Philips is making televisions with the Roku operating system, Google launches Nearby Share for Windows.

Roku television sets arrive in Canada next month

Roku is bringing its line of branded QLED television screens to the Canadian market in August.

The 4K, ultra high definition screens are built with Dolby Atmos sound and are available

These screens are priced aggressively, with the 50-inch model costing only $550. Other sizes include:

• 55-inch: $650
• 65-inch: $850
• 75-inch: $1,200

The Roku Philips TVs will be sold in Best Buy.

Roku started out providing the software on which other TV brands could operate, and first leveraged that position to become a broadcaster. The Roku Channel is the company’s online streaming service that has licensed a range of movies (Whiplash, Cosmopolis, Air Bud) and television series (The Rifleman, the Dead Zone, the Beverly Hillbillies). Roku also has a line of Roku Originals that have been created for it.

Nearby Share for Windows lets you drop photos between Android devices and your computer

Google’s Nearby Share for Windows makes it easy to transfer files between Android and Windows devices.

Google will be preinstalling the app on select new Windows computers soon.

The Verge has instructions on how to use Nearby Share for Windows.

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about the pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, the PSVR2 game, Synapse, the Kensington MK7500F QuietType keyboard, and a class action settlement for LinkedIn.

A U.S. court rejected an FTC request to block Microsoft’s bid to acquire Activision and Synapse is a fantastic virtual reality shooter.

Court rejects FTC request for injunction clearing way for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision

Tom Warren has been following the deal for the Verge, and late in the day on Wednesday reported that the FTC was appealing the decision by a federal court judge in California.

Synapse an energetic VR shooter that you’ll want to play again

You’ll work up a sweat playing Synapse, a new shooter from nDreams and developed exclusively for the PS VR2.

This is because the game requires more than just pointing your hands at things. In Synapse you gain telepathic abilities and success – survival – requires that you use those talents to pick up and fling objects around.

And you can traverse the environment by climbing, which requires that you simulate climbing with your hands.

It’s all anchored by a high-concept story: you are an agent who needs to go into the mind of a military vet who is a danger to society. Colonel Conrad knows you’re in his mind, and he attacks you. You’ll have to navigate the space, manage your ammunition and health, and make wise decisions when given the opportunity to pick up upgrades.

And if you die, you try again.

Some upgrades are permanent, others are only valid during your run. The objective is to get through to the end, and every time you try, you learn a little bit more about what’s really going on.

Veteran video game actors Jennifer Hale and David Hayter are great in Synapse playing, respectively, your handler and Colonel Conrad. They elevate the experience and give the game just the right tone: weighty but not serious.

This is a game you’ll want to return to, to explore the different configurations of upgrades, and to figure out what’s really going on in the mind of Colonel Conrad. Have a towel and a glass of water nearby, though, because you’ll need them when you’re done playing.

Kensington’s new productivity keyboard is quiet, and LinkedIn has agreed to a settlement in a Canadian class action.

New Kensington keyboard packages full functionality into a wireless design

A new, wireless keyboard from Kensington is a full-featured device, but it’s silence might be its best feature.

The MK7500F QuietType is a mechanical keyboard, which are better to use and longer lasting, but people complain about them because they are loud.

This design from Kensington reduces the loudness of the keys, though, by up to 15 decibels.

It can connect to up to five devices at a time including three using Bluetooth. There are keys dedicated to managing your video conferencing apps – to answer, hang up, and to toggle audio and video – and there are an additional four keys that you can program yourself.

And it’s got an adjustable backlight in the event you’re burning the midnight oil.

Class action settlement against LinkedIn reached in Canada

People in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador who were LinkedIn users between 2011 and May 22, 2023 are impacted by a class action settlement with the LinkedIn Corporation.

The issue is that LinkedIn breached the privacy laws of those provinces in using, without consent, “names, portraits, and likenesses.”

While LinkedIn denies any wrongdoing, the company has agreed to a payment of $510,000 CAN to be released from any claims. The settlement “is not an admission of liability, wrongdoing, or fault.”

Individuals aren’t getting any money, here. Instead, after the lawyer’s fees are paid – there is a hearing to approve the amount – the balance will be donated to the Law Foundation of British Columbia as a cy-près donation.

If you qualify for the class action, you can object to the settlement or opt out of being included. Instructions on how to do this are available online.

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about 1Password for password management, virtual F1 racing, Lego Duplo World and Slay the Spire, Threads from Instagram, the end of My Photo Stream, and a reminder that next week is Amazon Prime Day.