49% of smartphones sold around the world will be running Android at the end of 2012, according to a report from Gartner.

Total worldwide smartphone sales are expected to reach 468 million units this year, which is 57.7% up year-on-year. Android is forecast to have 38.5% of those sales, making it the world's most popular mobile operating system.

Figures from the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker show that the global smartphone market is expected to grow by 49.2% this year. That's over four times faster than the overall mobile phone market.

More than 450 million smartphones are expected to be shipped in 2011, compared to 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.

Microsoft says its 'copy and paste' update for Windows Phone 7 - the first big software update for the platform - was released on Tuesday. The first phones to be updated will be those that aren’t customised for a specific mobile network operator.

The update adds copy & paste functionality to WP7 smartphones...

Microsoft says it's delayed its forthcoming Windows Phone 7 update, which is due to add copy-and-paste functionality and other updated features to the company's mobile platform.

The first WP7 update, designed to improve the update process itself, caused problems with some devices when it was released last month.

Mark Bridge writes:

In recent weeks there’s been a lot of talk about the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft. But taking a look at today’s Form 20-F - the annual report that Nokia is filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission - provides a valuable reminder that nothing’s set in stone.