Which smartphone OS is right for you?

With such a huge choice of high-quality smartphones on offer at O2, finding the right handset for your needs can be a bit overwhelming at times. To help you narrow the selection down a bit, we’re here to tell you all you need to know about the Android, Blackberry OS, iOS, Symbian and Windows Phone operating systems to help you find your perfect smartphone with O2.

Google Android – Best for enthusiasts
Android is one of the most popular smartphone operating systems (OS) and is used on a huge range of smartphones at O2. It’s an open-source OS, which means that it provides a great deal of freedom to customise the software, making it a great choice for smartphone enthusiasts that want full freedom to tweak their handsets to their exact needs.

Since Android is a Google OS, it also offers unbeatable integration with Google’s many great online apps, such as Google Mail, Maps and Docs, making it easy to enjoy all these tools on your new smartphone. With a huge choice of Android smartphones on offer at O2, whichever one you opt for, Android is a fantastic operating system and is great to use on your phone.

RIM BlackBerry OS – Best for business
The BlackBerry OS from Research in Motion has long dominated the corporate world, thanks to its great push email abilities and the easy to use keyboards found on most of its handsets. With great usability and ultra-reliable business features, BlackBerry phones from O2 are the best choice for keeping in touch with colleagues and clients when you’re out of the office.

As well as being great for business, the BlackBerry OS is also very simple to set up and use, making it quick and easy to get started. Also, since the OS is only available on BlackBerry devices, quality control is exceptional, making the BlackBerry OS one of the most rock-solid and reliable systems you can use, so you can trust your BlackBerry device to work just as hard as you do.

Apple iOS – Best for beginners
Although iOS is only available on Apple’s iPhone when it comes to smartphones, its intuitive interface, great usability and rock-solid reliability make it a great choice for new smartphone users. Even the least experienced user can pick up an iOS device and instantly get to grips with it in a matter of seconds, letting everyone enjoy all that it has to offer, no matter their age or technical know-how.

Also, since Apple only allows approved apps to be installed on iOS, while also not allowing as much customisation or tweaking as, for example, Google’s Android OS, there’s very little room for error and iOS devices are among the most reliable around. When combined with Apple’s gorgeous designs, iPhones are some of the most popular smartphones for very good reason.

Nokia Symbian – Best for basics
While new features can be added to all smartphones by installing apps, Nokia’s Symbian OS is available in such a wide range of variants and packs so many features as standard, that it’s a great choice for those that just want their smartphone to give them all they need, right out of the box. This means you can use your phone straight away without adding anything to it that you don’t want.

With variants such as Symbian S40, Symbian Anna and Symbian Belle, you can easily find the right OS for your needs from O2’s huge range. And with great Nokia-only apps such as Nokia Drive and Nokia Music, among others, providing free satellite-navigation and media centre functionality as standard, you can pick up a Nokia phone and enjoy all it has to offer straight away.

Windows Phone – Best for social networking
And when it comes to social networking via sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the best smartphone OS is Windows Phone. Offering a near effortless integration of these popular social networks into its main interface, you can view your friends’ latest updates and contact them one by one, or all at once, from nearly any area of the intuitive and eye-catching user interface.

Not only that, but Windows Phone makes it incredibly easy to take a photo or record a video and then upload it straight to your favourite social networks, for your friends to enjoy. And you can even tag your new images and correct exposure levels automatically before you upload them, all from within the phone, making Windows Phone by far the best OS for busy social networking.

With the wide variety of smartphone operating systems available on O2’s many handsets, it’s never been easier to find exactly the right phone for you. Whether you like the great freedom on Android, the solid reliability of Blackberry, the polished interface of iOS, the choice of Symbian, or the cutting-edge features of Windows Phone, you can find them all at O2.