The mobile market has proven to be vicious. Companies we never thought would be struggling are fighting tooth and nail to become relevant again. Some powerhouses of yesteryear were acquired on the cheap. And even Microsoft is struggling to gain any traction with its new and updated mobile platform, Windows Phone. And while companies that once had a lot of clout, such as Nokia or BlackBerry, are barely thriving off the scraps left over by Google and Apple, it makes one wonder if the efforts of smaller start-ups are in vain. Jolla is a perfect example of a company many of us are rooting for. ...

HTC seems like they want to be "number one" -- at least they want people to associate them with that level of prestige. Why else would they name their devices "One" and "First" when everyone else is rapidly iterating their model numbers? Recently the hardware maker teamed up with a social networking service to do something bold and creative: they released a smartphone that was "Facebook centric". When you turned on your phone you got Facebook first. Finally, the much rumored "Facebook phone" had arrived -- but they were bold enough not to call it that. And now, just a few months later, ...

It's been a pretty crazy week of news since Nokia unveiled its new Lumia 925 on Tuesday, and before we break for the weekend I'd like to briefly return to that Lumia 920-refresh to give some overdue kudos - and maybe stir up a bit of discussion. I love our community, fellow geeks, but it needs to be said: we can be a fickle bunch of puling, pompous jerks. And these past few months have borne that out, with fanboys of the Android persuasion more riled up than ever before. All across the internet, formerly complacent Samsung fans have risen up to counter the assault of suddenly emboldened ...

You may be hearing about Intel's missed opportunity to put their chip inside the iPhone. But what about Microsoft's lost opportunity? It seems like quite a while ago, but it hasn't been that long. Microsoft was on top of the world. They were quickly approaching their goal of a computer on every desk and in every home -- and were pushing boldly outward, finding a welcome spot in briefcases and backpacks. Then they decided to "go smaller". Windows CE Some of you may recall Windows CE, Microsoft's "compact environment" (though they claim that's not what "CE" stood for. Microsoft pushed ...

Though the Google I/O 2013 opening keynote may not have yielded all the awesome things we wanted, such as new hardware or even a new version of Android, but we walked away with at least one new service worth getting excited over, at least for music fans. Google Play Music All Access. Google Play Music All Access is two things: a name that is entirely too long and an add-on subscription music service to Google's existing Play Music digital catalog. Play Music allows users to upload up to 20,000 of their own songs to an online library for free, and any music purchases from Play are added to ...

Competition is one of the most powerful forces driving the mobile industry. It fuels innovation, keeps prices reasonable, and opens up worlds of options. Whether we're talking about OEMs, carriers, or the companies crafting mobile platforms, competition is awesome. That said, having more options isn't necessary always a good thing, and when there's already a healthy amount of competition going on, just throwing more contenders in the ring doesn't always lead to positive results. That's what I'm thinking about this morning, specifically when it comes to LG and tablets. LG, Back In The Game ...

Today was the day we looked to Google to blow our minds, to sweep us off our feet with some new, revolutionary product. The Google I/O 2013 keynote kicked-off at 12:00 PM local time, and stretched on for a tiresome three and a half hours. Between 12:00 and 1:15 PM, we were watching intently – even through the bits aimed at developers that flew over our collective head – for something truly new. We were waiting, wishing, hoping for a new device: a refreshed Nexus 4, a successor to the Nexus 7 or maybe even the rumored Motorola XFON. But as the keynote progressed, with new features and ...

Google I/O 2013 is right around the corner and chances are that we'll see something Android-related announced at this year's developers conference -- though perhaps not what we've become accustomed to from the conferences of yesteryear. Whether or not we will see another flavor of Jelly Bean or Key Lime Pie is still yet to be seen. Regardless, we're not going to sit idly by. Here are some of our last-minute requests for Android Key Lime Pie (or whatever they're going to show us at I/O).     Adam Doud Contributing Editor I'd like to see a smarter version of Google Now. Currently ...