In my line of work I am asked many hard pressed questions, but the most commonly asked one heading into the holiday season is: What are the top 5 devices I should keep an eye on? Well, here it is, my top mobile picks going into Christmas 2010;

5. Nokia N8 (Rogers Exclusive)

• Despite being heavily criticized in North America for not hopping the Android bandwagon, choosing rather to stick it out with Symbian for their devices, Nokia hit a home run with the new flagship N8. A 3.5 inch AMOLED touchscreen, combined with a 600 MHz processor, and a best in class 12MP Carl Zeiss camera which shoots in 720p, makes this phone the hot toddie that it is. If you are a creative mind, and like to be different, this device is for you.

4. BlackBerry Bold 9780 (Rogers/Bell/Telus/Virgin)

• RIM has a thing for updating their classics, rather than working more on the development side of their long aging OS. Regardless, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is simply a revamped version of their flagship Bold 9700, updated to include: BlackBerry6, a 5MP camera, and 512MB RAM (more space for apps, because we know you all love them). If you are a die-hard BlackBerry user who loves speed, apps, and need the form factor you have grown to love from the 9700, this device is for you.

3. Samsung Focus (Rogers Exclusive)

• Regarded by many a blogger as the best Windows Phone 7-powered device of the bunch released in Canada, this device is hot any way you look at it. Powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, and a 5MP camera. For those of you who were die hard WinMo users back in the day, this is a completely different ecosystem than you are used to, but definitely worth giving a whirl.

2. Apple iPhone 4 (Rogers/Bell/Telus/Fido/Virgin)

• Highly regarded as the best thing to come out of Infinite Loop, ever. This 3.5 inch Retina display, 5MP Camera, and 1Ghz Apple A4 processor powered bad-boy screams, Buy Me. It is the one device that makes BlackBerry’s RIM sweat because so many former BB addicts are leaving the fold for Apple. Of the more notable features, the front-facing camera for FaceTime makes this device a must have. This device sells itself, still has availability issues six months later (namely with Rogers) and if you haven’t heard of it yet, you have been living under a rock.

1. HTC Desire Z (Bell Exclusive)

• This phone is hands down the best Android powered phone to hit Canadian soil. Powered by Android 2.2 (Froyo) it features: a stunning 3.7 inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen display, 800 MHz processor, HTC Sense UI, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Priced under $150 on a 3-year contract, fully customizable, and loaded with similar features to the iPhone 4, this device offers the best bang for your buck leading into the holidays.