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Smartphone manufacturers continue to add features to their products.  Yet, many seem to duplicate the offerings of their competitors, making it confusing to identify the right phone for your needs. If you are already locked into a carrier, you may not be able to purchase your dream phone, but a little care in selection will help you pick a winner.

The Best Operating System (OS)?

Historically, U.S. smartphone users have chosen largely between four OSes: BlackBerry, Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile. Apple joined the fray in 2007 with its iPhone, but the phone's status as a smartphone is questionable. Many experts
consider the current iPhone incarnation a sophisticated multimedia device that can't handle corporate email or messaging or (at this time) interface with or run third-party programs. But this will all change when Apple releases its iPhone 2.0, due out this month. (Refer to "Business-Class Smartphones" on page 36 for more about iPhone 2.0.) Nevertheless, the iPhone excels in Internet browsing and is one of the hottest phones ever to hit the market; the iPhone experienced a market penetration of 9% in less than one year and has the highest user satisfaction rating (79%) of any cell phone, per ChangeWave Research. If you are intrigued, check it out. It appears that most of the people who use an iPhone love it.

Despite the iPhone's surge since its debut, research network ChangeWave reports that RIM's BlackBerry remains the smartphone market leader. According to J.D. Power and Associates, BlackBerry devices are also tops in customer satisfaction among business users. Nevertheless, the best OS for you depends upon your needs. Read on for a few things to consider before making a purchase.

Corporate connection. If being integrated with the office is a key consideration, the gold standard is BlackBerry.  ChangeWave reports that 73% of companies that provide smartphones to their employees use BlackBerrys. However, Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile OSes all provide either native or add-on support for multiple corporate email servers, including BlackBerry. BlackBerry supports Microsoft Exchange, but only through a specialized server. See what email server (if any) your employer uses if connectivity is important to you.

Heading south. Palm and Symbian, once serious players in the U.S. market, are on downward slides. In a Canalys report from late 2007, Palm's market share was down to just under 10%, Symbian's to 5%. Sprint's Centro may be bucking this trend for Palm: The company says it sold 30,000 units for several weeks after introducing the Centro.
That doesn't mean these OSes are no good. However, if folks aren't buying Palm and Symbian smartphones, carriers may stop offering them. If that happens, users of existing devices may find that software titles, technical support, and system upgrades will become scarce.

Microsoft maestro. If you are a devoted Microsoft user (not only Windows, but Office, Internet Explorer, and other Microsoft products), you may be most comfortable using a Windows Mobile device. Many companies make smartphone software compatible with Windows file formats and products if you prefer a different OS.

Read the full article, How To Choose A Smartphone, Find The Model That Works For You.