Cell Phones

What's important:

Need texting. Maybe phones. Wifi (via xfinity when on the move) may be enough. Beam Uber and Lyft Some kind of map app. Alexa - not a great option available for either, but more available on iPhone. http://www.techhive.com/article/3068187/software/apps-that-put-amazon-alexa-on-your-phone-arent-as-good-as-they-could-be.html Some platform I can hack. Android is better than iOS: Scala v Swift. Phone insurance - Definitely want that.

Keyboard?

Consumer reports - http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cell-phones-services/buying-guide.htm

Blutooth headset

"A few have buggy Bluetooth stacks that make pairing with headsets and in-car hands-free stereos a pain."

Which carrier?

Small carriers - Consumer Cellular, Ting, and Republic Wireless - may be cheaper. Big carriers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon Wireless - may have a better deal for multiple devices. (I have to pay per-device??)

Deb already has a prepaid plan. Maybe piggybacking on that would be OK.

? Look into GoogleFi

"The top four carriers in our Readers' Choice poll last year were all virtual: Consumer Cellular on AT&T, Republic Wireless on Sprint, and Straight Talk and MetroPCS on T-Mobile.

AT&T owns Cricket; Sprint owns Boost and Virgin; T-Mobile owns MetroPCS; and Google owns Google Fi, which combines the Sprint and T-Mobile networks. Tracfone is another prominent virtual carrier, with spinoff brands like Straight Talk, Family Mobile, and Net10" http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367064,00.asp

"there are a few popular unlocked phones—most notably the Google Nexus series, the Moto X, and the iPhone 6 and 6s—that work just fine on all the national and prepaid carriers."

"If you want to spend a total of $100-300 for your phone, opening yourself up to unlocked phones gives you some high-quality choices that aren't in carrier lineups. Blu Products sells several Android models in that price range, and we expect to see more from Huawei's Honor line in the future."

How much data?

I'm likely to use 2-4 GB/month. Dev instead of gaming, plus the commute. "4G LTE networks beating many home Internet connections in terms of speed"

OS

Latest android OS is Marshmallow, 6.0. Previous was 5.1. ? what's the difference between 6.0 and 5.1 ?

Latest apple OS is iOS 9

Devices

Latest iPhones are iPhone 6 and 6S, for about $700.

Blu Life One X for ~ $150. PC magazine really liked it. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2497072,00.asp

"True Android devotees should spring for the latest pair of Google Nexus handset, the 5X and 6P." http://www.cnet.com/topics/phones/buying-guide/

Open Questions

Can I use a tablet (iPad ?) as a phone? Is that the right fit? (Or an iPad and a watch?)

Alexa interface?

Watch-sized texting/phone?

Cost-to-own per month?

Android vs ioS? Hack in Scala vs Swift?