While not working out exactly as planned, AT&T's CEO of the Mobility division, Ralph de la Vega, indicated in a recent interview that AT&T had sold out of HTC First smartphones. The elimination of their inventory of the devices is not due to the overwhelming popularity of the device though, but more due to the fire-sale type price of 99 cents for the device. That price level was put in place after only a few weeks on the market as the device, and the Facebook launcher that was supposed to be the centerpiece of the device, were widely panned by critics and users alike.
According to company representatives, AT&T did not return unsold inventory to HTC. Apparently the giveaway level price of the HTC First helped move them off AT&T shelves, although it is still unclear why the device shows as available on the AT&T web site.
Although the HTC First will go down in history as a flop, de la Vega is trying to put a positive spin on the experience. He likened it to AT&T's experience with the Motorola ROKR, Apple's first attempt to get iTunes onto a phone, and another device that was a flop. However, that attempt did give AT&T an inside track on the iPhone. de la Vega is hopeful AT&T will be able to replicate that type of success at some point in the future with Facebook.
source: CNET
This is interesting. It reminds me of WebOS and the HP TouchPad.