The Dilemma

In the middle of winter, Jen lost our cell phone.  Don't be too concerned, it wasn't an iPhone or any such valuable gadget.  We had survived for years with an old Samsung clamshell phone on a pay-as-you-go plan.  It turns out the phone didn't turn up outside when the snow melted, so it was lost elsewhere.  There is a hobo out there using my crappy old phone as a spoon.

The loss of our phone has brought about the necessity to make a decision on whether to get another pay-as-you-go special or make the leap into the world of smart phones.  We have decided to make the leap.  This is quite an early adoption of technology for us, and quite an investment.  Now that we have decided to upgrade, the next and frankly more difficult decisions have to be made.  Namely, what carrier and plan and what phone?  I use phone in the singular, because Jen already knows she wants and iPhone and that is all.  She has sipped the Apple Kool Aid and decided she likes it.  The only thing I know is that I don't want an iPhone.  As you all know, I refuse to be an iSheep. Not wanting an iPhone has left me with two choices.  I can choose the other heavyweight Android or the newcomer Windows Phone.

Android has the advantage of lots of phones to choose from with more coming all the time.  Android has an established ecosystem of apps and Google services.  I find myself looking at services that say they have an app and 90% of the time the app is available for both iOS and Android.  Android has also recently upgraded its OS with Ice Cream Sandwich, which has a bevy of cool features.  Finally, there are some sweet ass phones that have just come out using the Android platform.  The HTC One X looks beautiful and has received some very high praise from many in the consumer tech industry.  Also, don't forget the current champ Samsung, which has the Galaxy IIIS coming out at the end of the month.  Another beautiful looking phone, but I've heard they're overlay kind of sucks.  My brain says go with Android as the smart choice.

It comes in blue!

Then there is Windows Phone.  Being relatively new to the game, their ecosystem is somewhat sparse.  I have also found that some of the apps I would want to use are not available on the Windows platform.  Who knows what will happen when Windows 8 Phone comes out.  However, I have read many good things about the OS and how it operates.  It is supposed to be very intuitive and smooth.  The flagship phone, the Nokia 900 is quite nice and also quite cheap.  I also have the problem of always rooting for the underdog.  This has got me in trouble in the past.  I've got stuck with things that aren't supported after a time.  I also like to be different than the crowd and this would do it.  My heart says Windows Phone.

If there is anyone out there with opinions (backed by fact or experience) I'd love to hear from you to break the deadlock between heart and head.  We won't be getting our phones until June, so please help me end my obsessing.