"This isn't a fashion statement. I mean, who cares about who made your phone?" - there, fixed that.

I buy my phone based on capability and cost. They all deliver almost the same capability. When it came to cost, the BlackBerry, n900, and iPhone were very close, but the n900 won at the end of the day. Now, I threw the iPhone in there as a comparison point. In my list of requirements, you'll see the iPhone got tossed out pretty quick.

• (required) Reliably make and receive phone calls (I will spare you the sub-requirements of that)
• (required) User-replaceable battery (without tools and only human hands)
• (required) Standard connectors (USB for charging, 3.5 mm for headphones)
• (required) Computer software required only for upgrades. (otherwise, the phone looks like a mass storage device)
• (required) Physical keyboard or keypad (I might relax that)
• (required) Customizable without the carrier interference.
• (important) Web browser
• (important) Instant messaging
• (important) Able to sync contacts, calendars, and mail with Google
• (important) Unlocked
• (nice to have) LED annunciator for new messages, calls, etc.
• (nice to have) A2DP support (for stereo Bluetooth headsets)

If a certain alternative has discriminators, I take those into consideration. For example, the BlackBerry I looked at is capable of using wi-fi for calls. The n900 has open-source software, unique multitasking, composite video out (I haven't seen that before).