Android Crowned Leading U.S. Smartphone Platform

Google's Android smartphone operating system is now the most prevalent in the U.S., having overtaken previous market leader RIM, according to data from comScore.

The measurement firm estimates the Android platform was running on an average of 31.2 percent of handsets in the three months ending January 31, compared with a 30.4 percent share for RIM's OS, and a 24.7 percent share of market for Apple's iOS.

Android's growth appears to have come largely at the expense of RIM's, which saw the reach of its OS dip 5.4 percentage points over the three-month period. Despite the launch of its Windows Phone 7 OS, Microsoft's market share also suffered, decreasing by 1.7 percentage points. Meanwhile, Apple's share remained relatively flat, growing its share by 0.1 percent, while Google's grew by a substantial 7.7 percentage points.

It's important to note, however, that this data reflects OS use on smartphone devices only, and does not include other connected devices such as tablets or the iPod Touch.