While much of the coverage in the smartphone world centers on Android passing Apple, Android's surging past Research In Motion is even more impressive, in many respects. After all, RIM is on all the major US carriers. RIM sells a variety of handsets, and offers buy one get one free deals.

The chart below from NPD, via Media Memo, is an absolutely wild representation of the power of carrier distribution and the collapse of RIM's dominance in the smartphone world. As you can see, in the span of one year RIM and Android have essentially traded spots. Meanwhile, Apple is down a touch, as it's stuck relying on AT&T as its only distribution point.

Of all the smartphones sold in Q3, 44% of them ran Android. Meanwhile, only 22% ran RIM, and 23% were iPhones.

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