Consider the Android

The Android operating system is coming into its own with many new devices being released this holiday season, as manufacturers and consumers alike embrace the flexibility and power of this new operating system. Sprint is releasing the HTC Hero on October 11, 2009, and T-Mobile will be introducing the Motorola Cliq in time for the holiday season. 

Why the popularity? One word: Flexibility. While Windows Mobile phones, the iPhone, and the BlackBerry offer limited possibilities with their interface, the Open Source Android Software can be folded, spindled and mutilated to the delight of many a programmer.

 

The Motorola Cliq, for example, features a slide out QWERTY keyboard in addition to the touch screen, and is billed as the first socially friendly phone, with preprogrammed widgets that allow you to connect with your contacts the way you want to: through Twitter, Facebook, IM, and E-mail, and updates you with the speed that constant mobile web provides. 

The HTC Hero also sports a different interface from the MyTouch and G1, appealing to another set of users. Combined with a full app store that doesn't require a credit card or a PayPal account (you just put in your credit card when you want to make a purchase through Google checkout), you have a great platform to deliver your mobile content your way.

Before you decide to take a look at an iPhone, take a look at the Android phone that your carrier offers, or just consider an Android phone on another network. More flexibility makes for a better experience, especially when you sign up for that new two year contract.