Finding our favorite devices is sometimes hard to do. We go through plenty of trial and error to get to that one handset that we actually love to use. More than that, we love to show it off to our friends and family. Whether it's a feature (software or hardware), or maybe it's just the phone itself you're crazy about, that special device is the one that we've been waiting for.

Maybe it's good enough for you to recommend.

Recommendations have evolved over the years, from what I've noticed. I know several people who have a certain operating system that they recommend more than anything else, just because of the system. The hardware doesn't even matter. "Oh, you'll find something you like. There are plenty of options!" So, in those instances, the recommendation is the software, and hardware doesn't play a part in the slightest.

Then there are others who just aim to recommend hardware. "It's the best screen for colors! And if you're going to be looking at your phone all day, shouldn't you get the best?" Never mind the mobile OS, that's irrelevant when you're aiming to get the best of the best in the hardware department.

From my time working in the wireless industry, I quickly found that simply just recommending something isn't the way to go. Sure, it's easier that way, but it can sometimes come back and bite you when it's all said and done. Recommending a phone to a customer that isn't necessarily "built for them" is just going to result in a return, and an unhappy customer. No sense in doing that, right?

But, customers aren't friends. Well, not all the time, anyway.

I'm curious to know what you would recommend to your friends. Whether it's just hardware and the software doesn't matter, or if it's the software you look to promote, with the hardware just being a bonus.

Honestly, for me, most of my friends are gamers in some capacity or another. I've recommended Windows Phone to some of them, because they love their Xbox 360 and GamerTag. More than that, though, they love their Achievements, and with Windows Phone and Xbox LIVE enabled games for the platform, you can boost that overall score right from your phone.

However, I've also recommended iOS to the same people, because while it may not have Xbox LIVE functionality, it does have a lot more options for multiplayer gaming. And, well, the games on iOS just look better, and are usually more robust.

I can only remember one time in my life where I've recommended a BlackBerry device (which wasn't tied to me working for a wireless carrier). My friend wanted a hardware keyboard, and nothing else really mattered. I remember hew as going to go for some landscape slider, but I convinced him that the BlackBerry Bold 9930 was the better option. I'm pretty sure he still has that phone, and he is still in love with it, too. (Not surprising. The Bold 9930 is still one phone I can't help but stare at when I see it out in the wild.)

And I've recommended Android to others, too. In most cases, though, it's always been a Nexus device that I've recommended. And, from what I can recall, I recommended Android in those situations because the people were switching from a certain other platform because it was boring and they wanted something new. Something they could change. So, Android was the obvious choice.

So, Dear Reader, tell me which operating system or piece of hardware you've been known to recommend the most. And! Tell me what systems or hardware you *don't* recommend to others, and why.