen Yogurt), Gingerbread and Honeycomb. As users may notice, all the versions are named after desserts, and Ice Cream Sandwich could be a new addition to the list.
Honeycomb is the only version that has been created specifically for tablets. The use of the word 'Sandwich' also suggests that it could be a combination of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: For entertainment, by the entertainers
In comparison to competitors such as Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X, the phone does succeeded to leave an imprint in the users' mind but some features need improvement as well.
When the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play entered the market, it generated a lot of discussion. Xperia play is a combination of an Android 2.4 Gingerbread based Xperia phone and Sony's handheld gaming device 'PlayStation'.
Naturally, it prompted the users to expect a Playstattion like performance from this device. Unfortunately, the Android games available for Sony Ericsson Xperia Play do not have any exclusivity attached to them.
Sony Ericsson has managed to fit in a four inch display, which works just fine when users are playing indoors. But the screen does not give the desired gaming experience outdoors. Due to the curved design, the phone sets itself nicely into the hands of the users. The smoothness of the sliding mechanism is also commendable; sometimes it opens unintentionally too!
Users would be very glad to discover that the SIM card and MicroSD cards can be accessed with no need to remove the battery at all.
The device has been created for entertainment and it reflects in the product. Take the speakers for example, which are way better than other phones. The RAM available for games is 400 MB out of total 512 MB, which is okay but isn't sufficient for the hard core gamers who are always hankering for more.
It has 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chip that gives more power to the users compared to Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X that have use dual core systems on a chip.
The plastic used to build the outside of the device could have been better. Once you go inside the device, apart from the trademark PlayStation game controller, rest of the device is more like other Android phones.
Xperia Play runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3.2. Gaming on this phone gives a feel of PlayStation, and the graphics, though not intense, work well for the users. Use of the touchpad needs some learning, be ready for it. The problem is, most of the Sony gamers are used to analog joysticks, so the touchpad might feel a bit difficult for them to use.
Battery life is not that great, but if you consider one days worth of (on and off) gaming as adequate then the battery works just fine for you. The software extras used by Sony Ericsson on the Xperia Play are going against the battery, and it is something Sony Ericsson can easily take care of. For gaming, the phone works well for users but in endurance tests, other phones with a better battery life may end up doing well.
When the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play entered the market, it generated a lot of discussion. Xperia play is a combination of an Android 2.4 Gingerbread based Xperia phone and Sony's handheld gaming device 'PlayStation'.
Naturally, it prompted the users to expect a Playstattion like performance from this device. Unfortunately, the Android games available for Sony Ericsson Xperia Play do not have any exclusivity attached to them.
Sony Ericsson has managed to fit in a four inch display, which works just fine when users are playing indoors. But the screen does not give the desired gaming experience outdoors. Due to the curved design, the phone sets itself nicely into the hands of the users. The smoothness of the sliding mechanism is also commendable; sometimes it opens unintentionally too!
Users would be very glad to discover that the SIM card and MicroSD cards can be accessed with no need to remove the battery at all.
The device has been created for entertainment and it reflects in the product. Take the speakers for example, which are way better than other phones. The RAM available for games is 400 MB out of total 512 MB, which is okay but isn't sufficient for the hard core gamers who are always hankering for more.
It has 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chip that gives more power to the users compared to Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X that have use dual core systems on a chip.
The plastic used to build the outside of the device could have been better. Once you go inside the device, apart from the trademark PlayStation game controller, rest of the device is more like other Android phones.
Xperia Play runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3.2. Gaming on this phone gives a feel of PlayStation, and the graphics, though not intense, work well for the users. Use of the touchpad needs some learning, be ready for it. The problem is, most of the Sony gamers are used to analog joysticks, so the touchpad might feel a bit difficult for them to use.
Battery life is not that great, but if you consider one days worth of (on and off) gaming as adequate then the battery works just fine for you. The software extras used by Sony Ericsson on the Xperia Play are going against the battery, and it is something Sony Ericsson can easily take care of. For gaming, the phone works well for users but in endurance tests, other phones with a better battery life may end up doing well.
Google Android tops smartphone platform market in U.S.: research
SAN FRANCISCO, May 6 (Xinhua)-- Latest research released Friday shows that Google Android has become the No.1 smartphone platform in the United States in the first quarter as more smartphone manufacturers have adopted the operating system.
During the three months ending in March, Google Android grew 6. 0 percentage points to 34.7 percent market share, among the 72.5 million U.S. smartphone users, reported comScore, an Internet marketing research company.
The number of smartphone users increased by 15 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, said the research.
Research in Motion, developer of Blackberry smartphones, ranked second with 27.1 percent, a slide of 4.5 percentage points on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Apple grew 0.5 points to 25.5 percent share, followed by Microsoft (7.5 percent) and Palm (2.8 percent).
According to the research, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices in the first quarter. Samsung ranked as the top handset maker with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, and LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (15.8 percent) and RIM (8.4 percent). Apple continued to gain share following the launch of the Verizon iPhone, growing by 1.1 percentage points to 7.9 percent of subscribers.
On mobile content use, 68.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in March. Browsers were used by 38.6 percent of subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 37.3 percent (up 2.9 percentage points).
Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.6 percentage points, representing 27.3 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games comprised 25.7 percent of the mobile audience, while listening to music represented 17.9 percent, said the report.
During the three months ending in March, Google Android grew 6. 0 percentage points to 34.7 percent market share, among the 72.5 million U.S. smartphone users, reported comScore, an Internet marketing research company.
The number of smartphone users increased by 15 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, said the research.
Research in Motion, developer of Blackberry smartphones, ranked second with 27.1 percent, a slide of 4.5 percentage points on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Apple grew 0.5 points to 25.5 percent share, followed by Microsoft (7.5 percent) and Palm (2.8 percent).
According to the research, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices in the first quarter. Samsung ranked as the top handset maker with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, and LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (15.8 percent) and RIM (8.4 percent). Apple continued to gain share following the launch of the Verizon iPhone, growing by 1.1 percentage points to 7.9 percent of subscribers.
On mobile content use, 68.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in March. Browsers were used by 38.6 percent of subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 37.3 percent (up 2.9 percentage points).
Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.6 percentage points, representing 27.3 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games comprised 25.7 percent of the mobile audience, while listening to music represented 17.9 percent, said the report.
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