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Introduction 

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes our annual buyer's guide. We've done all the work for you, narrowing down the best choices for every person on your gift list on every national carrier. Because you have many people on your gift list, we've tried to limit our selections to phones that sell for $200, most cost much less — especially with a contract. The only exceptions are a few phones in our Feature Focus section that are either sold unlocked or are so feature-rich that they will cost much more.

We believe the first step in choosing the right phone for someone is to choose the right carrier. The freedom to choose a carrier near you with the best coverage, calling plans or just the one he's been on forever ensures the gift recipient the best experience once he or she has the right phone to use on that network.

To choose what phone to buy your loved ones as a gift, we've given you two routes to try. We've selected phones for every age group, but these recommendations are for the majority of people in an age group and may not meet your recipient's specific needs. In that case, we've also selected phones for specific features - music, photography, etc., that might be more suitable for your loved one regardless of age. Find the type of person you're buying for, and in most cases you'll find a phone for him on whichever network you deem the best choice.

After you've picked out the perfect phone, there's still one more thing to do. When you or the lucky person you're giving a phone to has moved everything off of the old phone, don't just toss it in your junk drawer or a closet corner, recycle it. If you want to know anything about phone recycling, from reasons to do it to where to take your phone, check out our Cell Phone Recycling Guide.

By The Numbers

under 16 

These youngsters are probably on your family plan.

These days kids old enough to dial a phone are old enough to have their own cell phone. It just makes sense considering their schedules are just as busy as ours. How else is a family supposed to stay coordinated? Do your kids a favor, don't just hand them down your four year old free phone or by them a phone disguised as a toy. It only takes a few bucks (or in most cases, just a new contract) to get your kid a little street cred. A phone that's tough enough to stand up to book bags, soccer practice, falls off skateboards and still look like a stylish phone for adults. Each of these models is durable, good at text messaging, reliable for phone calls, and looks good enough to impress judgmental peers. They each are flip phones and have a VGA camera as well.

16-24 

It's all about the looks... and the features.

Even before they turn 16, kids have started judging phones based on how they look, and what sort of features they have. By the time they hit 16, they're using a set of features they'll most likely continue to use until a few years after they leave university. Out of all the phones in this section, these are the most feature rich by far. Every one has music controls, a decent camera and advanced online services. This age group will use all these newer features like they've always been around. We also disregarded battery life as long as it lasted over a day because these kids plug their gadgets in every night.

25-45 

Your phone is your lifeline:

Whether you've just entered the workforce, or been working for years, your phone is now your lifeline. Work, your partner, your family, your friends - they all want to be able to call you all the time, and you need to be able to answer. Battery life is of the utmost importance for these people, as is Bluetooth since they're likely talking while driving. Sharing with family and friends is important enough that a good camera is just as critical as good signal strength. Each of these phones also goes as well with a suit as they do with a swimsuit.

Editor's note. Some may be surprised that we did not choose a 3G phone for AT&T, however recent tests show GSM phones get much better battery life for voice calls.

45-60 

Admit it. You only carry a cell phone because you have to.

People of this age have only recently gotten comfortable with the habit of keeping their phone on and using them for something other than business or household emergencies. They aren't big on features - most won't even use the messaging included in these handsets - but they are sticklers for call quality and ease of use. Each of these phones don't just sound good, they look professional. These people are too mature to use phones that look like toys.

over 60 

They're still more comfortable talking on a landline.

Many people in this age group don't leave their cell phone on all the time. Phones are for emergencies, or special situations. Others have gotten used to the idea of leaving their phones on but still don't use their phones very much. When they do use them, it's only to make or take calls. Because these phones are for an aging population, they have large buttons, easy to use interfaces, clear screens and are hearing aid compatible.

Feature Focus

Showoffs 

The phones that give trendsetters their cache:

You know who the showoffs are. They don't keep up with the Joneses, they are the Joneses: first on the block to get the latest and greatest. This year has seen the feature set--and price--of top-level cell phones surge. Powerful handsets have been introduced from nearly every manufacturer and are enough to put many computers to shame. They come loaded with everything: Music players, 2 Megapixel cameras, 3G data speeds, video and TV playback, Bluetooth and even Wi-Fi. Some are fat, some are thin. The name of the game this year is cache, and these phones have it. Oh, and they also tend to make decent phone calls, too.

Head Boppers 

Always plugged into their music library:

Music phones have entirely come of age this year. Not only do they offer enough storage for days worth of music, they have exterior buttons for controlling it, full-sized headphone jacks, stereo Bluetooth, and advanced equalizers. The options for loading music onto phones has also improved, with most carriers offering robust wireless music store downloads and handsets allowing users to sideload from their PCs. The phones available this year can replace a stand-alone MP3 player and reduce the number of gadgets floating around in your bag.

Shutterbugs 

Never without a camera in hand:

For the shutterbug, quality is everything. Since you never know when a Kodak moment is going to reveal itself, these folks typically have a camera nearby. If carrying a camera is impractical for whatever reason, they'll want to rely on their cameraphone as a solid back-up. While some noteworthy cameraphones were introduced this year-- ranging up to 5 Megapixels--many of the standard carrier-offered fare remained in the 2 Megapixel range - or less. For the discerning shutterbug, you may have to find an unlocked model to really get their creative juices flowing. The models listed here are not easy to find. You'll have to search the Internet and big-box retail outlets to find them, as only the model from Sprint is available directly from carrier stores.

Texters 

Serial message senders:

Be it text messages, IMs or emails, you probably know someone who is always pecking out some sort of message on their phone. These people are so serious about messaging, they've long given up on phones with regular keypads and opt for phones with full QWERTY keyboards instead. All the faster to type messages with. This was a good year for messaging phones and now each carrier offers an option that is both inexpensive and has the set of features message senders love: full text and picture messaging, on-board instant messaging clients, and access to Web-based email accounts.

Netizens 

Living in a web 2.0 world:

These are the people on your list who always have to be connected. Name a Web 2.0 service and they use it. FaceBook and MySpace users, Twitterers, Flickrers, and mobile web junkies live in this space and need a handset that does it all when it comes to the mobile web. The phones to help them do this are better than ever. Or maybe there's just someone on your list who has to have access to email, the web and a camera. Many include full QWERTY keyboards, robust web browsers, decent cameras and fast wireless data connections. They will also accept third-party applications that let them do even more.

view article organized across multiple pages

Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.

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