The HTC Inspire offers 4G and a 4.3-inch screen for a fraction of the price of other smartphones. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired

Smartphones used to be reserved for those wealthy enough to fork over hundreds of dollars for a handset — and over a grand each year to actually use said handset over a data connection. But the times, they are a-changin’.

Although the iPhone dominated smartphone sales last quarter — with the iPhone 4 and 3GS taking the number one and two spots, respectively — a new trend is taking shape: super-cheap smartphones for the masses.

The average price of smartphones has dropped...

Long before the Kindle Fire ever went on sale, Amazon’s $200 tablet was a massive hit. Pre-order projections have surpassed the million-device mark, and hype is at an all-time high. Now all Amazon needs is a large cache of apps to take on competing markets.

Though the company’s Appstore has some catching up to do, all of the Fire’s pre-release fervor could be stoking the flames of software development. Indeed, in a recently released survey, the Kindle Fire received top marks for developer interest, attracting the most support from North American coders.

Forty-nine percent of the some 2,100...