Which Smartphone should I buy?

Buying a Smartphone is a bit like buying a computer. You can pour over the specs or make it easy on yourself by identifying what kind of user you are.

• If you're the kind of user that wants the best experience and expects it to just work, then you'll love the iPhone when you're not using your laptop.
• If you're the kind of user that does whatever they want and expects the ability to make it work when it doesn't work the way you want it to, then you'll love using an Android phone when you're not busy building something.
• If you're the kind of user that wants the best experience and expects the company to pay for it, then you'll love using a Blackberry when you're out on a business lunch.
• If you're the kind of user that wants to be able to just get to their Outlook so they can get some work done, you'll love using a Windows Mobile device when you're not using a remote desktop client.
• If you're the kind of user that goes out and buys the latest gadget, then you're an early adopter and you already know what you want and are just looking for and excuse to buy that Palm Pre or N900.

I have a search setup to scour the Internet looking for fun things people are doing with their Smartphones. If what others do with their Smartphones is any indication, then it would seem that iPhone, Android and WebOS users are having the most fun at the moment. Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian are all great platforms and have a lot of really good hardware to choose from, but I'm just not seeing the same activity levels. Not to say that people aren't hacking on Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Symbian; they are, I just observe way more iPhone, Android, WebOS content currently.

Apps are also a big deal. Probably the the best indicator, IMHO.

iPhone has the best app selection--hands down. Unfortunately they also have a notoriously draconian app approval process. You can 'Jailbreak' the iPhone to gain full access to the system and install 'jailbroken' apps that would otherwise never run on a stock system. There's a huge scene doing this, but it can be a real pain in the ass dealing with upgrading a jailbroken iPhone (as a matter of fact they just came out with the latest version of the OS a couple of days ago and people are already having to deal with the process, which seems to occur ever 6 months or so).

A lot of people are checking out Android as a viable alternative. Plus, there's a huge explosion of new phones hitting the market currently from a gaggle of manufacturers.

Palm's WebOS is the youngest of the bunch, but even still it would seem that their app selection is a little anemic.

As I've stated before Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian are great platforms, but off the top of my head I couldn't name a single app besides Facebook or Documents To Go. I'm sure they all have countless twitter apps, but none come to mind at the moment.

Hopefully I've given you enough of a clue to help you figure out what you would be happy with. If you're looking for a particular model, I'd have to say that you should consider going to a retail outlet, once you've narrowed it down, and hold one in your hand. If you're going to be carrying the thing around with you every day you should make sure it's what you want. I'd even go as far as to say that you should consider spending a little extra on quality. A lot of these mobile devices are cheaply made, so take that into consideration. CNet is a great place to get product specific reviews. Phonedog.com as another.

MaximumPC has a great comparison of the current crop of Smartphones.

BillShrink has a great infographic comparing the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, and Android G1.



infographic: BillShrink

Here's an update to the BillShrink infographic comparing the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, G1, and now Droid. It should be noted that since I first wrote that back in September, WebOS has completely fallen off my radar.

Just start reading BGR daily. After a few weeks you'll see whats cool and coming out.
They cover all the big launches and give solid reviews.
It won't make your decision for you but it will certainly ensure you're better informed before you do chose a new handset.

WOW it's amazing how fast things change!

Looking at this only one year later things have change dramatically.

I let me kids use my old iPhone to play all the game apps and have moved on to the iPhone 4! Crazy how fast we progress in technology, I need my new toys I guess.