Despite a recent report suggesting Nokia has the worldwide smartphone market sewn up, it's Motorola that's supposedly the dominant mobile OEM in the US, accounting for just under 24 percent of the 234 million subscribers across the country during December 2009.

That's according to the latest figures released by marketing research firm comScore's MobiLens venture.

ComScore's latest statistics are based on each manufacturer's share of US subscribers (aged 13 and over) in the three month period leading up to December 2009.

Driven by Droid

Compared to comScore's September statistics, Motorola has seen its overall mobile share fall by 1.4 percent. Nonetheless, the American firm retains its lead over its nearest rival, LG, which held on in second place with 21.9 percent. Samsung was a close third on 20.4 percent.

Gaming on mobiles is also up - no doubt due, in part, to the rise of the smartphone - accounting for 21.6 percent of all mobile use across the period.

The company also reports that BlackBerry manufacturer RIM currently enjoys a healthy lead over smartphone rival Apple when it comes to mobile operating systems.

BlackBerry handsets secure 41.6 percent of all US subscribers to Apple's 25.3 percent.

Though currently last in the standings, Google with Android saw the highest growth in this market in the three month period, its share more than doubling to 5.2 percent by the end of the year.

Old empire

ComScore's statistics also highlight the stark differences between the state of play in Europe and the US.

While Nokia is the most popular manufacturer in Germany according to comScore's November figures – accounting for 35.4 percent of all subscribers – the Finnish firm's US share has fallen to just 9.2 percent.

And in a complete reversal, US leader Motorola holds only fourth place in Germany, with 8.6 percent of the market.

You can browse comScore's summary of its findings on the company's website.