Ok, first of all, DON'T BUY PHONES ON CONTRACT!!!!!
In my use case, (and in many of yours I would believe), it ain't worth it.
Ok, disclaimer: fanboy rant ahead
For phones, you should go with either Symbian or Windows Phone.
If we ignore programs, Symbian is the best cellphone OS out of the box. If you are looking for a flagship device, I would recommend the Pureview 808. It has a stunning 41 megapixel camera(you read that right), NFC, USB on the go(aka, you can plug in your USB sticks to your phone), and an FM transmitter (aka, get your phone to create an FM radio channel, you can listen to music in your car this way). Symbian is the best phone platform, but to bad it is pretty much dying right now. Its a damned shame if you ask me, Symbian sold millions when it was crap, and now is dead when it finally got good.
On the other hand, Windows Phone is GREAT. It is 100% smooth, no lag, and the UI is amazing. Windows Phone is a smooth and delightful platform. I would seriously recommend that you give it a try when Windows Phone 8 comes out.
As for android, I have to say, I'm seriously not impressed. My dad has last year's flagship android, the Motorola Atrix. It has a duel core CPU, and 1gb ram. Yet it LAGS! In its out of the box state, it simply lags when you swipe and whatnot. My Windows Phone, and LG quantum, has much lower specs, yet it runs perfectly smooth. This is simply unacceptable!
Also, Android's update situation is ridiculous. My dad's atrix, is on 2.3, 2 versions behind. And now, with some apps(like chrome) demanding 4.0, his phone can not run many of them.
Android devices are good when they are new, but consider this: In Canada, our contracts are 3 years long, so now one year in, my dad has to live with an outdated, "ancient" (by android standards) phone for two more years.
PS: my recommendation for a phone: The Lumia 920.
http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/lumia920/
Comes out next month, does EVERYTHING.