What's the Deal with the Disappearing SmartPhones?

Recently I began shopping for a new cell phone for my wife and I found a very disconcerting fact. The AudioVox and Motorola SmartPhones aren't available any longer. This puzzles me greatly.

When the AudioVox SmartPhone came on the market MOST of my friends and colleagues in my industry got it. It was amazing to see Ken Getz, Scott Guthrie, and a slew of other people not only purchase the phone, but also rave about it publicly. We've all had this phone for a year or less now, and it appears as though it is no longer available through any carrier. Sure, you might be able to purchase an unlocked version for several hundred dollars, but that just puts us in the realm of Verizon SmartPhones.

Let's talk about the Verizon SmartPhones for just a second now that I've brought it up. It seems to me that what is clearly the nation's best cellular carrier (based on public opinion as well as my own experience) is dragging MUCH more than its feet when it comes to SmartPhone offerings. When last I checked, they offered a single, large clamshell type design and it was close to $500. That's simply rediculous in today's world. Verizon should be first and best when it comes to phone offerings if they've got a network like they've got. That's just the way it is.

Verizon aside, though, why would Cingular stop (or just "not") offer the AudioVox or the Motorola MPx220? I mean, now that I've had a SmartPhone I will NEVER go back to any other type of phone unless this one died and I had no choice because nobody was offering one. I think a lot of people feel the same way.

With all this in mind, I pose this question to anyone who might be able to answer or offer any information or advice:

What's the deal with the lack of availability of SmartPhones?