I love smartphones and I have tried my hand at a number of them to include but not limited to Palm Treo, Motorola Q, Blackberry, Iphone, and Android. I have always used these phones as dual use for both business and personal. I have also refused to carry more than one device to make this happen. For this discussion I am focusing on my experience with Blackberry, iPhone and the Android OS. I was Blackberry abuser for several years so much so that my Blackberry almost came between me and my lovely wife. I chose my wife and had to lock my Blackberry up after work hours As an enterprise user Blackberry provided the key features I needed day to day. I still admit that my Blackberry provided the best interface to my calendar, mail, contacts, and tasks. That being the case I struggled greatly when I tried to expand my Blackberry experience beyond the enterprise to include social networking, mobile games, browsing, etc. Every time I used my Blackberry for anything outside the core business applications I became frustrated. Along came the iPhone 3G (I skipped the non-3G version because my Blackberry was already 3G and I was not going backward in speed) and I felt the iPhone 3G offered enough of a value to make the switch away from Blackberry. I have to say I really enjoyed my iPhone and I believe it still today has the best “out of box” experience. The interface is simple, the app store was amazing and the web experience was outstanding. I really loved the iPhone as did my wife. The problem was AT&T coverage in my area. I had Verizon before so I was used to a certain base level of cell service. (yes Verizon dropped calls as well) The number of calls my wife and I both experienced caused us to cancel our AT&T contract and pay the fees associated. We had enough pain that we were willing to forfeit around $1,000 spent on our iPhones, cancellation fees, etc to go back to Verizon. The problem is I had tasted a better web and app experience and going back to a Blackberry Tour was not an option. I tried to use the Storm 1 and 2 with less than stellar success. I kept searching and came across the news of the Droid Incredible from Verizon. I decided to take the Android plunge and made a purchase on day one. I also purchased an Incredible for the wife.

Enough of the background and on to the reasons why I think  Android is the best phone OS for me.

1. Widgets:

Widgets make the phone easier to use versus the iPhone and Blackberry. I use widgets to turn Bluetooth and wireless on and off, I also use a widget to make the phone silent for meetings. Other widgets I use are: tip calculator, favorites, friend stream, and a launcher widget.

2. Home Screen Customization:

I use folders to combine common apps and I have a widget that shows me my next appointment which reminds me of my today screen on my blackberry. I like that I can have different clocks and weather on the home screen.

3. Notification bar:

I really like the fact that email, appointments, and other application updates are easy to see and get to from the home screen.

4. Information organized by contact:

All content is organized by contacts so it easy to get to information that is most important to me.

5. Custom keyboards:

I like being able to change keyboards based on how I type. For me, Swype is the best keyboard.

6. Being able change the battery:

all smart phones drain the battery and when you need the phone all day while traveling and being on conference calls, the ability to change the battery is very important. IPhone does not allow that.

7. Google navigation:

Google’s implementation of navigation is fantastic and works very well. I am able to stop packing a separate GPS when I travel which is a true test of a phone GPS.

8. Multiple hardware platforms:

With the iPhone you have only one platform so if it does not meet your needs, you are stuck. My wife does not like touch screens so she is moving to the Droid2 and she is able to keep all of her apps.

Not everyone has the same needs I have but I do believe if you plan on using the phone for business and you need a better browser and app experience than Blackberry. Android is the best platform for you.