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As previously announced, struggling smartphone maker HTC has announced more layoffs as the company tries to reduce costs.

The company will let go 15 percent of its global workforce (the company has over 16,000 employees).

Says new CEO Cher Wang: HTC is an inspirational company driven by innovative people, with a unique blend of expertise in hardware and software integration,
advanced technology and world-class design. Now, as we diversify beyond smartphones, we need a flexible and dynamic organization to ensure we can take advantage of all of the exciting opportunities in the connected lifestyle space. This strategic realignment of our business will ensure that each product group has the right focus, the right resources and the right expertise."

HTC said last month that it will be focusing on less smartphones and also in "profitable key areas of premium smartphones, virtual reality and connected lifestyle products."

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has sued Warner Bros, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Atlantic Records and Hollywood Records over alleged non-payments of streaming royalties.

According to the AFM, the majors signed a collective bargaining agreement in 1994 which was then amended later in which they committed to AFM members 0.5 percent of "all receipts from digital statutory and non-statutory music licenses – including audio streams, 'non-permanent downloads' and ringback tones – both in North America and abroad."

The suit alleges that they have discovered the majors underpaid or did not pay promised contributions from streaming outside the U.S., "non-permanent" downloads outside the U.S. and sales of ringback tones everywhere. The AFM used independent auditors. "Although these audits have not yet been completed, it appears that each Defendant record company has not reported on and paid to the Fund contractually required contributions based on revenues derived by the record companies from foreign audio streams," reads the suit. "The Pension Fund has demanded that each Defendant record company report on and pay these contractually required contributions to the Fund. Each of the Defendant record companies has wrongly refused to report or make payments to the Fund with respect to its revenues from foreign audio streams."

According to a new report, Comcast is prepared to launch a new video platform that will launch with content from big-name partners.

"Watchable," as the service is called, could launch as early as September.

Comcast will partner with Vox, Buzzfeed, AwesomenessTV, Refinery29, The Onion, Mic, Vice and NBC Sports among other lifestyle, comedy and news sites as it tries to take on YouTube, the undisputed leader in the industry.

The report says the publishers of the content will commit to Comcast for a few years, and will upload all their original video to Watchable. The content will then be bundled and curated for Comcast's own Xfinity X1 box owners. Eventually, Comcast plans to switch all their subscribers to X1 boxes, meaning 22 million TV viewers will be able to stream Watchable.

Reportedly, Watchable partners will not be paid any licensing revenue but will get a large piece of advertising revenue.

OnePlus has quickly released an update to their OxygenOS operating system patching the headline grabbing Stagefright vulnerability.

The update takes the OS to 1.0.2 and was released specifically to patch the exploit. Stagefright, which puts millions of Android users at risk, allowed attackers to send malicious MMS messages and then take remote access of your device.

OnePlus owners will need to flash the update via recovery, and the company says you do not need to wipe your device.

You can learn how to flash the update here: OnePlus Forums

This week at the Flash Memory Summit in California, Samsung has unveiled the "world's largest hard drive," a 16TB 2.5-inch SSD.

The Samsung PM1633a almost doubles the capacity of current hard drives, which max out at 8 to 10TB. The company says its new 256Gbit NAND flash die allows for the massive drive, with Samsung using 48 layers of 3-bits-per-cell (TLC) 3D V-NAND in a single die. By comparison, they were only able to manufacture 36 layers last year.

Ars explains how 3D NAND works and how revolutionary it is: "The simplest way of describing 3D NAND is that everything is turned on its side: so instead of having just one layer of memory cells on a single plane, you can now have dozens of layers of cells, all standing up next to each other. (The "V" in Samsung's V-NAND refers to the vertical nature of these cells.) Process-wise, 3D NAND is very complex, but the massive potential density increase makes it worthwhile."

Samsung has not revealed availability or price but you can expect to pay $7500 or so to own the world's largest drive.

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has released another powerhouse device at a rock bottom price.

The company has unveiled the Redmi Note 2 featuring a 1080p 5.5-inch display, a 64-bit octa-core Helio processor, 2GB RAM, dual cameras (5MP/13MP), dual SIM LTE support, a 3060mAh battery and 16GB or 32GB internal storage.

Furthermore, the device has Quick Charge 2.0 support, supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Android 5.0 Lollipop with the MIUI 7 UI overlay.

Xiaomi has called the device "the new monster" and while the specs are monstrous the price is what really stands out. The base model sells for RMB 799 ($125 USD) and the higher end Redmi Note 2 Prime with 32GB and a higher clocked processor sells for RMB 999 (about $155 USD).

As usual, the devices are only available in Asia for the time being, with the hopes for expansion to the U.S. and Europe in the future.

Apple has confirmed it will be updating its Boot Camp dual-boot tool this week to support Windows 10 on 64-bit Mac computers.

Reads the support page:

"You need support software (drivers) installed with Boot Camp to use Windows 10. This software is automatically downloaded when you use Boot Camp Assistant. Boot Camp supports 64-bit versions of Windows 10 when used with a supported Mac.
Windows 10 is available from Microsoft as an ISO file, an installation DVD, and a USB flash drive. You need an ISO file of the 64-bit version of the Windows 10 installer to install Windows on your Mac. If you don't have an ISO file, you can use Disk Utility to make one from your Windows installation DVD or USB flash drive. If you're installing Windows for the first time, make sure the Windows installer you're using is for a full installation (not an upgrade installer)."

In addition, the Windows 10 support and drivers extend to USB 3 and USB Type-C for newer Mac devices. Apple says most Macs released 2012 or later are supported but the full support list as well as instructions if you are interested are available here.

HBO has signed a 5-year deal with Sesame Workshop that will bring 'Sesame Street' to the network as part of a core of new kids programming.

The network says Sesame Street will be available on HBO, its multiplex channels and its streaming Now and Go services. In addition, non-HBO subscribers will also be able to see the show, as they have for decades, on PBS, albeit nine months after they debut on HBO.

"Our new partnership with HBO represents a true winning public-private partnership model," said Sesame Workshop CEO, Jeffrey D. Dunn, in a statement, "It provides Sesame Workshop with the critical funding it needs to be able to continue production of 'Sesame Street' and secure its nonprofit mission of helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder."

Besides Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop will also license out episodes of "Pinky Dinky Doo" and the new reboot of "Electric Company."

HBO has licensed 150 previously aired episodes and new episodes will begin later this year.

Even though the hardware keyboard mostly died when BlackBerry did, it appears that Samsung is feeling nostalgic.

Announced today alongside their new flagship Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 smartphones is a new kind of smartphone hardware keyboard, one that might make Ryan Seacrest and his 'Typo' keyboard blush.

The keyboard does not require Bluetooth or a battery and does not extend to the bottom of your phone. Rather, the keyboard snaps on top of your display, effectively cutting off about 40 percent of the visible display and the phone will auto-recognize the device and adjust the phone's interface. The screen actually reads the keypresses, and the keyboard can be snapped onto the backside of the phone for storage.

There was no word on price or availability.

When Windows 8 came out sans Start Menu, there was general outrage from consumers but little fixes until Stardock released their Start8 software to bring back the Windows 7 menu you knew and loved.

However, when Windows 10 was released, Start8 still worked, kinda, although it killed some Windows 10 features including basic pinning to the taskbar.

This week, Stardock has released Start10, built specifically for Windows 10 and consumers that want the Windows 7 start menu back.

As with previous offerings, the software will not break the bank, but it does cost $4.99 for a lifetime license.

If you were looking to communicate with friends or followers on Twitter, it just got a whole lot easier.

Twitter has removed the 140 character limit from its DM feature, expanding the limitation to 10,000, more than you would likely need for some chatting.

"Our users will now have the flexibility to write longer and express themselves in a more natural and comfortable way," said Sachin Agarwal, Twitter's product manager for direct messages.

Twitter continues to fight to keep its features in line with other social behemoths, namely Facebook, but the company has struggled to monetize its 315 million users. In addition, the company is looking for a new CEO after longtime executive Dick Costolo resigned last month following a sharp downturn in the company's shares.

Samsung announced the new Galaxy S6 Edge+ for those who love the dual curved screen of Galaxy S6 Edge but want something in the size of Note series of smartphones.

If Galaxy Note 5 (left) is just a larger version of Galaxy S6 then Galaxy S6 Edge+ (right) is the larger version of Galaxy S6 Edge. The specifications are virtually identical to Galaxy Note 5, just switch the stylus to a curved display. There is not a lot new here – essentially it's a Note 5 sized Galaxy S6 Edge.

Like the Note, Galaxy S6 Edge+ features an octa-core Exynos chip, a 5,7 inch QHD Super AMOLED display, 4 GB of RAM, 16 and 5 megapixel cameras, and a 3000 mAh battery with wireless charging.

The camera has the same image stabilization and live broadcasting features as Note 5. And like the Note 5 it will be available on August 21st, and preorders starting today.

Samsung has today unveiled the fifth generation of Galaxy Note at its Unpacked event in New York. The company's hugely successful phablet line of smartphones continues with the Galaxy Note 5.

Galaxy Note 5 is a direct competitor to Apple's iPhone 6 Plus and the company didn't try to hide it – quite the opposite. Even with a larger screen than on iPhone 6 Plus Galaxy Note 5 has a smaller footprint than Apple's offering.

The new Note borrows a lot from Galaxy S6 in terms of looks. With metal frames and Gorilla glass in the back and the front it is essentially a bigger Galaxy S6. What makes it Note, in addition to the size, is the improved S Pen stylus.

The Galaxy Note 5 features the octa-core Exynos chip you know from S6, a 5,7 inch QHD Super AMOLED display, 16 and 5 megapixel cameras, and a 3000 mAh battery. The camera features a new image stabilization that combines both optical and digital methods for better video stabilization. Also one of the hyped features of the camera is live broadcasting to YouTube.

The phone is waterproof and wireless charging speed has been improved (requires a new charging station). However, there is no microSD card slot and the battery is no longer removable.

Even though the original Popcorn Time team shut down a year ago, most of the founding members have now come out to support one of the variants of the software.

The original site previously had a "goodbye" message, but now links to popcorntime.io.

Now infamous for being "the Netflix of piracy," Popcorn Time has millions of users streaming thousands of unauthorized films and TV shows through software that has a Netflix-esque interface and is powered by BitTorrent.

Popcorntime.io has always been the most popular of the "forks," but now the open-source software can be considered the "official" Popcorn Time client.

After less than a year of availability, the Lumia 830 has reached the end of its life.

The device still bears the Nokia logo, and was released in September 2014, just after the company's acquisition of Nokia's handset division was completed.

Unsurprisingly, the Lumia 830 is now being phased out as it was first touted as an "affordable flagship" but its specs were lacking and its price was higher than other "affordable" devices.

Retailers are being told this is "end of life" for the device, and to begin taking down any marketing. Microsoft's own recently launched Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL have similar specs and will remain available although without Nokia's patented PureView camera.

Check the leaked Microsoft doc here: