Windows takes on Android and Palm for the smartphone top spot

When it comes to smartphones, which is the best OS? Is it the open source Android? Is it the newcomer WebOS? Or is it the old stalwart Windows Mobile? Let's take a look.

HTC HD2

At a huge 4.3 inches, the screen on the HTC HD2 truly is immense, and the high, 800x480 resolution makes it genuinely easy to use things like scrollbars in menus. However, the HTC HD2 actually does a very good job of making it so you don't have to go into standard Windows menus that often, as on top of the operating system, the interface is HTC's patented TouchFLO 3D setup, where everything is achieved through various finger swipes and sweeping gestures. It is truly intuitive, and it (along with the truly awesome 1GHz Snapdragon processor) is the reason why the HTC HD2 is such an unmitigated joy to use. Of course, it's not all about being pretty, a phone needs to have decent features and the HTC HD2 has them in spades, from the 5 megapixel camera, through GPS, to incredibly fast HSDPA internet access (not to mention the superb Opera Mobile web browser).

HTC Hero

The HTC Hero is comparable to the HD2, sharing a similar keyboard-less design. Again, it's with the software that the HTC Hero shines, with Android living up to the title some have given it, that of 'game changer'. Its completely open source nature makes adapting the OS very easy, and the interface itself is once again a finger-friendly, sleek, and polished affair, with gesture controls the order of the day. The tight integration of the full Google suite (including Apps and Gmail), makes it a real force to be reckoned with, and it has to be said that the HTC Hero is a truly stunning phone.

Palm Pre

So, there's the HTC Touch Diamond2, which takes Windows Mobile to new heights. And then, there's the HTC Hero, which gives Android a new interface. What does the Palm Pre offer that's different? Well, one could talk about the WebOS interface it uses, as it's unique in the annals of phone history. And indeed, there's one feature of WebOS, directly related to the keyboard, that makes the Palm Pre so cool. Universal search. Now, many phones do that, but the Palm Pre does it so much more cleverly. Just start typing what you want to know about, from the front screen, and the Palm Pre will search your contacts, apps, music, pictures, and even the internet, to interpret and find what you're looking for. That really is a cool feature, and it may well make the Palm Pre the coolest QWERTY phone out there. If you value the interface above all else, the Palm Pre is the phone for you.