Like just about everything else for sale in the United States, cell phone sales fell in the fourth quarter of 2009, but Smart Phones saved the day. Smart Phones, like the Apple iPhone and the new wave of Blackberrys, actually experienced increased sales while other phones were crashed. “The fourth quarter was the perfect storm of factors to produce this result,” Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team, said in a statement.

”A combination of weak end-user demand, currency volatility, and limited credit availability prevented the market from experiencing the usual seasonal increase in shipments.” Nokia and Research in Motion led the wave of growth in Smart Phone demand, causing manufacturers to turn their attention to development of new and more affordable Smart Phone models and applications. Whoever has the next hot Smart Phone, will get the next wave of profits. All others will be hanging by their fingernails.