Smartphone wars: mobile phone choice is wider than ever

Your choice of mobile phone says a lot about you, and as the battle for the hugely lucrative market continues apace, manufacturers are realising that it’s not just the phone at stake — your choice could influence everything from what computer you buy next to what you watch (and how) on TV.

When Samsung unveiled its latest iPhone killer last week (which is also the official Olympic Games smartphone), it took its best shot yet at ending Apple’s dominance of the high-end smartphone market.

While there are dozens of phone makers, the key is the software they run. Apple’s iOS, which is on iPads, iPods and iPhones, is up against Google’s Android, on tablets, phone and even TV set top boxes. And bringing up the rear are the ailing RIM with the BlackBerry and Microsoft with its Windows Phone software.

So what does your phone say about you? According to one expert, the distinction is relatively simple.

“The iPhone is a safe trendy choice that shows you love apps, and want them first, while Android users tend to be trying to avoid the iCrowd moniker,” says Stuart Miles of gadget website Pocket Lint.

“They like choice, and see themselves as someone who wants to control the experience. For BlackBerry owners, it is all about communication, they tend to be email or BBM (the BlackBerry instant messaging software) mad, they like a phone that does just that — and they don’t really care about apps. Windows phone users, on the other hand, like interactivity, and are the new trend setters.”

However, others believe there is more to it, and that the biggest issue is that all phones look pretty much the same.

“One of the striking things about phones is how little difference there is in appearance between them,” says Ian Fogg, an analyst with IHS Screen Digest. “We used to have a lot of different designs, flip phones, phones with slide out keyboards, and those with full qwerty keyboards. Now everything has come down to a standard design — a slab with one or two buttons and a big screen.”

The other big decision which divides phone users is the question of apps — and it has taken until recently for Android to get its act together. There is also the question of handset choice — there are dozens of Android phones, compared to Apple’s choice of two.

“The big difference is that iPhone owners are still very much the premium end of the market, whereas Android smartphones range from very expensive to mid-market and prepay handsets, often available for under £100.