Roku 4 set to bring new OS, 4K support, and much more

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Roku has long been the darling of the set-top box market with its tiny devices that bring internet TV to your big screen. Want to watch Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime? Roku will let you do that from the comfort of your sofa. But what about the next wave of devices? We just saw Amazon reveal its new offerings, and now Roku is following suit.

The company announces version 4 of its device, bringing with it lots of goodies like 4K, which is considered the wave of the next generation TV. It also comes along with version 7 of the operating system, a more powerful quad-core processor and a remote control with voice search. There's also still a headphone jack, just as the Roku 3 remote control had.

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Top court rules European-US Safe Harbor data sharing agreement invalid

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The European Court of Justice has ruled that the Safe Harbor agreement that is in place between technology companies is invalid. The agreement covers the sharing of data between the EU and the US but the court said there are insufficient privacy and data protection checks in place.

European law dictates that data should only be shared with and transferred to countries that offer a comparable level of data protection to the EU. The Safe Harbor agreement has been in operation for around 15 years, but after concerns that European data could be shared with the likes of the NSA it means that companies such as Facebook, Google, and Apple could be sharing data illegally.

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Watch Microsoft's new Windows 10 devices launch live here

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With Windows 10’s momentum slowing, Microsoft needs to reignite interest in its new operating system, and what better way to do that than by introducing new devices designed to showcase the OS. Today at a special event in New York City the software giant will be taking the wraps off its latest hardware ventures.

We’re expecting to see a refreshed Surface Pro at the event, possibly with a borderless display, new Lumia smartphones -- including the 950 and 950 XL flagships --  and maybe other devices too. A closer look at Surface Hub, HoloLens, and Windows 10 Mobile are all possibilities as well. It definitely promises to be an exciting event.

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Here are the Motorola devices that will get Android 6.0 Marshmallow

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Motorola has released a list of devices set to receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the latest update for Google’s mobile operating system, available today for manufacturers and carriers.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow brings a range of new features to smartphones, including Now on Tap, an intuitive addition to Google Now that understands the context of a search within an app; Android Pay, an NFC-based mobile payments service; and Doze Mode, a deep sleep mode for the phone that extends battery life significantly.

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Android 6.0 Marshmallow: How to enable battery percentage and hide Quick Settings toggles

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After upgrading to Android 6.0 Marshmallow on your Nexus device you have likely noticed that there is still no way to change how the battery information is displayed in the status bar or choose which Quick Settings toggles are shown in the notifications panel. Google continues to be quite limiting in this regard, which is a bit puzzling considering others like Samsung allow this kind of customization. (After all, who wouldn't like to see a battery percentage instead of a bar that is hard to interpret?)

Fortunately, both of those things can be easily customized without relying on third-party apps or rooting. All you need to do is enable System UI Tuner, a control panel that is included, but hidden by default, in the latest version of Android. Here is how you can do that.

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What if Google announces Play Store and Android apps support for Windows 10 Mobile devices?

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Chatter on Twitter suggests that Google will be present at Microsoft's grand "Windows 10 Devices" event tomorrow, and it would announce Android apps support for Windows 10 Mobile devices. Bolstering the theory is the two company's seemingly improving relationship, the biggest testament of which was up on display when the two recently agreed to drop 20 patent lawsuits they had filed against each other. If it indeed true, what does it mean for Microsoft's mobile operating system? Revival.

It's no secret that Android and iOS are the two dominant mobile operating systems out there -- whether you like it or not. Windows Phone has been playing catch up ever since its inception -- quite literally as Microsoft was late to arrive in the mobile operating system party. Perhaps it didn't get the memo. This race left the company's mobile operating system non-beneficial for mobile developers to make apps for it. And how can you blame them? Windows Phone had less than 5 percent of market share. So a majority of these developers never made apps for Windows Phone.

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EFF joins Nameless Coalition and demands that Facebook kills its real names policy

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Facebook has come under heavy criticism for its real names (or 'authentic identities' as they are known to the social network) policy. Over the last year, all manner of rights groups and advocates have tried to convince Facebook to allow users to drop their real name in favor of a pseudonym if they want.

Now the Electronic Frontier Foundation is part of the 74-member strong Nameless Coalition and has written to Facebook demanding a rethink on the ground of safety, privacy, and equality. This is far from being the first time Facebook has been called on to allow the use of 'fake names', and the latest letter is signed by LGBT groups, freedom advocates, privacy supporters, and feminist organizations.

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Snowden says GCHQ's Smurf programs can tap, hack, and control any smartphone

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In an interview with BBC Panorama, Edward Snowden made further revelations about the capabilities of government agencies. Having blown the whistle on the NSA, Snowden has also shed light on the activities of the UK equivalent, GCHQ.

In tonight's interview, the former NSA contractor spoke of the agency's "Smurf Suite" -- a collection of tools that can be used to intercept and control smartphones, even if they're turned off. Named after the blue cartoon characters, the Smurf tools can be deployed via encrypted text message without alerting the handset owner.

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How to Install Android 6.0 Marshmallow on Nexus 5, 6, 7, 9 using Windows PC or Mac

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Google has released Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the latest iteration of its mobile operating system. The update will be rolled out over the air for a number of handsets starting from Nexus 6, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2013), and Nexus 9, but you can speed up the process by using the factory images.

As you might be familiar, factory images need to be installed on your device manually. In case you don't remember the procedure, here's how you can get the latest flavor of Android on your device.

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How to move or resize windows with the keyboard

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It’s easy enough to size or position windows with the mouse, but keyboard shortcuts can be quicker and more convenient.

On Windows 7 and later, pressing Win+Left or Win+Right snaps the current window to the left or right half of the screen.

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Edward Snowden would be willing to go to jail... if the US government would speak to him

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Currently in exile in Russia, Edward Snowden recently joined Twitter to give him a public platform to communication with the world. With global interest in surveillance and privacy, the NSA whistleblower still conducts TV and newspaper interviews, and in a BBC interview he reveals that he would be willing to serve prison time.

He has even offered his freedom to the US government... but no one has responded to him. Praised and vilified in just about equal measure, Snowden faces prosecution under the Espionage Act for leaking documents about the activities of the NSA.

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Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program ensures 4K support, prevents counterfeiting

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Since HDMI cables are digital, it is arguably pointless to invest in "premium" variants from so-called high-end brands like Monster. With that said, there is value in buying something that is well-made. Not all cables are capable of handling UHD 4K content, however, so some HDMI cables are better than others (always buy high speed rather than standard speed as the price difference is negligible).

Apparently, both counterfeit and misleading cables are an issue, as the Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program has been created. This will ensure that cables being marketed as HDMI 2.0 and 4K Ultra HD are truly capable of their promised performance.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 will have Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip

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Samsung is going to start using Qualcomm’s processors again with its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7.

If you cast your mind back to the start of the year, that was when news first emerged that Samsung was abandoning Qualcomm CPUs for the Galaxy S6, with the phone maker deciding to exclusively use its own Exynos chips (previously, Samsung had used both Exynos and Snapdragon).

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As fulltime CEO, Jack Dorsey wants to make Twitter 'great' and impact the world

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He has been interim CEO for some time now, but today Jack Dorsey has been officially appointed as CEO of Twitter. Three months after Dick Costolo stepped down from the role, Dorsey is now the head of not only Square, but also Twitter, bringing to an end months of rumor and speculation.

As one of the founders of the company, Dorsey has an unrivalled knowledge of where Twitter comes from, what is at its heart, and where it should be heading. The board of Twitter is due for an overhaul, and one of the first announcements is the appointment of Adam Bain as COO, but there are almost certainly more exciting announcements on the horizon.

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Microsoft announces a string of events for new Windows 10 devices

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We already knew there was a Microsoft event tomorrow in New York City and BetaNews will be there to help bring you full coverage. The event kicks off at 10am EDT and you can watch it numerous ways, including right here.

However, that's just a prelude to a couple of weeks of other events around the world. Microsoft plans to showcase new devices from a number of OEM partners -- one per day (mostly) beginning October 7th.

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