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Motorola has sent out press invites to an event at 9AM on July 28th.

During the event, the company is expected to unveil the new generation of the Moto X flagship smartphone, and also an update to the aging Moto 360 smartwatch.

In addition, Motorola may also use the event to unveil a new Verizon Droid, and potentially a new Moto G, the low priced mid-range phone that has been very popular with consumers.

Subtly added to the press invite are the letters 'XGX' in a place where a hugs and kisses 'XoXo' might normally be seen, suggesting the aforementioned Moto X and Moto G updates.

Microsoft has confirmed that it will sell Windows 10 on USB drives, finally offering an alternative to DVDs for those that like to own a "physical" copy of the operating system.

The offering is great for notebook owners, as the DVD drive is no longer a standard found in every computer. Additionally, those with operating system issues will have an alternative way to repair their devices or reformat.

Although it is unclear if the pricing is final, Windows 10 Home is already available for pre-order on Amazon for $119.99 and Windows 10 Pro is available for $199.99.

"Windows 10 will be available on USB drives for purchase in retail channels shortly after launch," a Microsoft spokesperson added. "The suggested retail prices for Windows 10 in the U.S. are the same as Windows 8.1."

Microsoft also confirmed that Amazon will not be the only retailer to offer the devices, and Microsoft will offer it themselves through the Microsoft Store.

Six years after the original launched for mobile in 2009, Finnish games developer Rovio has announced 'Angry Birds 2' - the long-awaited sequel.

The original game has been downloaded over 2 billion times for Android, iOS, Windows, PC and Mac but popularity of the game has waned for years.

Rovio tried to spice up sales via spinoff games, totaling 14 since the launch of the first game. The more popular spinoffs include Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Space, and many of the titles have been downloaded hundreds of millions of times. None have been able to match the success of the original, however, a game that basically created the casual mobile gaming industry.

The developer will unveil more on July 28th at a press event in San Francisco, but so far the details are scarce other than that the game will be "bigger, badder and birdier."

SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards have existed for decades and even though they are gradually getting smaller they are still around. Maybe not for long though if GSMA and the likes of Samsung and Apple have their way.

According to Financial Times Samsung and Apple are in talks with telecom representing GSM Association to launch a new kind of electronic SIM card. Even though nothing is written in stone yet, GSMA says that operators including Vodafone, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, and Orange are joining the world's two largest smartphone companies in supporting the eSIM.

The electronic SIM card would allow instant switching of operators without physically fiddling with the device. Apple tested the concept on its LTE equipped iPads but the support from the operatorss for the "Apple SIM" remained relatively weak.

The electronic SIM is said to possible enter the consumer markets as soon as 2016.

Microsoft has finalized the Windows 10 software and the Windows Insider Program members are now able to try out the commercial version.

The Verge reports that build 10240 is the final release which will be installed by the PC manufacturers on their first Windows 10 computers. The same version is the one that Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will be able to upgrade on July 29th – unless last minute fixes are released.

Microsoft doesn't want to call the version finished for obvious reasons. There might still be smaller bug fixes and other tweaks before the launch date. And even after that the operating system continues to evolve.

Apple has announced a new iPod Touch earlier this week. The company hasn't been updating the iPod portfolio since 2012 but now, after the release of Apple Music, the time was right.

The new iPod Touch features the same A8 processor from latest generation iPhones but the display is only four inches diagonally. The resolution is 1136 x 640.

There are two cameras aboard: 8 megapixel snapper in the back and a 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera in the front. Fifth generation Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth 4.1 are supported. However, no GPS or NFC support.

You can choose between 16, 32, 64, or 128 gigabytes of storage and the prices are $199, $249, $299, and $399 respectively. Apple also refreshed iPod shuffle and iPod nano with new color options.

Nokia released a statement earlier this week addressing the rumors of a possible future smartphone. The Finnish company had earlier suggested that it would be interested in creating a smartphone but now the new press release makes it official – or more so.

Ever since Nokia sold the mobile phone business to Microsoft there has been chatter in the media about a possibility for Nokia to re-enter the market. After the unveiling of N1 (pictured), an Android tablet, Nokia as a company has been more involved in the discussion about a possible phone as well.

The statement comes conveniently just after Microsoft has told about layoffs that affect most harshlly towns in Finland. Microsoft, however, still holds the rights for Nokia name in smartphones.

At earliest Nokia could launch a new smartphone under that name in the last quarter of 2016. So there is more than enough time to find a licensing partner – after all Nokia doesn't own the manufacturing plants anymore.

Microsoft has announced a "Windows 10 Lights up New Devices" event for IFA on September 4th in which the company will unveil new devices running on the upcoming operating system.

Running the keynote is Nick Parker, VP of Microsoft's OEM division, which is interesting as the exec does not work on Surface or Lumia.

Parker will "demonstrate a breadth of new Windows 10 devices, including tablets, 2-in-1s, premium notebooks, gaming devices and all-in-ones that will light up the Windows 10 experience for customers."

"It's about the software and the experiences it enables on devices!" said Jens Heithecker, IFA Executive Director. "Windows 10 is coming – with new capabilities and experiences for consumers and businesses. "We are excited to see Microsoft take the keynote stage at IFA to give us a glimpse at how its partners plan to incorporate that future into the devices we rely on for work, home and play."

In a sad press release tonight, Nintendo has announced that its CEO and president Satoru Iwata has passed away from a bile duct growth.

He was just 55.

The executive became a director at Nintendo in 2000 and then president in 2002, following Nintendo legend Hiroshi Yamauchi. Previously, he worked as a coder for Nintendo's subsidiary HAL working on games like NES Tournament Golf and Kirby. More recently, he was named CEO of Nintendo America in 2013.

Iwata was instrumental in major hits like the Wii and Nintendo DS/DSi/3DS but more recently the company had run into issues following the flop of the Wii U. Nintendo just announced initiatives to get into mobile and a new console scheduled to launch next year, for which there are still little details.

Despite health issues in the past, his death comes as a serious shock as his ailments were not expected to be terminal and Iwata has been a very visible Nintendo figure over the years, speaking at investor meetings, E3 keynotes and more.

The U.S. FTC has begun an initial investigation into Apple's treatment of rival music streaming apps and whether the practices are illegal under current antitrust law.

Apple takes a 30 percent cut on every in-app purchase for digital goods, including streaming subscriptions, causing a big issue for companies like Spotify, Deezer and Rdio.

Each streaming service charges $9.99 a month for a premium subscription but with Apple taking a 30 percent cut, many of the services have complained that they have to raise their rates, which then in turn makes them non-competitive in the marketplace. If they do not raise the price, most of their margins are gone after Apple takes their cut.

The FTC has had multiple meetings with "concerned parties" and will likely start a formal investigation in time.

The team over at OnePlus has revealed yet another detail about the upcoming OnePlus 2 flagship this weekend during an AMA on reddit.

Confirmed is the fact that the company will use a 3300mAh battery for their upcoming smartphone, larger than its predecessor's 3100mAh battery.

The company also confirmed that the camera is a high priority and that there will be a fingerprint sensor, which has also been rumored for some time.

Sadly, in order to get the new phone you will have to go through the arcane invite system, but OnePlus says the system has been improved. Additionally, OnePlus One buyers will get priority.

Finally, the company is adding more band support and will ship three separate models - one for NA, one for China and one for Europe. The NA model will work on GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz, WCDMA bands 1/2/4/5/8, and FDD-LTE bands 1/2/4/5/7/8/12/17. The other models will work on GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz, WCDMA bands 1/2/5/8, and FDD-LTE bands 1/3/5/7/8/20 giving plenty of options for the unlocked device.

The OnePlus 2 becomes official on July 27th via a virtual reality launch.

Update: I have been in contact with the project's founder, Ashok, since I wrote this review. Despite the harsh words for the EzeeCube, Ashok has been gracious enough to provide assistance and updates to me on a weekly basis. I was recently sent an updated media center with the latest firmware to test, and I will be doing so this week.

Original Review

The EzeeCube, a crowdfunded Indiegogo darling, started shipping out to backers three weeks ago, a year after its campaign began.

So far, the experience has been a disaster.

As with all horror stories, it pays to start at the beginning. The campaign (and the set-top itself) started with a lot of promise. The Ezee Cube is a media center set-top box that allows you to sync to your mobile device and therefore keep all your pictures, music and movies stored safely on the device's 1 or 2TB HDD. The built-in software, based on Kodi (formerly XBMC), promised to keep everything tidy in your own media library. The campaign also promised the ability to add 100s of apps, from Hulu to YouTube.

Perhaps most notably, the Cube offers the ability to stack units to your set-top, such as a Blu-ray player, added HDDs and even a classic console emulator. Having a set-top box that could store 1TB worth of content in an XMBC media library, act as a home cloud for your family, DLNA support, and devices and possibly allow you to play Blu-rays and video games sounded like an incredible deal, and I was quick to back the campaign for $199 and the promise of a "Thanksgiving Day delivery." Yes, Thanksgiving 2014.

As of this weekend, Google's popular Chrome browser is now blocking a few popular torrent sites if you try to access them directly.

At one point, KickassTorrents, ExtraTorrent, Torrentz and RARBG were all blocked if you tried to go to them directly from your URL bar, with each marked as a site that contains "harmful programs."

A few of the sites were able to solve the problems directly through Google's webmaster tools but some like Torrentz are still blocked.

"The site ahead contains harmful programs," reads the page. "Attackers on torrentz.eu might attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience (for example, by changing your homepage or showing extra ads on sites you visit)."

All the sites have denied hosting malicious software and are expected to be back and available by the end of the weekend.

Yesterday, the saga of Ellen Pao took a somewhat unexpected turn as the executive resigned as CEO of reddit.

She is being replaced by reddit's founder Steve Huffman, who was also the company's original CEO.

Pao was heavily criticized in her 9 months as interim CEO for reddit, with users calling for her resignation for some time. All hell broke loose earlier this month when a popular staff member was let go, and moderators shut down some of the most popular areas of reddit. A change.org petition for Pao to resign saw over 200,000 signatures.

Here is the full statement from Reddit:

Ellen Pao resigned from reddit today by mutual agreement. I'm delighted to announce that Steve Huffman, founder and the original reddit CEO, is returning as CEO.

We are thankful for Ellen's many contributions to reddit and the technology industry generally. She brought focus to chaos, recruited a world-class team of executives, and drove growth. She brought a face to reddit that changed perceptions, and is a pioneer for women in the tech industry. She will remain as an advisor to the board through the end of 2015. I look forward to seeing the great things she does beyond that.

We're very happy to have Steve back. Product and community are the two legs of reddit, and the board was very focused on finding a candidate who excels at both (truthfully, community is harder), which Steve does. He has the added bonus of being a founder with ten years of reddit history in his head. Steve is rejoining Alexis, who will work alongside Steve with the new title of "cofounder".

Microsoft has created an interesting new app this week, 'Tossup,' an app that promises to help you organize plans with friends and family easier than even Facebook.

"Aiming to advance Microsoft's mission of helping people achieve more in life and work, Tossup is a lightweight and fast mobile experience that helps groups plan and make decisions by giving them the ability to vote and suggest choices. It's an ideal tool to make decisions about timing, availability, what to do, nearby venues and spending limits. Information for restaurants is pulled from Bing – opening hours, reviews, addresses, etc. – to help make decisions. To get answers quickly, groups can add a countdown clock, then save the event to their calendars, turning those plans into reality," says Microsoft.

The software giant notes that Tossup extends beyond planning and allows you to ask just about anything.

"We're creating apps that make it easy and even fun to get more done, both at work and in your personal life," says Ashok Kuppusamy, a group program manager whose team is focused on building mobile apps. "Take Tossup, for example. Everyone has been through the tedious experience of planning a get-together which results in long email threads or text messages that go on and on without any resolution. We've built an app that helps people in these everyday scenarios."