This is a great thread!
I have used BlackBerry (legacy and BB10), Windows, Android, and iOS phones as my daily driver at one point or another. While I can appreciate the unique strengths of each, I have also been able to see the weaknesses. For a long time, I've been coming back to BlackBerry because it has been the platform with weaknesses I could tolerate the most.
Now that BB10 is going away (many BB fans are still in denial about this), I've taken the opportunity to reevaluate my mobile phone situation altogether. When the Priv was first officially announced, I got my hands on a Moto G 2nd Gen to give Android another shot. I found it to be usable, but I just cannot get excited about Android for many reasons (I won't elaborate, as the fact that we are all here means we probably all know the reasons).
Currently, I am using a basic phone as my daily driver. You might call it "smartphone detox". I wanted to see just how dependent on a smartphone I've become and see if I could stand going back to basics. Thus far, I've found that I can actually get by with a basic cell phone. There are computers and mobile devices all around me at work and home, so if I absolutely must check my email, get on social media, etc. I am still able to do so pretty easily. But now it's on my terms, not because a device in my pocket beeped/vibrated. But I digress.
I'm not sure how much longer I'll use a basic phone before I get the itch to go back to a smartphone. But if and when I do, I'm seriously looking at a Windows phone. And I'm actually not terribly picky on Windows 10 mobile vs Windows Phone 8.1. I have a Lumia 822 that I'm using as a "PDA" right now and I'm actually quite happy with its features and performance. After proving that I can get by with just texting and phone calls, the so-called "app gap" is a non-issue for me.
The live tile interface has always been appealing to me. I love that the icons can also be widgets and that you can change their size. And the ability to pin things to the home screen is, quite frankly, AWESOME. No other mobile OS has this functionality and it is powerful. For example, the Netflix show I'm currently binge watching? I pinned a shortcut to it so that I don't have to open Netflix and look at my recently watched shows or my queue to find it. That OneDrive folder that I use a lot? Pinned it. That Pandora station I love? Pinned it. Such a great feature.
What really intrigues me about Windows 10 mobile is Continuum. For the longest time, I have dreamed of a smartphone that could support both a mobile and a desktop environment. I know that Continuum still has some kinks to work out and has limited app support right now, but it has such amazing potential. If Continuum supported Remote Desktop, for example, that would be a game-changer for geeks like me and IT professionals.
I know that, like BlackBerry, Microsoft has a history of letting untapped potential go to waste. Unfortunately, BlackBerry has had to abandon its own OS to try to stay in the handset business. I can't see how this is a good thing for them or for the smartphone industry as a whole. Competition is good. Consumers always benefit when there are more choices. So I really hope Microsoft can pull this off and that Windows 10 mobile catches on enough to stick around.
If and when I jump back to a smartphone, I'll be looking very seriously at a Lumia 950 or 950 XL.
Of course, I still have a BlackBerry Q10 and I may just use it until it is unusable.