76.9 million tablets were shipped around the world in the last three months of of 2013, according to figures from the International Data Corporation (IDC). That’s 62.4% up from the previous quarter and a year-on-year increase of 28.2%, although a much lower growth rate than the same quarter in 2012.

Total tablet shipments for 2013 reached 217.1 million units; up 50.6% from the previous year.

Google is selling its Motorola Mobility mobile phone business to Lenovo for $2.91 billion (£1.76bn). Lenovo, which already produces Android smartphones, will maintain Motorola as a separate brand.

Google will keep most of the Motorola Mobility patent portfolio, although it will license these to Lenovo.

Figures from the International Data Corporation (IDC) show annual smartphone shipments passing the milestone of one billion units in 2013. A new report from the market intelligence company shows worldwide smartphone shipments reaching 1,004.2 million smartphones in 2013, up 38.4% from the 2012 total of 725.3 million units.

Smartphone shipments in 2011 were 494.4 million units, which means these shipments have doubled in the past two years.

While smartphone shipments for the past quarter are reported to have risen by over 38% year-on-year, the growth of tablet sales hasn’t been any less dramatic.

Figures from the International Data Corporation show tablet shipments up 36.7% year-on-year (and 7% from the previous quarter) to 47.6 million units.

Figures from the International Data Corporation show that worldwide smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2013 reached a new record for the second consecutive month.

Total smartphone shipments were up 38.8% year-on-year and up 9% from the previous quarter to 258.4 million devices.