(Telecompaper) Worldwide demand for smartphones reached 346.9 million in the second quarter from 333.7 million the year before (+9%), making it the strongest second quarter on record, according to the latest data from GfK. Sales were strongest in Emerging Asia, up 13 percent year-on-year, followed by Central and Eastern Europe with 11 percent, and Latin America with 10 percent. Sales returned to growth in the US, lifted slightly in Africa and were flat in China. They fell in Europe and in Developed Asia.