1. Figure out what your needs are
Do you need a phone with a large screen, small screen, a physical keyboard? Maybe you absolutely need BB messenger, Exchange support, or a phone with an awesome
camera. Figure out what matters most to you and write it down. Your decisions here will affect everything that is to come.
2. Choose an operating system
There are four main smartphone choices today: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone. Brief descriptions of each are below.
Android: Developed by Google, this is an open source operating system that runs on the majority of new phones.. Android has a robust apps store called Google Play filled with Google services. Visually, it’s similar to iOS, but adds customizeable homescreens and widgets which show things like the weather. The main issue with Android is that because it’s open source, manufacturers like Samsung and HTC often modify its design and functionality, sometimes to the detriment of usability.
BlackBerry: If you’re hooked on BBM or love physical keyboards and small screens, BlackBerry may be for you. The OS is made by Canadian company Research in Motion and helped kick off the smartphone revolution years ago, but has had difficulty keeping up lately. Most BB devices have slower hardware and lack some of the core amenities that Android and iOS offer.
BlackBerry 10 will supposedly fix most or all of these issues, but we don’t know enough about it yet.
iOS: The iPhone is the only phone that runs iOS and
Apple plans to keep it that way. The iPhone kicked off the app revolution and in its fifth year, it is still the standard upon which all other phones are measured. If you own other Apple devices or enjoy services like iTunes, the
iPhone may be a good option for you. It doesn’t allow as much geeky tinkering as Android does, but it has a clean, simple design and an app/game catalog that bests all other mobile platforms.
Windows Phone: After the failure of Windows Mobile, Microsoft started from scratch and built Windows Phone, which is based almost entirely on the Zune MP3 player interface. Windows Phone is the only OS to employ a new type of interface. Instead of relying on a grid of shortcuts and a notification tray, Windows Phone uses Live Tiles, which are half app icon, half widget. Everything on your homepage can display moving information or graphics.
Android: Developed by Google, this is an open source operating system that runs on the majority of new phones.. Android has a robust apps store called Google Play filled with Google services. Visually, it’s similar to iOS, but adds customizeable homescreens and widgets which show things like the weather. The main issue with Android is that because it’s open source, manufacturers like Samsung and HTC often modify its design and functionality, sometimes to the detriment of usability.
BlackBerry: If you’re hooked on BBM or love physical keyboards and small screens, BlackBerry may be for you. The OS is made by Canadian company Research in Motion and helped kick off the smartphone revolution years ago, but has had difficulty keeping up lately. Most BB devices have slower hardware and lack some of the core amenities that Android and iOS offer. BlackBerry 10 will supposedly fix most or all of these issues, but we don’t know enough about it yet.
iOS: The iPhone is the only phone that runs iOS and Apple plans to keep it that way. The iPhone kicked off the app revolution and in its fifth year, it is still the standard upon which all other phones are measured. If you own other Apple devices or enjoy services like iTunes, the iPhone may be a good option for you. It doesn’t allow as much geeky tinkering as Android does, but it has a clean, simple design and an app/game catalog that bests all other mobile platforms.
Windows Phone: After the failure of Windows Mobile, Microsoft started from scratch and built Windows Phone, which is based almost entirely on the Zune MP3 player interface. Windows Phone is the only OS to employ a new type of interface. Instead of relying on a grid of shortcuts and a notification tray, Windows Phone uses Live Tiles, which are half app icon, half widget. Everything on your homepage can display moving information or graphics. 
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