I have decided to replace my iPhone 4 with an Android phone so I started to do some research. One of the advantages of the Android system is there are a lot of choices. One of the biggest disadvantages of the Android system is there are a lot of choices. Yes, what makes the Android system great may also be it’s biggest weakness. It is too easy to make the wrong choice. The first thing I had to decide on was which carrier I was going to go with. For me that decision was fairly easy I am still in the middle of my contract with AT&T and I am not willing to pay the early termination fee, so I am staying with AT&T. However if I was at the end of my contract I would have to choose between AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Tmobile or perhaps a local provider. So how do you decide, the best way to decide is not by phone, but service availability. The best phone in the world does little good with poor coverage. So what coverage is best in your area. Look around which service provider do most of your friends have. Look at the coverage map for the provider you think you might want to go with, how is the coverage in your area.

Once you’ve chosen the provider you are going with then you can start looking at phones. Do you need a phone with a physical keyboard or do you want a touch screen. What about the camera, how many pixel do you want it to have. Are you looking for a phone that has social media front and center or is this a phone for business. How big of screen do you want. This where I recommend actually physically holding one in your hands. Some of the phones with the bigger screens felt awkward in my hands, if you have large hands they maybe perfect. What do reviewers both professional and consumer say about your phone. When looking at the reviews, think is what they are complaining about important to me or not. These are all questions you should ask yourself.

Once you find the best phone for your situation, then you need to decide if you want to go with a contract or no contract. You can get a phone for free if you agree to a two-year contract, however if you decided to break that contract before the time is up you are looking at a steep termination fee. Also many free phones are on older versions of Android and may not upgrade. If you decide to go the no contract route, you will have to pay full price for the phone, which can be over four hundred dollars.

The final decision you have to make is the version you want to go with. Thirty-five percent of Android phones are still on Froyo, although that number is going down as more and more phones move to Gingerbread, which now makes up fifty percent of all phones. Which leads to another problem with Android, the up grade process. Different phones, get up graded at different times depending on the manufacture or the service provider or sometimes not at all. The newest Android version coming out is Ice cream Sandwich, some but not all phones on Gingerbread will upgrade to Ice cream sandwich. Which ones will upgrade is still unclear, it is important when reading articles on which phone will upgrade that you read the most recent article, because the list can change daily.

After I did the research I ended up going with the Motorola Atrix 2 with At&T. It has gotten good reviews from most review sites and consumers. It appears it will be getting Ice cream Sandwich at some point in time. I was able to pick it up for $49.00 as an upgrade through the Amazon store. I am supposed to get it sometime later this week. Once I use for a bit I will give a full review of the phone itself. The bottom line is if you want to get a good Android it takes a lot of research and time.