Microsoft has held its own, aided by its more active role in the mobile device business than its woeful PC brethren have shown so far.

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In music, Sony's dual role as both record company and device-maker did little to help the MiniDisc format, which was never widely adopted.

ECONOMIST: Sony

Smartphones and other mobile device will play a significant role this year, Shop.org said.

FORBES: Millions of Americans Ready to do their Holiday Shopping Online on Cyber Monday

Now, the high-mobility device has taken over that role.

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It is surprising to most people, but prosthetics' most important role is not ambulation: They are a social device to "level the playing field" and allow others to see you as not different.

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Dr. David Faxon , chief of cardiology at University of Chicago Hospital and former president of the American Heart Association, began using the device earlier this year to determine the role viscosity may play in clogging or hardening arteries.

FORBES: The Plot Thickens

The problem for Apple is strangling itself with its device-focus and its inability to graft a development role onto its bank account.

FORBES: Apple's Problem Is America's Problem is Apple's Problem

Adverse event reporting has a critical role in the evaluation of the safety of a drug or medical device during its testing.

FORBES: The Data On Drugs' Side Effects Must Be Reliable

We addressed the relationship individuals have with their own devices, the role of persuasive technology in marketing, the nexus of brand and device, and to what extent, if at all, device design is informing brand strategy.

FORBES: CMO Salon: Marketing In An Era Of Persuasive Technology - Forbes