The latest (November 2012) mobile browser stats from market analytics firm Net Applications, has revealed which mobile browser is used most around the globe by smartphone and tablet users.

Thanks to the popularity of the iPhone and iPad, Apple’s Safari mobile browser dominates within the mobile browser arena, snapping up a whopping 61.85% of the market share. Coming in a distant second is Google’s Android browser with 26.24%, whilst the tech giant’s Chrome browser grabs another 1.14% share for the company.

The Android browser’s gain from less than 18% at the beginning of the year to more than 26% currently, came at the expense of the third placed Opera Mini. Opera Software’s mobile browser might be popular with feature phone users, but this popularity has not transferred to the mobile device arena, with its market share decreasing from nearly 20% in January 2012 to 7% currently.

On the mobile browser fringes, we find RIM’s (Research In Motion’s) BlackBerry browser and its 1.09% stake, and Microsoft’s IE (Internet Explorer) with its share of 0.95%. IE 9 handes the web surfing on all Windows Phone Mango-operating devices, whilst users with a Windows Phone 8-powered smartphone browses the net via the mobile version of IE 10.

The Symbian browser with its 0.69% stake and Opera Mobile with its 0.53% share round are the final two significant mentions.