Apple is finally overtaking Nokia in terms of smartphone shipments this year, as the number of iPhones it shipped worldwide has doubled from last year. Apple will ship over 86 million phones in 2011, which is up 82% from 2010. Nokia, on the other hand, will see its shipments fall to under 75 million units from 100 million in 2010.

These statistics highlight how quickly positions can change in the fast evolving smartphone world, and how much influence that Apple has attained as the sole manufacturer of the iPhone. The total shipment volume of Android handsets is still much greater than iPhones, but these sales are shared among a number of manufacturers while Apple dominates as the single largest smartphone producer in the world. In terms of volume growth, Samsung will see the highest percentage increase in shipments year on year.

Australians have really taken to the smartphone, as the latest report show that almost half of all mobile phone users in the country now own smartphones. Demand for top Android apps in Australia has soared over the last year, and developers have met this demand with a variety of the coolest and best apps for every day tasks like grocery shopping.

For example, a Barcode Scanner app allows users to scan the barcode of almost any product. This allows them to look up prices and reviews of the product online, making it easy to find the best deal on the go via the mobile phone app. Those venturing out on a shopping spree will benefit from the essential Google Maps app, which will help you locate the best route to the store and find out how long it will take to get there. Mighty Grocery is another simple app that lets you take your grocery shopping list with you so you can easily add to it whenever you think of an item you need.

Nintendo investors are pushing the company to move in the direction of smartphone gaming. The opportunity is there because there is currently gap in the market with few iconic titles for iOS and Android outside of Angry Birds. Smartphone games have yet to match the popularity of famous Nintendo titles, but gamers are still choosing to buy smartphones over the latest handhelds from Nintendo like the 3DS.

This latest handheld from Nintendo has performed poorly following its introduction, a performance which is caused by the continuing popularity of the smartphone and a lack of quality new games. Nintendo has already been forced to cut prices on the 3DS system by $80 after only 6 months on the market. This is a worrying sign because it is the earliest that Nintendo has ever had to make significant price cuts.