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from the L.A. Times

Android for men, iPhone for women, smartphones for 29.7% of mobile subscribers, says Nielsen

Planning to get a smartphone? If you’re a woman, chances are you want an iPhone.

Meanwhile, Mars residents are likely to go the Android route, according to new research from The Nielsen Co.

Data collected from October shows that 29.7% of mobile subscribers now own smartphones. The iPhone, from Apple Inc., and the Blackberry from Research In Motion are the most – and equally – popular, each commanding 27% of the smartphone market.

The Android operating system followed with 22% of customers, trailed by Microsoft Windows Mobile with 14%. In the dust: Symbian, Linux and Palm.

Out of all consumers looking for a new smartphone, 28% said they wanted one equipped with Google Inc.'s Android. But 35% of current smartphone users said they’d prefer an iPhone.

Apple, Android help smartphone sales double over last year, report says

-- Tiffany Hsu

Photo: Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters