SiliconAngle news editor Kristen Nicole wraps up her three-part recap on the top consumer trends in 2012 with a discussion about mobile, including notable product launches and other big plays by leading vendors (full video below).

Kristen tackles Microsoft Surface first. She says that while the tablet may not have lived up to the more enthusiastic pre-launch sales expectations, the device is playing a key role in disrupting the BYOD space.  One of the main reasons companies resort to implementing pricey corporate network management solutions is because Apple’s restrictive ecosystem makes iPhones and iPads difficult to manage from a security and compliance standpoint, but this is not the case with Windows 8.

Kristen believes that Microsoft got a lot of things right with their newest operating, including fact it gave users the option to switch between the touch interface and the familiar Windows U that most users are already comfortable with. She adds that the company’s efforts to tighten up its consumer hardware and software portfolios extends beyond Surface to all the other devices that run on Windows, to the Xbox, and Microsoft software that’s available on rivaling platforms.

She also brings up Nokia, which allied itself with Microsoft in an attempt to catch up with the competition. She says that while the Finnish phonemaker may not be a leading brand anymore, it’s still one of the top 10 manufacturers by revenue and retains a lot of market share in emerging markets. Nokia will have to overcome both technological barriers and structural challenges to truly get up in the saddle.

HP and Dell are also expanding their mobile and enterprise plans, but they’ve already given Lenovo enough time to gain a competitive advantage. Kristen credits the Chinese electronics maker’s success to a hybrid strategy that focuses on both PCs and mobile devices.  See her full analysis below, and see here for some of Kristen’s other 2013 predictions and highlights from 2012.