Which OS for my smart phone?

[ChrisGreaves]

Android Lollipop 5.1
Android 5.0.2
Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
Android 5.1
Android 4.4.2
iOS8
BlackBerry 10
...

My next Mobile Phone is probably going to come from Wind Mobile who have about 8.5 gazillion phones on display in their stores and on the web.
I can do a pretty good job of selecting according to weight, size (shirt pocket?) and the like, but I have not a clue about these new-fangled operating systems.

Given that I am on old fogey who uses a phone for talking with, one of my prime concerns is screening phone calls. (If you're on my contact list I'll pick up, otherwise leave a voice-mail; if you are a telemarketing robot swine, you will be blocked from ever again ringing my bell or leaving a voice-mail and interrupting my book-reading pastime ...).

I suspect that I will need to download a few "aps" to perform basic functions like "screening calls", but not so much for online banking or hailing a cab.

Can you (all) give me a simple idea of which operating system might be
(a) simplest to use (i.e. to install or delete aps) and
(b) offer the best selection of aps for simple functions.

Thanks

I realise that no-one can really answer the question "Which phone&OS is best for me", because I still don't know enough about phones, but being able to select or ignore a set of phones tied to an (un)suitable OS would let me focus on features that I understand.
Ta ever so ...

[HansV]

There are three major choices:

iOS (Apple iPhone only)
Android
Windows Phone

(Blackberry may not be dead yet, but I wouldn't invest in it...)

iOS is probably the easiest to use, and the Apple Store probably has the largest choice of apps.
The downside is that iPhones command a premium price, and that you're bound hand and foot to Apple.

Android is not far behind; the latest version, 5.1, resembles iOS in many ways.
Downside is that the quality of apps in the Google Play Store is more variable - it can be hard to sift the good ones from the rest. And you need a Google account.

Windows Phone is improving, and the versions of Windows for desktops/laptops and phones are getting more similar, so it will look familiar if you have Windows 8.1 or 10, and synchronizing with your desktop/laptop is easy (at least in theory).
Downside: it has a small market share and hence, the number of available apps is MUCH smaller than for iOS or Android. And the quality of what there is, is uneven.

[Rudi]

... if you are a telemarketing robot swine, you will be blocked from ever again ringing my bell or leaving a voice-mail and interrupting my book-reading pastime ...

    

In the event you get an iPhone (with iOS9, BTW), see the following pages on how to screen calls and block those robo-swines!
* How to block a phone number on any iPhone | Block callers in iOS 6, iOS 7, iOS 8, iOS 9 | How to block unknown numbers & callers who hide caller ID
* How to Block Calls on iPhone in iOS 8 or 9

[BobH]

Uh, Chris . . . iOS is now at iOS 9.0. Installed it yesterday on 2 iPhones and an iPad.

FWIW, TWD (the war department) and I use iPhones. DD and SIL use iPhones. Both of them tried Androids a while back and complained bitterly from the second day. Of course, they were probably reacting to having used iPhones before; but they both complained of functional problems, not just interface and cosmetics.

Bon Chance. No, thats Quebec, not Ontario. Good Luck!!!

[Jay Freedman]

FWIW, I've been using an LG phone with Android (Kitkat) for the last 18 months. Although the hardware is underpowered because I went cheap, I don't have any complaints about the software, either the OS or the available apps.

[BobArch2]

I am running a Motorola Moto G with Android Lollipop 5.0.1. No issues. Now having said that, be aware that a virus know has StageFright can infect some versions of Android. Google has issued an update to protect against StageFright but not all phone vendors have implemented or released the update to its client base. Meaning, if you want Android, do your research before settling on that system.

As a second note, there is a way to defeat the potential infection by turning off text message capability which I have done with mine.

[HansV]

See Protect your Android device against the Stagefright hack for less drastic ways to protect Android.

[ChrisGreaves]

Hans> (iOS) you're bound hand and foot to Apple.”
OK That cuts out iOs

Hans> it can be hard to sift the good ones from the rest. And you need a Google account.;
So far so good; I’ll look into a Google Account.
(Insidious doesn’t come close when I start thinking What the heck! Google already knows everything about me ...”)

Hans> Windows Phone ...number of available apps is MUCH smaller than for iOS or Android. And the quality of what there is, is uneven
And since I am not a big fan of Win8/10 that cuts out Windows, so Android it is.


BobH> Uh, Chris . . . iOS is now at iOS 9.0.
Thanks Bob, and I get the “Uh, Chris” (grin). That’s the version that WIND Mobile reports in their web page.

Jay> FWIW, I've been using an LG phone with Android (Kitkat) for the last 18 months. Although the hardware is underpowered because I went cheap, I don't have any complaints about the software, either the OS or the available apps.

IWALWIHTJFIUI! ⁽¹⁾
I like LG hardware (I’m cheap too) so much that I no longer carry my Alacatel cell phone with me, but use my much earlier LG as a podcast player everywhere I go.

BobArch2> ... a virus know has StageFright can infect some versions of Android ...
Thanks Bob; Android still seems like the best bet, and knowing about Viruses means that I’ll havr to ask when puchasing and quickly come to grips with d/l software.

Rudi> ... see the following pages on how to screen calls and block those robo-swines! ...
Hi Rudi!
Glad you liked it!
I am amazed that telemarketers still haven’t tumbled to the fact that even my old LG (GW370B) has a “Call Reject List” which means that after a telemarketer’s first voicemail, “the bell will never toll again for thee”


⁽¹⁾ It’s worth a lot when I hear that Jay Freedman is using it!

[ChrisGreaves]

iOS is probably the easiest to use, and the Apple Store probably has the largest choice of apps.
The downside is that iPhones command a premium price, and that you're bound hand and foot to Apple.

This just in ...

TORONTO - Apple announced a rare security breach over the weekend that means some Canadians may have unwittingly infected their iPhones and iPads with malware that could expose their iCloud passwords and other personal data.

[BobH]

I didn't see an explanation of why the hack was limited to Canada. What did I miss?

[HansV]

I don't think it's limited to Canada - the article just mentions that Canadians are vulnerable since the Calgary Herald is a Canadian publication.

[BobArch2]

I like LG hardware (I’m cheap too)

I use my phone for emergency purposes only or while out shopping in case the wife wants to add to the list. Meaning, my phone needs are such that cheaper-is-better.

A few years back I had Bell Mobility services and costs were around $400-$500/year. I switched to Virgin Mobility and bought a phone from them for around $150 and signed up for their "Pre-Paid" by-the-minute plan. I pre-paid $100 for the call service charge at $0.30/minute. I also signed up for the option to auto charge me $100 on the anniversary date. With that option, any balance left over at the end of the year does not get wiped out (like other providers) and carries forward into the next year.

The $100 buys 333 minutes for the year and I have never used that allotted time during the year. So each year, the $$$ balance gets carried over and another $100 gets charged to the account. At the present moment I have a few hundred dollars in the account. This to me, with my low usage qualifies me as a cheapee!

You may want to consider Virgin Mobile (Canada) for your carrier (which is now owned by Bell Canada). Here's a link for their current pre-paid plans. And a link for pre-paid phone. The Motorola Moto G is a nice phone with decent specs.

[ChrisGreaves]

I didn't see an explanation of why the hack was limited to Canada. What did I miss?

Less than I did; remember ***I'm*** the ignorant one here

[ChrisGreaves]

... signed up for their "Pre-Paid" by-the-minute plan.

Yep!
I had a Virgin Mobile phone that was $100/year, worked out to $8.50/month and I used it only for meeting people ("I'm here! Where are you?") because I had a land-line at the time ( and voice-mail for when I was out meeting people for lunch ...)

I'll take another look at them as a supplier; Thanks for the heads-up and the links.
I think the LG phone was via VM.

(later, quickly) I used the filters "Smartphone", "Android", "Prepaid" etc and it narrowed it down to one phone - the LG3 - so THAT would make for an easy decision!

[BobArch2]

(later, quickly) I used the filters "Smartphone", "Android", "Prepaid" etc and it narrowed it down to one phone - the LG3 - so THAT would make for an easy decision!

The LG3 shows a price of $599, the Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen has all the same features you require and is only $199.

Your call...

[ChrisGreaves]

...the Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen has all the same features you require and is only $199.

Thanks Bob!