8 ways mobile will get your attention in 2015

From a carrier price war to wearable technology, it was a busy 2014 for mobile -- and there's more to come next year.

A wireless carrier price war, several blockbuster deals, unlikely smartphone vendors emerging as major players and the rise of wearable technology -- 2014 was a whirlwind year for mobile.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere kicked off the year in mobile with a bang.

The year kicked off with a bang when T-Mobile CEO John Legere crashed an AT&T party at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- and was summarily thrown out. The subsequent buzz propelled his Uncarrier press conference -- the first of eight such events held this year.

But T-Mobile wasn't alone in stepping up. Sprint replaced longtime CEO Dan Hesse with Brightstar founder Marcelo Claure, who quickly introduced a series of new plans and promotions to win back customers. With two players getting more aggressive, larger rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T had no choice but to respond.

The year also saw a number of big deals, from AT&T's deal to acquire DirecTV for $48.5 billion and Lenovo's $2.9 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, taking the business off Google's hands. Smaller vendors, including China's Xiaomi and India's Micromax, have risen quickly thanks to a strategy of selling low-cost devices with decent specifications and designs.

The market for wearable devices arrived this year, thanks in part to Google's Android Wear platform. Samsung, Motorola and LG, among others, tried their hand at a smartwatch -- or in Samsung's case, tried multiple times. And Apple finally took the wraps off its long-awaited design. Who cares if consumers haven't really embraced them yet?

Start here: A draft reimbursement policy for mobile users

Many companies still struggle with reimbursement and access policies for employees on the go

It's one of the most frequent questions I get at conferences: How to manage all those users who would like to -- or simply do -- use mobile devices and want their work usage reimbursed. This question usually comes up in the context of BYOD, but of course can be raised in terms of company-provided devices. In other words: Who gets those in the first place?

Although every company has its own requirements, employee-enablement bias, and context, every company can start from core, equitable principles, then modify them for their own needs and culture. What follows is my proposed draft policy based on these principles. As you begin a new year, now is a good time to (re)think your own policies around mobile and remote-access reimbursements and permissions.

When you wish upon a cloud: 3 cloud hopes for 2015

Sadly, these enterprise cloud predictions need to come true, but won't happen any time soon

It’s that time of year again, as PR people reach out to tell me about their client’s 2015 cloud computing predictions. Are you sitting down? Most revolve around whatever technology they sell. Shocker, right?

Here are three cloud computing predictions for 2015 that have no chance of coming true, though they should.

Getting the best TV picture: The complete guide

Your TV looks pretty good, right? What if, for free, you could make it look even better? With a few minutes of time, you can master your TV's connections, placement and settings to get it looking even more realistic. Here's everything you need to know.

No matter how long you've had your TV, chances are it can look better than it does. If you've never adjusted your TV's picture settings, you're missing out on some of your TV's performance.

This handy guide will lead you through every step to get your TV looking its absolute best.

Samsung launches Milk VR to deliver virtual reality videos to Gear VR

Milk VR will provide the videos for free as Samsung hopes to goose interest in the field.

Samsung wants to jump start the virtual reality movement.

The Korean electronics conglomerate on Tuesday launched Milk VR, a service that will provide free 360 degree videos to anyone using a Gear VR virtual reality headset, which launched as a limited "Innovator's Edition" earlier this month. The content is expected to dribble out on a consistent basis in an effort to get people coming back to the service.

Reviews editor Scott Stein tests out the Gear VR -- minus the Galaxy Note 4. 

Samsung hopes Milk VR is an answer to those skeptical about the amount of content available for the Gear VR. The videos will also serve as a model for future filmmakers or artists looking to take advantage of the virtual reality medium, as well as build up an ecosystem and viewership for VR content. Milk VR also sits alongside Milk Video and Milk Radio services, dragging Samsung deeper into the content game.