Blackberry's future appears to be looking up, but....and this is a huge but, their build quality for most of their "modern" phones has been rather dodgy at best (see Storm/Storm2). They do have a new version of BB OS coming out, that looks much improved, but it hasn't been released on any device yet, so it's hard to say how it will perform. Emulators can make anything look good, I mean...look at Symbian...

I have owned both an Android device and an iPhone, and I can say with honesty that both are excellent devices. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. What it really comes down to, for me, is that the iPhone is awesome for someone who is very much wanting games, and a very simple plug and play experience. You don't have to do much if any tinkering to make it do what you want, assuming it's something that it is something it can do.

Android however, really shines in how it is very customizable. Outside of the gaming, there is a comparable app on Android for just about everything. Some apps aren't as nice as their iPhone counterparts, but they are still very usable. Android handles notifications beautifully and without being overly intrusive, which is what drove me nuts about the iPhone. Everything on the iPhone is a badge or a pop up. Android is simple and elegant with theirs. I also prefer their way of handling multi-tasking to the way Apple handles their "multi-tasking."

It really comes down to preference, I find that people that like to tinker and are concerned with customizability are generally happier with Android. For simplicity and gaming the iPhone takes the cake. You can tinker with the iPhone, and you can have a simple experience on Android, but why try and fit a round peg in a square hole? One thing to watch for with Android is that I would recommend getting a high end device instead of a low end. The low end devices offer a considerably less pleasant user experience than the high end devices. Each carrier has high end Android offerings at a reasonable price, so if that's the way you go, you can pretty much choose which carrier best suits you.

If your purchase is a bit further down the road, I would look at the Meego OS that Nokia is working on, Bada through Samsung (probably not this, it's more of a feature phone OS rather than smart phone), and the revised BB OS.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me....I know entirely too much about cell phones.