Which smartphone should I buy? Smartphone rankings tool edition.

Which smartphone should I buy? I get this question quite a lot, actually. And my response is always the same:

First, I say using my inside voice: how the fuck am I supposed to know? Where do you live, what are the carriers, how much money is in your pocket, can you afford a device unlocked or not, what's your intention for it, as a high-priced phone and texting device, to surf the web, play games?

Does screen size matter? Do you have fat thumbs? Do you already have a smartphone and will this one replace or be an addition?

But that's not what I tell the person with my speaking voice. I refer them to my smartphone rankings, a tool that should help them choose the smartphone that is right for them.

Today, however, I was asked that and am in a fairly good mood. So, for those few of you that I suspect really care which smartphone I would choose, here goes:

But first....

Why? Why choose these?

Good question. I want a smartphone that offers good call quality and reliable, reasonably fast (for America) data throughput. That is available pretty much everywhere I go. That makes switching to (any) WiFi node instant, painless, non-disruptive. 

I want my smartphone to be absolutely beautiful, yet solid, while offering even more under the hood. Fast, very responsive. It should be fully featured or easy for me to make it so. By fully featured I mean:

• phone
• text
• calendar
• email
• browser
• facebook
• search

out of the box.

And it should provide a path for me to add functionality, services -- apps -- easily, securely and without fear of compromising my personal information.

I read books on my device. I watch movies on my device. I play games on my device. The smartphone I purchase ought to make each of these a delightful experience. 

There should be no limitations should I wish to use my smartphone as a work/productivity tool, a personal entertainment device, or both. Preferably at the same time.

If I want to shut off notifcations, make sure no app or feature has my location, remove something I do not like, that should all be intuitive and fast.

And it really ought to hold a charge for at least 8-10 hours and let me recharge it quickly. Which smartphone would I buy? Well, since you asked...in order:

1. iPhone 4
2. Blackberry Bold
3. Sony Experia Arc (hey, you like redheads, I like Sony smartphones, who are you to judge me. Oh, but don't use this if you are an America or otherwise in America)
4. Nokia N8 (I really wanted to say J9, er, B12, er Nokia X7, but couldn't)

Yes. That's it. My top 4.

But, wait! No Samsung? No HTC? What about a Droid? What about people who can't afford one of these devices! After all, there are so many --

Then use the smartphone rankings tool. These are the smartphones I would choose. We are all different. It should work for you and your circumstances.