Smartphone success comes at the expense of middle-ground of "feature phones," industry jargon for the sort of camera-phones and music-player-phones .

Meanwhile, buyers are opting for . That's why industry watchers expect Research in Motion will see a 10 to 20 percent rise in sales this quarter, despite a 10 percent slump in the overall market. Even in a recession, people seem unable to resist buying themselves a cool phone.