HTC

Samsung Electronics is throwing down the gauntlet to Apple and every other electronics and smartphone maker by partnering with Best Buy to open 1,400 "Samsung Experience Shops" within Best Buy locations nationwide. The store-within-a-store concept will allow Samsung to highlight its wares and demonstrate how its smartphone, tablets, TVs, laptops, cameras and other connected devices interact.

Spain's leading mobile operators will introduce smartphones from HTC, LG Electronics, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Sony Mobile Communications with Joyn embedded into the smartphones' operating systems.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said he is confident that the company's Lumia smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone can help the platform grab more market share, and said he is focused on the enterprise market as a major opportunity. However, analysts are worried that Nokia's lack of a 5-inch superphone to compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 may be holding the company back.

Leaked images obtained by Android Police suggest Facebook is poised to launch a replacement homescreen for Android smartphones, offering users an expanded number of permissions and controls compared to previous Facebook applications.

Facebook announced a press event April 4 to "come see our new home on Android." A number of reports indicate the company is planning to announce an HTC phone running a modified version of Android that offers deep and direct access to Facebook features including its News Feed, VoIP calling and messaging services.

HTC has received "several hundred thousand" U.S. pre-orders for its flagship One smartphone, according to an email from a top HTC executive. The news creates a clearer indication of domestic demand for the device that HTC is banking its comeback on. However, the timing of the launch of the device, particularly in the United States, will put the One in direct competition with Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S4.