By the Numbers: Top 10 Most Popular U.S. Handsets in September

Editor’s Note: The following lists ranks the 10 most popular handsets in the United States for the month of September. Rankings were provided by AvianResearch L.L.C.

The firm derives its ranking via its Monthly Retail Store Survey, which polls 100 service representatives at retail stores to gauge consumer interest in handsets available at the four major carriers in the United States. For the purposes of this list, RCR Wireless News has added carrier information beyond the four largest carriers surveyed by Avian.

Research In Motion Ltd. has held the top spot on the ranking for five straight months, with the BlackBerry Pearl topping the list in April, and the Blackberry Curve dominating the list from May through September.

Avian noted RIM likely gained share at Sprint Nextel stores during September due to a promotion on the Curve for $100. The firm also noted iPhone sales seem to have leveled off at some stores. The firm also observed that half of the top 10 devices are smartphones and that touchscreens appear to be a popular selling point, with four out of the top six devices featuring touchscreens.

This list differs from one recently provided by NPG Group due to different tabulation methods.

Top 10 Most Popular U.S. Handsets in September
Device	%	Available at	Picture
RIM Blackberry Curve	26.1	AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, others
Apple iPhone	9.2	AT&T Mobility
LG Dare	7.9	Verizon Wireless
RIM Blackberry Pearl	6.6	AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, Centennial Wireless
LG Voyager	6.5	Verizon Wireless
Samsung Instinct	5.8	Sprint Nextel
LG Rumor	5	Sprint Nextel
LG Shine	3.5	AT&T Mobility
Palm Centro	2.9	AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel
Nokia 5310	2.5	T-Mobile, Centennial Wireless
Source: Percent rankings of respondents provided by AvianResearch L.L.C.; carrier from carrier Web sites