According to the latest report from Gartner, LG overtook Sony Ericsson during the first quarter of 2008 to become the fourth largest handset maker worldwide.

The research firm reported that Sony Ericsson sold 22.1 million units in the quarter, while LG sold 23.6 million; Sony Ericsson’s market share for the quarter is 7.5%, while LG grabbed 8% of the worldwide market.

Nokia continued to dominate the worldwide market, selling 115.2 million handsets during the quarter and increasing its market share to 39.1%, up from 35.5% for the same period last year. Samsung held its place at second, increasing its market share to 14.4% from 12.4% and selling 42.4 million handsets. Motorola's share slipped to 10.2% compared with 18.4% for the same quarter last year.

In another report, IDC found that Research In Motion (RIM) sold the most smartphones in the United States for the first quarter of 2008, more than doubling the nearest competitor's market share. For the first quarter, RIM’s market share jumped to 44.5% from 35.1% in the quarter previous. According to IDC, RIM has successfully broadened its customer base beyond simply business professionals.

While the iPhone was still in second place in the U.S. smartphone market, Apple's market share dropped from 26.7% the previous quarter to 19.2%. Palm held its place at third; increasing its share to 13.4%, up from 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Samsung was fourth with 8.6% of the U.S. smartphone market.