This is an awesome sliver of news coming from the business world.  NASDAQ and the Consumer Electronics Association have teamed up to announce NASDAQ OMX CEA Smartphone Index.  The new index is comprised of 84 companies “that are primarily involved in the building, design and distribution of handsets, hardware, software, and mobile networks associated with the development, sale and usage of smartphones.”  The smartphone industry has certainly become an important and impactful industry as of late; receiving its own index in the stock market further cements its significance thus far in the world of technology.  Some of the companies in the index include Apple, Google, and Research in Motion (RIM).  It was given a starting value of 250.00 on April 12; today it currently sits at 257.14.

[Via MarketWatch; Engadget]