First off, the reason you get a smart phone is to be able to run APPs (applications: aka, computer programs). Your phone will have pre-installed apps from the factory and you can get more from either the Apple App Store (for Apple devices) or the Google Play Store (for Android devices). Apple no longer permits App Store access from your PC so you can only do this from your iPhone. Apple's iTunes software runs fine on a PC, which only primarily functions as your music manager. However, iTunes only synchronizes music with Apple iOS devices (iPods, iPhones, iPads). The Google Play Store is accessible on the internet via any internet browser but does not manage your music.
Many of the Android's built-in functions (mail, calendar, contacts, etc) work with Google Gmail. You can create an iTunes account with any email address but, once in the Apple environment, you can then create your own Apple email account. Apple devices work really well out of the box but I find that their premium cost is not good value for me. The rest of the information here is about making better use of your Android device.
In August of 2015, Virgin Mobile (our cellular provider) made us a deal that allowed us to buy a new Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen by using our account balance (lots of minutes rolled over every month), which maintained our monthly cost of $15 each/month. I'm now a huge fan of having a smart phone but it has taken some time for me learn how to use it. I use the following apps on my smart phone (in no particular order):
- communication (calling and messaging (text & Gmail), Outlook)
- calendar
- calculator
- notes (MS OneNote)
- camera & photo gallery
- MP3 player (Google Play & Rocket Player)
- book reader (FullReader+)
- video calling (Skype & Google Hangouts)
- video player (YouTube & Shaw FreeRange TV)
- Google Maps (see Navigation Recommendations)
I don't need to always be connected to the internet so I've opted to turn off cellular data and use WIFI instead. WIFI is available in most places I visit so not having data is absolutely no inconvenience for me and saves a pile of money. I use the book reader when I'm waiting somewhere and the MP3 player in the car when I can't get a good radio station. I really like being able to create notes on my PC with OneNote, which get synced almost immediately to my phone (and vice versa) - no more lost pieces of paper. My kids use their phones heavily for social media, but this can be a huge time-sucker and I prefer my PC for this instead.