Nokia C-5 03 has topped the hand hotlist for the month of August in a survey conducted by The Mobile India. 25 handset including the iPhone were included in the survey.

The Handset Hotlist, based on a survey of online preferences, is brought out by The Mobile Indian, and is released every month.

Sreekant Khandekar, director, The Mobile Indian, says, "Since the Hotlist was first released, only 16 models of mobile phones have managed to keep their place in the list, three months in running."

Nokia C5-03 continued to be the most-searched mobile phone on The Mobile Indian for the third consecutive month, followed by Android-based Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830, which stood at No. 4 last month.

The surprise entry is Nokia C2-03, which features on the list for the first time, at No 3. A basic phone, priced at only Rs 4,500 with a S40 operating system, the Nokia C2-03 has a touchscreen and comes with a basic camera.

"Micromax A70, which has figured in the list each month, reaches No. 4, the highest so far. It has consistently been the most searched-for model among the Indian brands on the list," says Khandekar.

Over the last three months, the number of models in the Handset Hotlist with a touch-based keypad has dropped from 17 to 11, while the total number of models with a Touch-Qwerty facility has grown from three to seven. Is this an aberration that will disappear, or does it signal the start of a new trend?

Khandekar adds, "Another possible surmise which can be deduced from the latest Top 25 Handset List is that consumers are now looking for mobile phones with smaller screens, and they would prefer a model with a Touch-Qwerty keypad to navigate the internet. Whether this reasoning is correct will become evident only a few months later."