Top 10 Smartphones for Holiday Gifts

Probably the hottest category in electronics this holiday season is the smartphone -- currently popularized by iPhones, BlackBerries, Palm Centros and others.

I'm constantly asked which one is best. My answer is always the same: That depends. Most smartphones include very similar features like a video/still camera, Internet access, music file/video playback, instant messaging and Bluetooth, with some also including Wi-Fi and GPS. Sometimes the differences depend on which design you prefer to carry in your pocket.

First and foremost, most people want a smartphone to access their email. Which smartphone you choose should depend on what kind of email you need to access: POP (Post Office Protocol), IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol), BlackBerry, Microsoft's (MSFT Quote) Windows Enterprise or any other imaginable. Your email at work usually determines what kind of corporate system you'll need to use, although many smartphones (but not all) can now handle multiple e-mail systems. (Photo gallery: Smartphones) ...