Although Apple is still (very) profitably plugging along with the iPhone, there’s a new king of smartphones, and it’s Samsung. The Korean gadget maker continued to dominate smartphone sales in the third quarter, shipping over 88 million smartphones this quarter compared to just 33.8 million iPhones shipped. And it gets worse for Apple.

Last month, ASUS officially unveiled the PadFone Infinity 2, the latest addition to its increasingly popular tablet/smartphone hybrid range of devices that are capable of sending/receiving text messages as well as making phone calls. Now, it looks like the Taiwanese company is planning a Mini version of the Infinity 2, that’s designed to compete with the hordes of other mini devices on the market.

Verizon Wireless is in the process of pushing out a very much-anticipated over-the-air (OTA) update to all of its carrier-branded Galaxy S4 handsets in the United State. This upgrade brings the latest version of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean together with Samsung’s “premium suite” software – which made its debut appearance on the Galaxy Note 3.

Samsung has struck a $100 million deal with the NBA that will see its tablets and televisions used courtside during games. The deal is seen as a strategic move that could expand the global reach of both parties, shoving Samsung’s logo and devices into the faces of NBA fans, and putting NBA content into the hands of Samsung’s customers.

BlackBerry has now done away with its waiting list for BBM on Android and iOS, allowing new users to begin using the messaging service right after they’ve signed up. The Canadian company has also promised new features in future updates, including Channels, BBM Voice, and BBM Video.