As Facebook reports substantial Q2 earnings -- up 45% from same period last year, mostly mobile-based -- its brand also remains strong, especially among U.S. consumers. Asked about companies that connect the world, Facebook was mentioned far more than any other brand, according to recent findings from System1 Research.

We'll give business folks the benefit of the doubt, and assume that they spend most of their mobile time messaging clients and colleagues, organizing their calendars, and combing through the trades for fresh leads. Yet, after tracking 100,000 corporate mobile devices over the past 12 months, Wandera found that professionals spend plenty of time slacking off on social media. "Our analysis shows that these services use about 15%-20% of a typical wireless user's monthly data allocation," according to Michael Covington, VP of product strategy at the mobile security startup.

Microsoft just sent a clear message to consumers brave enough to bet on its mobile strategy a few years back: You're on your own. Yes, the software giant revealed this week that it will no longer be updating Windows Phone 8.1, which means that most Windows-powered phones will soon be as obsolete as a street-corner payphone.

Despite what tech makers would have us believe, it's not a forgone conclusion that voice assistants are going to upend the mobile landscape. Ok, maybe it is. (I mean, why wouldn't we ultimately prefer a form of communication we've already been working on for the past 100,000 years?) But, at the moment, Amazon and Google seem more excited about the trend than do most consumers.