Before I start – no, this isn’t a Star Wars post 
Sorry!
I currently have an iPhone, and no, I’m not ashamed to admit it, though it is a little awkward that I can’t sync it with my desktop. I’m also not ashamed to admit that I love it, I really do. But as with a lot of things, I find the Apple design of the phone a little restrictive. Sure it’s polished, and it looks sleek and sexy (to some at least), but I just can’t help feeling that I’d prefer an Android phone.
I’ve been looking, albeit briefly, at what Android phones are available on the UK market. Out of the choices, I think I’d prefer a Nexus One, though as far as I’ve seen – they’re Vodafone exclusive, and I’m on an O2 contract, so it’s a no-go. I’d love to hear from some of you guys that have Android phones, and what phones they are, because I’m definitely in the market!
#1 by Andrew on February 8th, 2010
The N1’s only Voda exclusive if you’re buying subsidized. If you pay full price, it ships unlocked and ready to use on whoever.
#2 by James Duncan on February 8th, 2010
Nexus One sim free, negotiate a lower price for a sim free contract. Assuming you can afford the lump sum to save over time, of course.
#3 by TheNano on February 9th, 2010
I have a Nexus, have had a Liquid and Magic before, Liquid i the cheapest and it is great, but Nexus one is and will allways on the bleeding edge and much more well build.
If you like hardware Keyboard go for a Droid “Milestone”
these phones are avalible in UK as unlocked, but I have no idea about any contract.
#4 by Mike on February 9th, 2010
I have the Motorola Droid and I’m happy with it. Posting from it now. =) I don’t recall what it’s called in the UK. You might want to check out phandroid.com, which is a little biased but will certainly help you choose between Android phones. I like the Droid for the hardware keyboard, because I don’t like losing the screen real-estate to the touchscreen one.
I think you’ll find that it’s not a panacea. It almost integrates too well with Google’s services. I am now feeling more Google-dependent than ever. Like the iPhone, they try hard to not let you “root” it.
The platform *is* “more open” than the iPhone, which I like.
Good luck!
#5 by Dirk Hartmann on February 9th, 2010
I switched from iPhone to the N900 two month ago, I won’t switch back.
You get a complete open phone – debian (maemo) based.
The only real drawback for me is the short battery life.
#6 by Jackflap on February 9th, 2010
http://pansentient.com/2010/02/motorola-milestone-second-opinions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PansentientLeague+%28Pansentient+League%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
#7 by Jason on February 9th, 2010
The annual Mobile World Congress (http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/) trade show begins next week (Wednesday). You may wish to wait until the releases and announcements during that show have occurred before finalising on any phone, or even purchasing. Example: The HTC Bravo is expected to be demoed and announced, with a rumoured release of March/April. It is a slightly beef-up version of the Nexus One the way that HTC would have produced it had they been calling all the shots.
#8 by Phil on February 9th, 2010
I bought an unlocked Nexus One and just blogged about the experience of using it and beginning to hack it a few days ago: http://technomancy.us/134
So far it’s been great. Really easy to get your code going on the device.
#9 by Nick on February 10th, 2010
I bought a nexus one and it took just three days to arrive from the US (I’m in the UK). If you look at how much extra a contract costs it makes sense to buy it unlocked.
I paid £350 total and am on o2’s Payandgo (with unltd web bolt on which costs £15 total), with a contract I’d be hooked for £35+ a month for 24 months.
Essentially I get none of the hassle of a contract, and pay £350 or I could’ve got a contract and pay £480 for it (assuming £15 actual useful contract and £20 going to vodafone).
#10 by Andi on February 17th, 2010
I really hate those exclusive phones! The last time I renewed my contract, I wanted to get one special phone, but it wasn´available, and I didn´t want to change my provider. This time I will take the new Motorola Milestone. It seems to be a really good new mobile phone, and I love the design. It looks a little bit more masculine than the iPhone.