My contract with Sprint runs out in May of next year, and I'm semi-anxiously looking to ditch them. They've screwed up one too many times, and after being with them for about 9 years I think it's time for something new.

On top of that, I've had two smart phones that each have Windows Mobile 6.1 on them. The prognosis on that O.S. isn't great. It was awful on my Samsung Ace, and it's been ok on the HTC Mogul I'm currently using. I loved the hardware on the Samsung Ace, but it's rather pointless if the stupid O.S decides to put the phone in airplane mode 6 times a day without warning or prompting.

So I've been pondering what's next. Jodi has expressed a desire to upgrade to a smart phone, and is willing to go in on a family plan with me. We've both had our eye on the iPhone of course, considering its popularity. But then Verizon started blasting the airwaves with adverts for their new Motorola Droid phone. Now everyone's pegging that as a serious contender to Apple's domination. And many people I talk to seem to like their Blackberrys. I think no matter which way we go, we'll end up paying the same monthly fees. Based on readings and little or no actual physical holding of any of the mentioned devices, it seems I can conclude the following:

• The iPhone GUI is better suited for the average user than the Droid
• Verizon service and coverage is superior to that of AT&T (advantage Droid & Blackberry)
• The Droid doubles as a GPS navigation device
• The Apple App-Store is supposedly awesome, and full of every app you could ever want or need

From what I can tell, the hardware is pretty comparable. I've got a few months to decide. So I ask all three of you semi-loyal readers of my blog: what's good and what's bad about each phone/carrier? What say you?