Two sets of data are out this morning from Canalys and NPD group measuring handset sales in Q3 2010. These are Q3 numbers only; not overall marketshare figures. They show directional momentum but not total marketshare or absolute number of units shipped.

Canalys:

Global: Apple had a 17% share of smartphones; RIM has 15% share this quarter. US: Apple had a 26% share, RIM fell behind Apple (as IDC and others have confirmed). Android phones  ("OHA" in the chart below) collectively captured the largest share of Q3 shipments at 43.6%.

NPD: 

Here are the top selling US handsets in Q3 according to NPD; four out of five were smartphones:

1. Apple iPhone 4 (smartphone)
2. BlackBerry Curve 8500 series (smartphone)
3. LG Cosmos (messaging phone)
4. Motorola Droid X (smartphone)
5. HTC EVO 4G (smartphone)

Android's growth was dramatic, moving from a 3% share in Q3 2009 to a 44% share in Q3 2010. Apple and RIM's share of shipments declined relatively speaking -- RIM's significantly. Here are the YoY Q3 numbers according to NPD:

• Android: 3% --> 44%
• iPhone: 29% --> 23%
• RIM: 46% --> 22%

Again it must be emphasized that these numbers are Q3 only and don't reveal absolute unit sales or shipments. Clearly, however, Android -- with its several carrier relationships and multiple hardware OEMs -- has got tremendous momentum in the US. 

We'll see what happens when the iPhone finally goes on sale at Verizon. But it's probably about a year too late to slow Android's momentum. RIM, for its part, has got to be increasingly concerned that its momentum is in the wrong direction.