I have not personally tried the Koodo HTC Desire 601 on Speakout, but I see no reason why it would not work, once unlocked. I have used quite a few unlocked Telus/Koodo devices on the Speakout/Rogers network.

I believe it is pretty easy to transfer your account to another Speakout SIM, Just buy a new SIM and talk to customer service.

Koodo is now selling HTC Desire 601 for $200. So, if I unlock it and it will work on SO? any place you would suggest to unlock?

I have a regular sim card. Most of the smartphones need a microsim card. I don't quite feel comfortable cutting the card myself. I read from a post that I can buy a microsim card and ask SO to transfer my exising phone #/balance for me?

Thanks!

I would not worry too much about the OS, Kit Kat and Jelly bean are pretty close. I prefer Jelly Bean, even though it is older. So it is a matter of preference. You will not be stuck with an awful OS either way.

I am OK with 8GB, but if you are heavy into downloading videos and music, 8GB is a bit tight. the Galaxy Note 2 and the HTC Desire 601 have SD card slots, so you can buy more memory if you need it.

Hard to say what I would recommend. The Galaxy note 2 seems to be the best choice, but the screen might be too big at 5.5 inches. The Motorola G is my second choice, but the lack of memory expansion and removable battery are big turn offs. The HTC Desire 601 has LTE, which is currently useless with Speakout, and you can expand the memory, but the screen resolution is not good, and it also has a non removable battery.

I now have three phones in mind, will they work with Speakout?
1. Moto G
2. Galaxy Note 2
3. HTC Desire 601

Some technical questions I have are:
1. Does a lastest Anroid OS a major thing to look at?(Moto G has Kitkat OS)
2. Is 8GB enough for download? (can the 16GB selling on Amazon be shipped to Canada?)

Thanks!