Android stamps authority on smartphone.

Smartphones powered by Google software widened their lead on BlackBerry handsets in the US market during the first three months of the year, industry tracker comScore reports.

Android smartphones dethroned BlackBerry in January by capturing 31.2 per cent of the US market and that share grew to 34.7 per cent by the end of March, according to comScore.

BlackBerry handsets made by Canada-based Research In Motion (RIM) lost ground in the quarter, ending March with 27.1 per cent of the US market.

Apple was close behind RIM with iPhone running on the California company's mobile platform commanding 25.5 per cent of the market, according to comScore.

Samsung was the top handset manufacturer overall with a 24.5-per cent share of the US market, comScore said, followed by LG with 20.9 per cent, Motorola with 15.8 per cent, RIM with 8.4 per cent and Apple with 7.9 per cent.

According to comScore, 234 million Americans owned mobile devices at the end of March and the number of smartphones owned climbed 15 per cent to 72.5 million.