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From iPhones to mergers to patent wars, it has been quite the year in the world of telecommunications. Despite all the big industry news swirling around this year, the public was left with very few answers.

Here is a list of the top three tablets hardcore gamers can contemplate splurging on:

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone to be launched with the new Android 4.0 operating system, also called Ice Cream Sandwich, has been released overseas and is rumored to be available in stores in the U.S. on Dec. 15.

Apple's purchase of Anobit, an Israeli maker of Flash chips, likely means the iPhone 5 will greatly improve its memory storage capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus is coming to U.S. on Dec. 15, according to the latest rumor, which cites a Verizon store as saying.

Early adopters, this is the battle you've been waiting for. Samsung Focus S and HTC Titan are two of the best smartphones out there with the Microsoft system running their insides. Windows Phone 7 replaced Windows Mobile as Microsoft's mobile operating system in 2010. Now, with an updated 7.5 version, called Mango, the Windows Phone system is ready to duke it out with the likes of Android and Apple.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus, world's first smartphone to run on Android 4.0 aka. Ice Cream Sandwich, will hit Australia on Wednesday but there's no news from Verizon Wireless yet about the smartphone's U.S. launch date.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus is yet to hit U.S. shores officially but some lucky Android fans seem to have already acquired the highly anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphone from Best Buy and Verizon retail stores over the weekend.

Apple Inc is in talks to buy Israel's Anobit, a maker of flash storage technology, for as much as $500 million, according to a report published on Tuesday.

Apple is apparently interested in Anobit for the company's technology to increase and enhance the memory volume and performance of its devices, including the world's most popular smartphone, the iPhone, and the world's most popular tablet, the iPad. Anobit has about 200 employees.

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus has been released in the UK, Japan and Canada, while customers in the United States have been eagerly awaiting its release. The latest Google Android phone will runs only on the Verizon network and is rumored to be hitting stores in U.S. on Dec. 15.

As the Department of Justice gears up for a rare criminal trial against a publicly traded company, the Taiwanese defendant wants to argue that prosecutors just don't get Asian business culture.

Motorola's Droid Razr is a perfect holiday gift because it is a premium device that has gotten high marks for display quality, battery life and design. It does cost $300 on contract, however, so whomever you are gifting with the Droid Razr will be getting the most expensive device out there (64 gigabyte iPhone 4S notwithstanding).

As one of AT&T's only LTE-enabled smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket has a chance to become one of the best selling high speed devices in the U.S. That's in part due to the fact the other two LTE smartphones from AT&T are a half-step below the Skyrocket's features.

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphone, is expected to hit stores Dec. 15.

Let's face it, until Verizon makes an official announcement, there is no real way of knowing when the Galaxy Nexus will arrive in the United States. There has already been four rumored release dates, and all have been a no-show.

If you've purchased an Android-powered tablet, you may have noticed there is no special tablet section in the Android Marketplace. There is a featured tablet apps section, though, so that is a good place to start.

The International Trade Commission this week is expected to determine if Taiwan's HTC infringed upon Apple's smartphone patents. Isn't there a more sensible way to manage the IP wars?

Good news to smartphones and tablet users who crave for gaming without compromising on splendid graphics - OnLive, a Silicon Valley-based gaming service, has announced the launch of an application (app) which enables users of mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad and Android-based smartphones and tablets, including Amazon's Kindle Fire, to enjoy console-class gaming.

Following Google’s recent announcement that Android Market has reached an important milestone - 10 billion downloads per month – the Internet search engine giant also released a detailed infographic that showed how the world is being driven forward by Google power.

The Verizon Wireless launch of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the newest Google Android phone, is expected on Dec. 15, but it may be a letdown for some eager to buy the phone as its only official carrier in the United States has said that it will not support Google Wallet.