I like that. And that one too...

There are a billion smartphones out there on the market. The choice of which one can be very daunting, as there is so much marketing into smartphones these days.

Picture this. You're in the supermarket and can't decide which type of ice cream to get. Yeah, you know what its like. You want chocolate, but at the same time you want cookies and cream, but you can only choose one because you only have $3. 

It's the same thing with smartphone, except we're dealing with a major (for most people) investment, sort of like a marriage or long term relationship. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. It sticks with you (hopefully) for at least 2 years, you see it everyday, you use it to manage your life. If purchased unsubsidised without a contract from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone it is a large initial outlay.

People often want a phone which is user friendly, but most of them probably don't even know what it means. The best way I like to put it is, "Would your grandmother be able to use it?". They often want a phone which is fast, but don't know why their "fast" phone chews up battery in 6-7 hours and lags when going from menu to menu.

There are very distinct and individual categories of smartphone buyers, I discuss two very opposite categories here. (Note my opinions may differ greatly to that of my colleagues)

Category 1 : Never seen a smartphone, never heard of Android, but wants to be "in with it". Many old people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds would fall here.

I would recommend the HTC Wildfire S for this category. It's highly functional, running on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, allowing for access to the functionality of the Android market. HTC phones have a reputation for solid build quality and reliability, and this will leave a good impression in the customers mind of both HTC and the Android system.

Source: Pocket Lint

Best of all, its cheap !

Category 2: Want a phone that is at the very best of technology, reliable and would like it to be future proof.

By size, this is a small but fast growing market. For this category I would recommend one of three phones. The currently available Samsung Galaxy S II is in my opinion the best phone on the market. With a 1.2GHz Exynos dual core processor and Super AMOLED Plus display, NOTHING matches it in terms of specs, slimess and lightness. Samsung are well known for their excellent hardware (in fact they make the RAM, processor in iPhones), and have become very good with updating their software.

Another phone which I would recommend is the HTC Sensation. Sure, it doesnt have the Super AMOLED display which when you put it side by side, the HTC's screen looks crap. It has a much better design than the Samsung, feels like a Rolls Royce as opposed to the Toyota Camry feel of the Samsung, but still manages to pack a 1.2GHz Dual Core processor and the latest Android Gingerbread.

HTC Sensation, huh? Its very attractive. Courtesy CSBI.com.au

However, the upcoming Samsung Nexus Prime (yep, the one I keep going on about), or Galaxy Nexus (whatever you want to call it), will be the new king after the Galaxy S II. Samsung won't mind though, because their current S II will just be replaced by this, and well they'll still be making billions. 

Well, it leaked today, here is a video of the new phone and the Ice Cream Sandwich (yep) interface.
Enjoy.