Going by the reports of researchers at the market tracker NPD Group, the 2009 first quarter saw Research In Motion (RIM) beat Apple in the smartphone arena - with RIM's BlackBerry Curve outselling the popular Apple iPhone!

Though the researchers did not provide the total-units-sold figures pertaining to the two devices, they noted that the marketing and the widespread availability of the Curve in the US helped its market share jump a yearly 15 percent more; in comparison to the 10 percent drop in US market share of the iPhone.

Refraining to comment on the total number of iPhones sold, Apple said that it had shipped 3.8 million iPhones to wireless carriers during its fiscal second quarter that ended March 28; while RIM reportedly shipped 7.8 million BlackBerrys during its fiscal fourth quarter that ended February 28.

NPD analyst Ross Robin said that the increase in the sales of the Curve resulted largely from its rather aggressive-launched "buy-one-get-one" advertising by US carrier Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC.

In addition, the Curve also fared better than the iPhone because of its wider availability - it is sold by all four major US wireless carriers - vis-à-vis the iPhone's availability only through AT&T, due to its exclusive arrangement with Apple.