Ringing sales for Samsung

SAMSUNG Electronics, the world's top maker of memory chips and smartphones, estimated on Friday that its October-December profit would jump 73% to a lifetime high, aided by one-off gains and record-smashing sales of smartphones.

The South Korean firm, which surged past Apple as the world's top smartphone maker in the third quarter, is quickly building on its supremacy with sleek designs and a rich product line-up, whereas the latest models from the likes of HTC, Nokia and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion struggle to interest consumers.

Its handset division is now Samsung's biggest earnings generator, raking in record profits.

Smartphone shipments are forecast at a record 35million in the fourth quarter, up one-quarter from the preceding three months.