Android in 15pc of work phones, iPhone at 31pc

Android's footprint in the workplace has gone up 60 percent in just a few months, ChangeWave found in a study today. Only 10 percent of US companies used Android in May, but the number shot up to 16 percent in August. The iPhone was the only other platform to grow but moved up just slightly to 31 percent.

Among Android phone designers, HTC and Motorola were virtually even for demand at 15 and 16 percent each. Launches of recent flagships like Motorola's Droid 2 and Droid X, along with HTC's Droid Incredible, helped Android get significant footing. Some of the results were inflated by the traces of Windows Mobile devices both firms still sell.

The combined effect of Android and the iPhone has cut into competiors. BlackBerry use faced the largest hit and dropped to exactly two thirds of US smartphone support at work. Windows Mobile dropped slightly to nine percent and was joined by those allowing PalmOS or webOS, who now represent just six percent.

RIM has tried to downplay the effect of competitors on its core phone business and this summer sold 12.1 million BlackBerry phones, but it has lately been facing a visible pushback from companies less likely to stay loyal than before. Security is less stringent on both Android and iOS devices than it is on the BlackBerry, but it's now often at an acceptable level for companies to start letting workers use Android and iPhone devices they increasingly prefer to use.

By Electronista Staff