Cell phones are hot, they’ve always been hot, and chances are pretty good that cell phones are still going to be red hot for many years to come. These days, nobody is willing to be tied down to their house phone, hoping that they will not miss a single call. Even though we know of some people that still have a house phone, most people like being able to use their cell phones. So keep that in mind when you’re thinking about the perfect holiday gift. Cell phones are a great present because they have great value and your recipient will know that you really do care about them. If you are buying a cell phone for your children that are already on your family plan, you might be able to save some money when it’s time to go shopping. That’s because cell phone providers of simple cell phones know that you’re in the market, you’re already a customer, and you can be easily seduced away by competitors. So that’s why you’re about to see a lot of holiday Christmas offers for the latest and greatest cell phones.

Yet this doesn’t answer the major problem here — what cell phone platform should you really go with? You want to make sure that you are thinking about all of the strengths and weaknesses of every platform before you really make your decision. Really, all of the great cell phone platforms — Apple, Android, and Blackberry — offer something for everyone. There’s also the proprietary platforms offered by Nokia and Samsung as well, so don’t count them out either.

Apple is definitely popular, as it allows people to go with the touchscreen experience. If you’re coming off a physical keyboard you might be a little shy to actually use the virtual keyboard. There are physical keyboards available now for people that absolutely can’t give up their keyboard experience. What Apple really brings to the table is constant innovation. The Apple iPhone 4S is the latest iPhone out and it’s a thing of beauty. The high color display definitely gets attention, and FaceTime is one of the most talked about iPhone apps around. It’s something native to the platform that allows you to talk in real time with video to your friends. Staying connected has never been this fun.

If you’re not an Apple fan, chances are good that you might want to look at BlackBerry again. Yes, we know — a lot of people have been calling the death of RIM for a while, and that means that the BlackBerry might not be your first choice. However, it’s in your best interest to look at it again. BlackBerries aren’t just for business types — they’ve become a fun, playful phone for people that want to be on the go but still get the best of everything. Think carefully about the way your cell phone experience should be, and then see if the BB might be your next phone. We really like the new flip-phone style BlackBerry that’s set to come out — the BB Style 9670. It’s definitely a step up from the Torch in the sense that RIM is realizing that people are becoming ultramobile and therefore looking for a completely different form factor. Still, we really like the way that the flip phone model fits into our pocket so easily while still being a BlackBerry — great email and messaging come along with the package.

We haven’t even covered tablets, but that’s a whole different guide for another day. Suffice to say here that there are tablets aplenty that run on all the major platforms. The same rules apply though — you need to think about how you’re actually going to use the technology before you really make any sudden movements. It’s all relative to what you can spend as well.

The Android platform is the one that we’ve really saved for last. You’re going to be hard pressed to find a carrier that doesn’t stock ‘Droid phones — even Boost and Virgin Mobile are adding Android phones to their lineup, and that’s just in the prepaid world. We’re sure that if you’re on a major postpaid carrier that you will have your pick of Android phones. Getting an unlocked Android phone that allows you to really go to any carrier you want can be a good thing — especially for you world travelers.

One thing that people love about the Android line is that you get a lot of ability to customize your experience. Even if you’re not a mobile phone programmer, you will have a lot more options that Blackberry or Apple give you. The open feel of Android is good, but there can be some problems as well. For one, getting the latest version is a good thing, but who says that your carrier will push the update down to your phone in time? Old versions of Android can directly conflict with new ones, which causes a lot of trouble in the long run. Still, we think that the benefits of Android definitely outweigh the bad. It’s a platform in constant motion, but if you are one of those people that really needs to have the latest and greatest stuff, this is definitely the platform to think about. It’s going to get better from here and the community is very vocal about Android becoming the platform to watch. Also, if you want to make sure that you can use Flash, it’s going to be an Android thing — Apple and Blackberry have not quite caught up yet.

Overall, it’s up to you what cell phone platform you ultimately go with. We’re fans of all the major platforms, as they all offer something special to the table. Now is the perfect time to go out and test a few for yourself. See what you like, and then go with the platform that really rocks your world — it’s only natural, after all!