Android passes 250 million activations as Android Market tops 11 billion downloads

Apple may steal the headlines, but it's Android that's the dominant platform in the smartphone scene, with Google revealing total handset activations have now passed the 250 million mark.

That's up 50 million from the figure recorded in November, meaning activations are running at a rate of around 5.6 million new devices a week.

Record results

The numbers were released as part of Google's Q4 2011 financial results, which though not including any figures specifically relating to Android saw the firm record $10.6 billion in revenue.

That's the first time the company has recorded more than $10 billion in a quarter, up from the $8.4 billion recorded during the same period in 2010.

The big numbers don't stop there, either, with Google also pegging Android Market's app download tally to date at 11 billion, up from the 10 billion figure recorded a the start of December.

That puts Android Market's monthly download tally at around 667 million - well up on the 270 million a month rate the store averaged during its first three years.

[source: Search Engine Watch]