We posted a couple of weeks ago on a list of the 5 most popular mobile phones in terms of sales (see http://www.mywirelessreview.com/smart-phones-rule-almost-most-popular-cell-phones). In that list, provided by NPD Group, the ancient and very unsmart Motorola Razr came out on top, followed by the usual suspects (iPhone, Blackbery Curve and Blackberry Pearl).

Turns out that in the latest salvo in the war of competing lists, smartphones clearly came out on top. According to Avian Research's list of the 5 best selling phones in the U.S. for the month of September 2008, the Blackberry Curve sold best, followed in a distant second place by the Apple iPhone. The un-smart LG Dare came in third, followed by the very smart Blackbery Pearl.

See the full list of top ten sellers at: http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20081016/WIRELESS/810169987/1081/newsletter34

Interestingly, 4 of the top 6 sellers were touchscreen devices, the two Blackberry's being the exception on this score. There is a lot of momentum on the part of handset makers and carriers to offer touchscreen interfaces. But even here we will see continued diversification of offerings. Some will have plain touchscreens. Others (like the new Blackberry Storm) will offer haptic technology which provides the sensation of touching a physical keyboard. And, still others will offer dual interfaces - touchscreen and physical keyboard.

So, who's the winner? It seems that we all are. The range of phones and capabilities on the market or coming to market seems to reflect considerable effort on the part of vendors to satisfy the needs of its diverse customer base.