A nerd's dilemma

For the past 5 months I've been using a Nokia Lumia 800 as smartphone. There's a lot to like about it - the build quality is extremely solid, the display is one of the better phone displays I've seen, Windows Phone 7.5 is a well-designed and zippy operating system.

It's also a dead-end street. 

From all we know so far Windows Phone 7.x will only receive one more update: Windows Phone 7.8, the main feature of which is backporting the Windows Phone 8 start screen. The more interesting changes in the plumbing like IE 10 or improved multi-tasking will not be backported though. In addition it's more than likely that developers are going to optimise new and updated apps for Windows Phone 8 rather than 7.x, making the already small selection of decent apps even smaller. The question I'm asking myself now is: What to do?

Keep the Lumia 800 and live with soon to be outdated software? 

It's the fiscally sensible option. It's also what most non-nerd users would do. For me it is not really an option; I prefer to keep up with progress. (When it makes sense anyway. Notable exception: Windows 8 on 'legacy' devices. But I digress.)

Switch to a Windows Phone 8 device? 

I do like what I've read about Windows Phone 8. It is a great step forward from Windows Phone 7. The question is: Will it gain more traction than its predecessor, thus encouraging 3rd party developers to release more and better applications for it? Or is it going to suffer the same fate as Microsoft's current mobile OS? While it is too early to tell, I'm not overly optimistic. 

Switch to an iPhone? 

No.

Switch to Android?

It's tempting. Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' on my Nexus 7 has impressed me. Both operating system and apps have improved leaps and bounds compared to Android 2.3 'Gingerbread'. But: If I end up switching to an Android phone it's going to be a Nexus device. IMHO 'pure' Android is to be preferred to OEM additions like TouchWiz or Sense. There's a good chance that Google are going to show my next phone during the upcoming Android Event on October 29.

There you have it: A nerd's dilemma. How would you decide? Leave your opinions in the comments.