I suffer from smart phone purchase paralysis. That is, I want to buy a smart phone but because all the phones require a 2 year plan commitment I don’t want to make the wrong decision because I will have to live with it (and pay for it) for so long.

First the iPhone v.1 came out but it was slow, didn’t have basic features like cut-and-paste, and they wouldn’t let outside developers create apps. It wasn’t hard to decide to wait.

Then a year later iPhone v.2 came out and it was faster but still didn’t have cut-and-paste. They did allow third party developers but wouldn’t let them talk to each other and the app store with its byzantine rules restricts a full range of interesting apps from being made available. However, there are now thousands of apps to choose from. Tempting but I’m still not convinced.

Then the Android G1 came out and it has a keyboard (good!) and better multitasking than the iPhone and a truly open app store. However, the phone has received poor reviews, especially for battery life. So although I think the Android OS might be a winner the first phone out doesn’t make the grade.

Next up was the announcement (but no release date) of the Palm Pre which again looks to have better multitasking than the iPhone, a keyboard, and some other innovative UI features. However, what comes out first will be a version one phone and if past performance is any indication it may not be ready enough. On the other hand, Palm has been making Treos so it is not their first phone (like the iPhone was for Apple) so maybe it will be further along.

So, at this stage I know what I want: a phone with the openness of the Android platform, the multitasking features of the Pre, a real keyboard, and the variety of apps that the iPhone has. And while I’m wishing for the impossible, how about the Verizon network since it’s the best.

Thus any decision I make with require a compromise of some features. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if I wasn’t locked into the decision for 2 years so I come back to my original opinion which is against the mobile carriers. The exclusive deals they have for smart phones is a big barrier. If they provided more leeway they would have another customers. As it is, I hope to see something in June that will me make take the leap–and then pray that something “better” doesn’t come out a month later.