In order to decide what type of phone you want you will need to decide what service provider is right for your area and application. While Verizon is a widely known and reliable provider it may not cover enough of the area you will be using the phone. The best way to choose which carrier is right for your area is to ask your friends that are in your area what they have and if they get good service in the area. Your friend will most likely know how well their phone service is doing, but if not each service provider will have what is called a service map that will tell you which areas are covered. These maps can be found online or by visiting a local store.
Just because everyone wants the latest phone does not mean that this phone is, in fact, the best phone or the one most likely to meet your needs. That being said the current phones that fits that description is the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Iphone 5. The best approach for finding the phone that meets you needs is to decide what you will be doing with your phone and then match it to a phone that will do this.
If you are a constant texter then you should decide if you like the feel of a touchscreen vs a keyboard. There are combination phones that have both the touchscreen and the keyboard so that you can decide each time you type.
Surfing the web with a phone can be expensive if you don't have an unlimited data plan. People who constantly surf the web normally use touchscreens for mobile devices because it allows for a easier navigation process than a strictly keyboard phone would.
If playing games is what you think you will be doing the most. You should check into an Sony Xperia play phone which allows calls and texts but also includes a console style control where a sliding keyboard would be.
The overall experience of a smartphone can be fun but also controlling. Those who spend hours checking there phone or playing games on it while "spending time" with their friends can be considered rude. So, that being said, if you decide to but a smartphone make sure that you control it instead of it controlling you.
