Android OS - News, Features, and Slideshows

Thumb-size PCs like Intel's Compute Stick are still a novelty, but adoption will grow as TVs and displays increasingly become the center of entertainment and computing.

Samsung Electronics' latest flagship smartphone has some great hardware in a compact chassis for a device with a 5.7-inch screen. But there are some missing features and the price tag is eye watering.

Google is putting some of the most Google-y Android apps in the spotlight, and is sharing their source code to spur development of other apps.

The enterprise-oriented version of Google's mobile OS, Android for Work, has gained support from a roster of business partners that includes the top four U.S. mobile carriers.

Microsoft is quietly testing a new launcher app that replaces Android users' home screens. Called Arrow, the utility is a product of the company's Garage program that lets employees work on interesting side projects and release them to the world.

Weddings. Job promotions. News articles. Facebook thinks it knows what the best stories are to drop in your news feed. But some users might want to see things their own way.

The mobile world changes fast. Case in point: A year ago thinking that Android devices could be on par with -- and perhaps even overtake -- Apple in the enterprise would have been considered crazy. But the today the race is neck and neck.

Google did its best to court developers at this year's I/O conference with a much-needed integrated developer environment, API for better games and the ability to more easily translate apps. Their allegiance will become increasingly important as smartphone and tablet hardware sees fewer dramatic improvements.

HTC and Nokia are preparing to go head-to-head with new cameras on upcoming smartphones, as they hope to steal market share from Apple and Samsung Electronics.

Over the past year, patent battles have been fought by tech companies in courtrooms all over the world. The litigation is far from over though, however, and will continue throughout 2013. This is what's at stake on the patent battlefield in the near future.

Five years after its inception, Android is more dominant than ever in the smartphone OS market, despite facing a number of challenges along the way.