Cell phone sales up 22 percent as economy recovers

The number of cell phones sold worldwide rose 22 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, as both the economic recovery and an appetite for smartphones drove a rebound in sales, according to research firm IDC.

Research In Motion, the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry smartphones, broke into the top five of the world's largest phone makers for the first time. Manufacturers shipped 295 million phones in the quarter, IDC said. Nokia kept its place as the world's largest maker of phones, followed by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. However, Motorola dropped out of the top five.