Death Inc

So, I'd like to ask for advice again.

This time it's about mobile phones.

Backstory:
First smartphone I got was an Iphone 3s, then got a 4, then a 4s. Recently the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 grabbed my attention, along with the Galaxy Gear. My adventures with Virgin Mobile and my Note 3 didn't end well. The phone seemed incompatible with the Optus tower near my work. 9 and a half weeks after sending my phone away for repairs, they finally agreed to terminate my contract commitment.

Currently:
Now I'm not sure what to do. I really like the size and power of the Note 3, and I am impressed by the freedoms of Android. The iPhone is admittedly easier to use, and "just works" but is severely limited in the things it can do. Tasker if an Android app I see a lot of potential in.
I'm not really happy with the direction Samsung is taking, going down the Apple road of locked down hardware that doesn't play nice with other people's software.
The Nexus 5 sounds interesting, but in the 8 weeks I got to play with a Note 3, I much prefer the size and the stylus has it's uses. Pure Android without Samsung's bloatware on top is appealing though.
Are there any other phones I should consider? I'm currently using my banged up iPhone 4s, which I'm happy to keep using if there are things on the horizon worth waiting for. There are rumours of a Note 4 and Galaxy Gear 2, which I imagine won't be out until September/October. The Nexus 6 should also be released around then. I'm not really sure what the offerings from the other manufacturers are.

I intend to get the Pebble Steel at some stage, but that seems to work well with pretty much anything.

Just bought a Telstra Dave. Android based and basically a tradies phone, apparently shock, dust and water resistant. The main decider behind this was I wanted a phone that I'd have less chance of damaging while in PNG

Sent from my ZTE T83 using Tapatalk

I have an S2, and am mostly happy with it. I'm curious what your issues with the Galaxy Note were. Were they samsung issues, or vodaphone issues?
I can't shed further light though, the S2 is the only smart phone I've ever had. Virgil or Donut probably have a wide experiece though.

There's new phones coming out all the time... so undoubtedly a trip to your local phone retailer is going to net you something, either right now or in the near future...

It's another real case of "Horses for Courses" too... I've used Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Android, Apple, even PalmOS... I spent nearly 3 years as a Converged Devices Specialist trying out a new phone every week for a variety of different user groups... and different models were chosen even within the same OS family because of different physical use-cases, or different software requirements tied with specialist hardware etc...

I recommend the iPhone to most people these days, because of the "it just works" scenario, and I don't like to be asked for ongoing technical support if I recommend something more complex... it's the same reason that iOS and Blackberry are still the two major players in the business arena... they are easily supported... but you've said you want something different...

Unless you're willing to go the Blackberry route... they have some nice hardware these days, but even with the re-vamped OS 10, they are losing market share, and app availability and interoperability between platforms is still trailling significantly behind Android and iOS...

Windows Phone is another option... WP8 is gaining traction, and there's certainly more apps becoming available, I'd say they are probably ahead of BlackBerry but behind Android/iOS at this point, and will probably catch up at some point in the future...

But if you're looking for apps, Android has to be the way to go... like I said before, these phones are a dime a dozen, if you go into a store they will have something... go into several stores, and you'll have several options...

I'd also really consider your choice of carrier too... it's been a long time since I've had to pay for my own mobile bills, and I know that people go with Optus or Vodaphone or *shudders* resellers like Virgin Mobile which just pile more users onto the Optus network, but based on my experience in metro and regional and even remote areas within QLD, and time spent interstate and in other capital cities, I've never had a single issue with Telstra... but colleagues and other travel companions have complained constantly about (especially) Optus and Vodaphone...

Each to their own, but depending upon how serious mobile coverage and availablity is for you, it may be worth investigating whether another carrier is going to give you more of what you want, too...

PS:  Something you may be interested in if researching all the different options available to you is the network of Smartphone-specific websites known as the Mobile Nations Group:  http://www.mobilenations.com/

They have various sites dedicated to the major OSs and manufacturers... lots of news and relevant articles, but several of them have buying guides too.

I would have to agree with Virg about the network carrier... go Telstra.. miles in front of the competition.

With regards to phone: Currently have a HTC One XL which I like a lot... previous phone was a hTC  Desire, also very good. Next phone (renewing mid way through this year), will either be a slightly smaller HTC, one of the Sony's, or I am thinking about the Nokia 929 if it is released here and just to give Windows Phone a go.

I haven't enjoyed the Windows phones I've briefly played around with, the operating system felt very clunky. I think it was version 7, but navigation wasn't very intuitive and apps seem either hard to find or non-existent.

The problem with my Note 3 seemed to be network related, for the short time I tried it with a Telstra sim card it worked flawlessly, and at home it usually had connection, but at work it just refused to talk to the mobile network, while my iPhone with the same sim worked fine.

Network carrier isn't much of a concern for me, I very rarely leave Sydney metro, and when I do it's to an area that doesn't even get Telstra reception. That and Telstra don't have any plans that are feasible for me. If they got a $40 plan, I'd go with them in a heartbeat, but currently they start at $60, and while competitively priced with other carriers, the $60 plans all have far too much for me, I don't make many calls and I'm connected to wifi almost all the time so 500mb of data is enough for me.

Sony is making some really interesting phones. IP55 is a very nice touch, I'm surprised all phones aren't at least water resistant.

I have a Windows 7 phone through work. I find it nice to use but very restictive when it comes to availability of apps (although it's much better than Blackberry was when I last had one two years ago).