GetJar disagree that mobile applications download will reach 50 billion in 2012. The study found that revenue opportunities in Europe will increase from $1.5 billion in 2009 to $8.5 billion in 2012 and in America from $2.1 billion in 2009 to $6.7 billion in 2012. Asia is presently the major mobile app consumer and holds 37% of the market. North America, however, spent the most money on applications, and was responsible for % of app revenue.

Mobile phone subscriptions is expected to resist the economic crisis and top five billion this year, but the high speed Internet remains a “digital divide” between rich and developing countries, a U.N. agency said on Tuesday. By the end of 2009 there were 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions globally, corresponding to a penetration rate of 67 percent, the ITU’s annual report on developments in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector showed. “Demand for mobile telephony is fairly resilient with consumers willing to spend their disposable income on mobile services even at times of financial constraints,” statistician Esperanza Magpantay stated at the launch of the ITU’s 2010 report on Measuring the Information Society.

Dell confirmed its plan of playing in the smartphone arena. In fact, the company has already signed up China Mobile and Brazil’s Claro (America Movil) as its first operator partners. Dell’s touchscreen Mini 3 device, running the Android operating system, will go on sale via China Mobile by the end of November, while Claro will offer the device by the end of the year. “Our entry into the smartphone category is a logical extension of Dell’s consumer product evolution over the past two years,” commented Ron Garriques, president of Dell Global Consumer Group, in a statement.

David Owens of Sprint Nextel confirmed that Sprint is looking into offering dual-mode CDMA/GSM Android devices, taking into consideration functionality similar to Novatel’s MiFi router. Owens said the company will be selling lots of Android devices from HTC in 2010, and that he expects price points to come down as the platform is more widely adopted. Sprint hopes to offer Windows Mobile 7 phones as soon as possible, but is dependent on Microsoft to prepare it. As for Sprint’s BlackBerry offerings, the Tour will gain Wi-Fi, and Sprint will release other Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerries. Furthermore, Owens mentioned that WiMax phones will be available next year, and that it will no longer allow tethering on its smartphones.

Research firm, Gartner, released a forecast that smartphones sales will increase by 29% per year until it reaches 180 million units in 2009. Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner, says “PC vendors will find it difficult to simply use existing supply chains and channels to expand their presence in the smartphone market. The smartphone and notebook markets are governed by different rules when it comes to successfully marketing and selling products.”