'Tis the season to buy a new smartphone! Whether you're searching for a phone for yourself or for a loved one, there are so many options to choose from - and that's a great thing. But, it's also a confusing thing if you head to an electronics store and are blindsided by oh-so-many choices!

Instead of breaking down this list by phones, I'm going to do the logical thing and break it down by operating systems. Why? Because you may like the look of an Android phone, but that phone may give you lots of headaches when it comes to actually using it!

Here's how to choose a phone operating system.

iOS: Apple's iOS is widely popular around the globe for one good reason. This operating system is ridiculously easy to use. iPhones are simple to set up, simple to get used to, and are really the best OS when it comes to user-ease. Apple updates its OS regularly, and Apple support is top-notch. You won't have to mess around with programming, either.

Added bonus: most apps are available on iPhone.

BlackBerry: BlackBerry was once the world's most popular phone option. But, that's not the case today. It's not because BlackBerry's new phones aren't great, though. Instead, BlackBerry's new phones are excellent and the OS is actually quite good. The main problem here is that you won't find a lot of apps if you go with BlackBerry. Why? App developers don't see BlackBerry as being one of the more important operating systems to develop for.

Android: if you like to mess around with things (and are the kind to open up a computer or build things on the weekend), Android is for you. This OS is highly customizable, and it's the main reason why Android is popular with developers. If you aren't into messing around with stuff, Android may frustrate you.

Windows 8 Phone: Windows 8 is the newcomer to the bunch. Windows 8 makes use of a simple interface that's enjoyable to use, but this OS doesn't let you mess around with it too much. You'll find that Windows 8 isn't as deeply developed as some other platforms. But, it's worth a shot if you want to try something completely different.

Now that you see the basic rundown of the various phone operating systems available, which phone should you actually choose?

After Choosing an OS, Choose a Phone

I strongly recommend not listening to the hype. Don't listen to people that hate Android and love iOS. Don't buy into the nonsense that BlackBerry phones aren't great or Windows phones don't have all the latest apps (they will soon enough). I recommend, instead, going to the nearest store and checking out phones according to what you want or need.

Look for things like:

Screen size
Camera resolution
Tactical keyboard VS on-screen keyboard
Size and width of phone
Available options

Those are the things that will really matter (combined with the OS that you choose) when you're out and about using the phone. Questions? Just ask!