Smartphone allegiances divided geographically

Certain sections of the United States favor smartphones based on specific mobile operating systems, according to the results of new research from mobile advertising firm Jumptap.

Judging by its analysis of smartphone ownership, mobile users in the South and Southwest prefer Android-based devices and those in the Midwest and Northeast tend to own an iPhone. BlackBerry use is strongest in New York, according to the research.

"This new data reveals some interesting patterns ... to consider when targeting consumers using Android devices versus iOS devices," Paran Johar, chief marketing officer for Jumptap, said, of the company's research.

Jumptap's report also revealed that Google's Android continues to enjoy the top spot in the smartphone platform market.

That stat was backed up by a recent market analysis conducted by Canalys. In the second quarter of 2011, Android accounted for 48 percent of the global smartphone platform market thanks to 379 percent year-over-year growth. Apple's iOS held 19 percent of the market, which also made it the top handset manufacturer in the world as its iPhone is the only smartphone running on the mobile operating system.