Although Android's updates do not necessarily get the same elaborate launch coverage as Apple's iOS operating system, the latest 4.4 KitKat update is worth the discussion.

In a review for knowyourmobile.com, Damien McFerran provided us with some great insight about what's new, what's disappointing, and what's awesome about the latest update. First, McFerran touched upon the visual and graphic differences between the last 4.3 update and the most recent.

"For the first time since its inception over five years ago, Android finally feels like it has found its visual identity," he wrote. "As a result, those expecting sweeping aesthetic alterations in 4.4 will be sorely disappointed. In fact, to the untrained eye there's very little difference between 4.4 and 4.3."

Another change in the new update, he added, is that the adjustments build from one another and are real improvements rather than just changes for the sake of a new update.

"What we have here is an incremental improvement, with subtle visual upgrades that enrich the experience without being glaringly obvious," he said. "The removal of the black background on the notification bar is one such example."

As far as performance, Google made it a priority to make the Android 4.4 update one that would support devices that run on 512 MB of ram. "On a phone like the Nexus 5, which is blessed with almost four times that amount of memory," he said, "the performance is predictably butter-smooth."

In the end, it seems that the 4.4 KitKat update was beneficial in that the changes will help it run smoother in the long run. As McFerran says, it was not the huge, exciting overhaul that so many have expected, but it will help keep things sharp in the long run.

"Whenever a new version of an OS is released, it's tempting to dream about all the cool features you want to see," he said. "The fact that 4.4 is more of a refinement than an upgrade means that some users could come away disappointed. Google has massaged Android and created something stronger and better, but it hasn't reinvented the wheel with KitKat."