There's nothing new about Roku. You know, the set-top box for media streaming that has sold over 10 million units? We have all heard of it. There has been a couple upgrades since the original Roku, the flagships Roku 2 and Roku 3, but it has been two years since we have seen new hardware. This week, the company has invested some new updates in the flagship models, including voice search and new hardware. This is important because while Amazon, Apple, and Google's all have their own streaming devices, Roku is still figuring out how to remain a hefty competition- all while letting its customers reap the benefits.

Roku, of course, is an affordable streaming platform (original Roku remains $49.99) that delivers thousands of apps to your television with a simple set-top box or HDMI dongle hook-up. Starting with the Roku 3, because of the significance of its upgrade, it now features voice search from the remote. Using an integrated mic in its all-new remote control, the user can simply speak into the mic at the top of the remote to search for movies, shows, and new channels. Manually entering letter-by-letter gets real old, real fast. Speaking of fast, Tech Crunch reports a significant bump in the Roku 3's performance, including quick Netflix or Amazon Instant Video shortcuts without waiting for the entire system to boot up.

Both boxes will now feature Roku Feed, a service that lets you “follow” certain media that you want to receive updates about, such as release dates or drops in price (Tech Crunch). Finally, the Roku 2's hardware has been bumped to be just like its big brother, the Roku 3. The only difference is it does not support voice search. The Roku 2 and Roku 3 remain $69.99 and $99.99, respectively, so you're getting upgrades without having to pay for them. This is the way it should be.