Since Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) introduced the iPhone in 2007, innovation in smartphones has occurred in fits and starts. Some models, like Apple's original device, usher in radical improvements and new features -- visual voice mail, touch that works -- while others merely improve processing power or software performance. (Hence the entry of 'S' and 'X' into the phonemakers' nomenclature.) Competitors such as Samsung and HTC have mostly followed suit, pumping out iterative updates punctuated every few years by breakthrough devices. And while little is yet known about Apple's upcoming iOS 7, a number of new high-profile phones have brought with them innovations that, in sum total, promise to make smartphones way smarter. Here's a look at some of the most promising new technology:
These stories of no-holds-barred competition, contempt, and all-out conflict shaped the business world as we know it.
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