No matter how you feel about Apple and the iPhone, it’s impossible to deny that the device completely revolutionized the mobile industry when it was launched in 2007. Without it, the smartphones of today may have been completely different.

Take Android, for example. It’s the biggest competitor to the iOS operating system that powers the iPhone, and it’s now the world’s largest mobile platform — but the iPhone is the reason Android is what it is today. Google started work on the software way back in 2005, but it scrapped everything and started again the day after iPhone was revealed to the world.

Samsung’s Android 4.4 KitKat updates for the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 are expected to begin their rollout by early January or late February, according to French carrier SFR. They will be the first KitKat updates released by Samsung, but other smartphones and tablets from the South Korean company are likely to receive the same software throughout 2014.

Verizon is at last, in the process of pushing out the much-anticipated Android 4.3 Jelly Bean over-the-air (OTA) update to all its carrier-branded Samsung Galaxy S III handsets located in the United States. In addition to the upgraded build of the open-source operating system, this update brings a newer version of the TouchWiz user interface, plus a multitude of bug fixes, stability improvements, speed optimizations, as well as support for the Galaxy Gear and Samsung KNOX.

Word has it that, Sprint is in the middle of pushing out a minor over-the-air update to all its carrier-branded HTC One devices registered in the United States. Sadly, this upgrade doesn’t bring any major software developments, such as Android 4.4 KitKat, but it does include a couple of requested stability improvements, one of which being a fix for the annoying issue that repeatedly occurred informing users that an “invalid” SIM card was inserted and the other being HD voice enhancements.

Motorola is finally selling the Moto X with a bamboo backplate, but it will cost you $100 more than the all-plastic model. The company introduced the new panel late on Tuesday evening, and it seems it has already been incredibly popular, with shipping dates scheduled for early January.