Android is taking off here in India because it's creeping into the low-end. I'm sure the same thing is happening in most countries.
Last week I got a Samsung Galaxy Y. It's small, sturdy, has swype input and has great battery life. Gmail, reader & facebook over 3G or wifi.
The price: just $140!!!
I used to try high-end phones and then go back to low-end Nokias. Now, I'm not going back to my $40 Nokia and I'm definitely not going to pay $700+ for an iPhone that won't even have Swype.
edit: extra sentence