Yeah, I have no idea! Which is why I don't have one yet.

I use my smart phone (it's Android via T-Mobile) for texting, tweeting (and reading Twitter), reading email, taking photographs, reading my LJ flist. Also tracks my menstrual cycle, keeps my to-do and shopping lists, gives weather forecasts, keeps books via Kindle so I always have something to read while on the train, IMDB and Wikipedia, manages my Netflix queue, tracks buses via GPS, books reservations via Open Table, and uses GPS and the maps to give me directions. Oh, and it has a flashlight function, which is AWESOME.

None of those apps cost me a dime, btw.

That's not all I have on it, but those are the functions I use the most. I don't Skype or stream video on it, because it's always clunky and slow. I don't know if that problem is the phone or the network, but I don't care much. If I want to see video I can look on my laptop, and I don't Skype much anyway.

Even if you don't have a Virgin Mobile store, you can see available phones in other stores. I pretty much narrowed it down to two or three and then irritated other stores by going in, touching the phones, and not buying them.

do you facebook, tweet, take photos, play games, need gps, need to email, travel a lot (car, bus, or plane), read, watch video, listen to music, skype?

I do some of those things! And can imagine doing others. I don't travel a lot, and have no real commute right now, but that could change, of course. The NextBus app might be worth it. And, I don't know, maybe I would do less personal business on my work computer if I had a smartphone, but it's not like it looks better to be playing with your phone at the office. At least right now I just look like I'm typing, which could be anything!

It's just the lack of imagination -- I don't use one for anything right now, but I'm sure I would get into different habits/routines with the option.

The things I use that cost money:

• various art and photo manipulation apps
• various customisation apps and plugins (Locale/Tasker/etc)
• secure Exchange client (work)
• robust Office clone (work)
• wifi synch with iTunes (over the wire is free with this product)
• Words with friends without ads
• removed ads from to-do app and note keeping apps--mostly as a thank you to the developers
• VOIP integration with Google voice for free US/Canada phone calls from my non-phone devices

I have 3 Android devices, and it's always allowed me to use a once purchased app on all of them without me trying to jack the system. If you consider the cost of all of them, and the savings of the last one, I got my money back.

I don't know where the spend is with iOS, since I have very few apps on my iPod.

Even if you don't have a Virgin Mobile store, you can see available phones in other stores. I pretty much narrowed it down to two or three and then irritated other stores by going in, touching the phones, and not buying them.

Oh yeah, good one.

ita,

I have spent a LOT of $$ on apps (and a small amount of $$ on in app purchases). I think I am probably on the medium side of iphone users.

I need to go to my Itunes receipts to determine, but let's just say I know I have purchased a $30 app to access my work computer and dammit that was worth it. I made that purchase years ago. The first year of iphone was expensive, but since I've held on to apps that I spent $$ for, it has become less expensive.

I spent $23 on apps last month (which isn't really typical), $14 in November, and $6 in October.

I paid $9.99 to upgrade to the Pro version of IM+. Other than that I can't think of anything on my phone that cost more than $3.

(Some of the games I have on my iPad cost more for the "HD" versions, but that wouldn't be a factor if I switched phones.)

I definitely consider myself a power user, and I've spent $0 in the past three months on apps. Maybe $15 in the past six? But probably less than ten.

Are the platforms that different, or are our consumer profiles the distinction?

perhaps I am a power user!

consumer profiles are a bit different, ios people are more likely to download apps and more likely to spend $$ on apps. I have an app that alerts me to when apps go on sale, so that helps quite a bit.

I've probably spent less than $20 on apps? Most are free, a few I've got the free version, and only a few have I spent $1 (a couple of games, maybe?). And even fewer, I've spent $2-3.

I use the apps I use a lot, but I don't use that many, I don't think?