After having Nokia phones for years about 12 months ago i decided to get an android phone (Nokia N8 to SE xperia Neo) to see what all the fuss with android was all about. To be honest apart from zillions of apps i didnt see a fuss to be had.
I was wondering is there any real difference in all the different operating systems apart from the layout? Is the os as important as the hardware when choosing a phone?

No fanboys please, just people that have changed or have different mobile os and happy they have changed or regretted changing for some reason?

Nope, they are all very much the same unless there is are specific APP/function/feature/connectivities you need.

My own user preference on stuff is often down to familiarity.

Well layout does matter - the interface is an important part of the experience. Just like how qwerty keyboard vs. touchscreen is an important choice, an easy to use interface matters. It's part of the reason Nokia phones used to be successful - their menus were logical and intuitive.

Whatever an operating system doesn't have can be extended with apps (usually). There are far more apps for modern platforms than windows mobile, symbian and palm ever had.

The "plumbing" of an OS also matters e.g. is it smooth and fast to operate, are there software bugs, how does it impact battery life.

If you don't care about apps, I definitely suggest giving the new Nokia Lumias a whirl. A large part of the value proposition of the Windows Phone OS is the design of the whole system with their typography, Live Tiles system, content-first approach etc.

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Alan, I've been wondering this for a while now, but why do you always type "app" and "apps" using upper case letters?

Surely the answer has to be 42.

ha ha, yep I've noticed that.

With iOS and Windows Phone 7 you are getting an OS that is pretty much under control of the manufacturer, which has pros and cons. With Android you get a lot of variations and flavours. It depends on the OEM if you get the latest version/update/fix. Unless you like to root your phone and look around what is available for it.

In my opinion its all about user control....

User Control

Android > Winmo > iOS

Winmo 7 seems to have found a middle ground between Apple and Google. They provide a degree of customisation (in the form of tiles) but not FULL customisation.

Google allow total customisation whereas Apple allow almost none. I was very tempted to a Lumia when it was time to change but with a house full of Android phones and tablets we have too much invested in the Android market.....

And thats where I think Microsofts problem lies. People are encamped in either the Apple or the Android markets now.

Is there enough room for a third major player ?
Are people willing to purchase apps again on another market ?

I have a feeling that Microsoft are too late with this one ....

I have just trading in my iPhone 4s. Mainly because since owning a 3G, then 3GS, then 4 then 4s, what I was looking at daily hasn't changed.
Yes it 'Just Works' and has loads of apps etc and is the premium brand, but its boring.
What did I get?........





Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone 7.
OS is different. Android and IOS is very Appcentric with a grid layout. Android allows lots of customisation. A lot of my mates have droids and swear by them.
I love the flow of WP7, Zune is way better than iTunes.
Yes the OS is still young, but then so was IOS and Android.

So far, I am not regretting the change at all

At the end of the day, write down specifically what you want, and dont let the sales person bully you into something else as you have to live with it, and they are just after your money for their commision

I just switched from a Wildfire S to the Nokia Lumia 800 and after 3 weeks use I also have no regrets. I love the way the phone looks and works, very smooth and fast.

My personal preference is Android because its so customizable and I just like the feel of it.

windows is certainly one to keep an eye on tho.

If it manages to get a decent foothold it could develop quite nicely.

IMHO iOS is the one that is seriously falling behind. People these days want more than just an App launcher.

I have to agree with this, Apple hasn't released anything innovative in terms of its OS or hardware in quite sometime.

Android and WP7 are leading the pack in terms of innovation and UI improvements. WP7 is most certainly the dark horse....I was due an upgrade recently and considered WP7 phones however for me it hasn't yet developed enough yet. I dare say when WP8 comes along I could be jumping ship.

One good thing about Apple is that it does raises awareness of functionality such as voice etc.
So whilst only a few made us of Google's now being a 'headline' it encourages further development.

Microsoft's foray also no doubt moved Google Docs into its faster innovation.
The agnosticism from Google must certainly encourage others to do likewise though obviously not Adobe Flash.

It's a curious one. Apple release a phone with a headline feature being something that is the same or a small improvement in whats out there already and the tech press jump on it as revolutionary. Apple's adverts SAY it's revolutionary. But then because a lot of people with the functionality already on their phones either don't use it or don't know it's there, most people believe them.
I mean, say voice, it's not hidden away on android phones, it's one of the inbuilt apps. You'd think most people would try at some point "Hmm, wonder what this does". But then I'm the sort who go through every option, icon and menu setting on my phone the day I get it, I realise I'm in a tiny minority!!

Apple are extremely successful at MARKETING.

Most features are released with little fanfare. Voice dialling and voice input has been around for years and years. Most people have seen it, used it, and then decided it isnt really necessary.

Apple, however, seem to manage to convince people that this is something they actually NEED and make it seem like its something new that they have invented.

Same with video calling.

I would wager that most Apple users dont actually sit around talking to their phones/ipads any more than I did on my old Nokia, and that facetime is used much less than Skype.

But Apple have dressed both of the above as 'shiny' must have features about a decade after they were released on other handsets.

And this isnt 'Apple bashing' - I am actually saying that they are extraordinarily good at marketing !

Iv been looking at windows phones but after some research it seems there abit restrictive. As far as i can tell
No windows phone uses removable storage (msd cards) i like to be able to swap my memory cards about
No mass storage when connected to a computer you need zune.
And not sure on this but iv read your limited to what you can bluetooth.
I do like the tiles idea of windows and really wanted to give it ago but i think il leave it for now, thanks for all the posts.

Just for info there are android launchers that mimic the windows tile effect if you just fancy trying that .......

No windows phone uses removable storage (msd cards) i like to be able to swap my memory cards about - why?
No mass storage when connected to a computer you need zune. - only need zune for music or videos. use skydrive for photos, documents, pdf, etc
And not sure on this but iv read your limited to what you can bluetooth. bluetooth is somewhat obselete (apart from phone to phone transfer and headsets). photos and files can directly be sent to facebook, skydrive or sent using email


Use the cloud

You could tweak settings of a PC where Zune is installed to make a phone visible like another drive, I tried it, it worked, but why. Zune has its system to organise media files I don't need to mess with and to use it as an USB stick? What's wrong with an USB stick? I have always one ready together with my keys. Extendable memory could be nice if you want a lot of media. I admit I am more into reading and dragging my ereader with me a lot and don't really listen to much music lately, so for me that's not an issue. As for bluetooth, yeah, it's for headsets only, again something I personally don't mind, but that can be a problem for some. If you look at it, a WP7 phone is like an iPhone, but without all the aggressive marketing.

I went from IOS to Android on the Samsung Galaxy S2 and have not regretted it for a moment.
IOS became stale and boring (Not bad) for me. I'll not go back until they do something new with IOS. Next phone would be the SGS3 the one after that may be a Windows phone. I think it might be a sleeper, for me at least.