I think it's a pity it's gone. I've developed https://typenineapp.com for iPhone, since I couldn't get used to the small buttons on the qwerty keyboard. I would dare to say I type almost twice as fast as regular qwerty phone users, and even without the tactile feedback I can do so without looking.

I've had about 60.000 downloads, and I almost never see a bad review, so I'd say T9 on a touchscreen has a place.