Microsoft reinvented itself with its Windows Phone, an operating system designed for high-end 3G phones. Minimalist and fluid, this unique operating system is based on ‘live’ tiles instead of simple shortcuts. While operating systems such as Android or iOS use icons that simply open an app, the tiles in the Windows Phone system actually update in real time to reflect the latest events in any app.

Windows Phone sports deep social integration, with built-in Twitter and Facebook as well as instantaneous email delivery for Microsoft Exchange, Hotmail and Gmail, plus support for any webmail too. The most recent release, dubbed Tango, is built to work on lower-end – and lower-cost – phones. Nokia, HTC, LG and Samsung all have phones running on Windows Phone – check out our phone reviews for the lowdown.