My experience moving from Nokia Symbian 60 to Android 2.1 on a Galaxy I9000
Reasons for going with the Android ...
In a Google-centred world, using Google's own phone operating system just makes sense.
It simplifies setup and use. It took me 2 minutes to have all my Google contacts visible on my phone, my Google calendar visible, be able to send and receive emails and do all this whether on the road (using my 2GB data plan), or through wifi at home or work or anywhere else I can get a connection.
By contrast, the iPhone needs to have the SMTP server specified exactly right to be able to connect, and seems to need another set of settings for 3G versus wifi, and wifi thru different ISPs!
Not sure how the Windows phone compares here.
The battery life does not seem to be reduced by having wifi turned on, but I have yet to test leaving Bluetooth on. (My previous Nokia didn't last the day if I left Bluetooth on)
Open standards. Even the most ardent Microsoft fanboys know deep in their bones that open standards are a good thing, at least I hope they do ;)
Having a multitude of applets created by the community allows the best to shine through. You may have to invest a bit of time finding the best, and possibly go through some pain if you test too many poorly written options on your own phone. But that what the factory reset is for after all. (I wonder if the apps I have paid for from the Market will reinstall after a reset, not having tried this yet?!)
Before moving to this new Android, as I was sure I would still need my laptop when on the road. As a result my choice of handset was determined by which model could be "tethered" to my laptop ie act as a modem. Now I find that I can do just about everything on the Android and don't really need the laptop for internet access (there are still some static pdf manuals I refer to on a regular basis, but these are stored on the laptop). The 4" screen and my fat fingers cope well enough to update jobs in my jobs system, input billing details, keep my calendar current and email brief, txt-like cryptic messages.
So the choice of handset was made for me, as the cheaper handset option did not offer the tethering capability (and I just wanted the big, fast handset so I had sufficient grunt and memory to actually use).
My list of must have apps:
Dolphin browser
Swiftkey
Summary: Its a huge leap forward moving form the older style to any new Smartphone, but Android has to be the pick if you want ease of integration with your Google-oriented world.
