How to Buy a Smartphone

If you thought choosing a smartphone was difficult last year, it's even tougher now. That's a good thing, though, because it means innovation in the wireless industry has skyrocketed. All four major U.S. carriers have stepped up their data network speeds. The latest crop of Android smartphones is more diverse and powerful than ever. And Apple's game-changing iPhone 4 has finally made it over to Verizon Wireless, opening up access to another 90 million customers.
But not everyone in the industry has met the same level of success this year. Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 and HP's webOS have been struggling to stay in the game. Research In Motion is paddling furiously to stay afloat with an aging BlackBerry lineup. And Nokia sold its Symbian soul and threw in with Microsoft; as a result, Nokia won't be a player in the U.S. for at least another six months.
Taken together, these massive changes make most of the old advice about choosing a smartphone obsolete. So let's throw it all away and start over. What should you be looking for when buying a smartphone? Here are seven key points to consider:

Carrier

Despite all the hardware and mobile software innovation, your wireless service provider remains your most important decision. No matter which device you buy, it's a doorstop unless you have good wireless coverage. Maybe you have friends and family on the same carrier that you talk to for free, and you don't want that to change with your next phone. Maybe you're lusting after a certain device—say, an iPhone, or an unlocked smartphone for international travel. And of course, you want to choose a carrier that offers fair prices, and provides the best coverage in your area. These are all good reasons to put the carrier decision first.

We have two major features to help you choose. For our Readers' Choice Awards, more than 10,000 PCMag.com readers told us which carrier they prefer based on coverage, call quality, device selection and other factors. And for our 2011 Fastest Mobile Networks feature, we're sending drivers to 21 U.S. cities to scope out which smartphone carriers have the best Internet access.

Operating System

Sometimes, a platform's user interface or app selection just speaks to you, and that's all there is to it. With that in mind, and at the risk of attracting flames, let's break it down as well as we can for those who aren't so fully vested....

Source : pcmag