Revised Roku

The Roku streaming box player got a big update Wednesday with the release of the Roku 3.

The $99 box has a faster processor, stronger Wi-Fi and, most important, a new search interface.

On previous models, if you wanted to find out if a particular movie was available for viewing on the Roku box, you would have to search for it app by app, stopping at Netflix, Amazon and other Roku channels. Now Roku has one central search.

Watch doubts

Swatch Group chief executive officer Nick Hayek said he is skeptical that an interactive watch could replace an iPhone, talking down the prospects for a project that Apple has hinted it is working on.

“Personally, I don’t believe it’s the next revolution,” the chief of the largest Swiss watchmaker said at a news conference in Grenchen, Switzerland. “Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can’t have an immense display.”

Light Sprite

Finding a can of regular Sprite in the United Kingdom is about to get difficult.

Coca-Cola said it is replacing Sprite in the country with a version that uses the sweetener stevia and has 30 percent fewer calories. The move is in response to a government push calling on companies to address obesity.

Coca-Cola already offers Sprite with stevia in France.

The company made the announcement ahead of the airing of its anti-obesity TV ad in the United Kingdom.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said the ad will air in other countries throughout the year. She said the company is still exploring whether to bring Sprite with stevia to the U.S.

Mortgage requests

Mortgage applications in the U.S. jumped the most in seven weeks as a drop in borrowing costs spurred home purchases and refinancing.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index rose 14.8 percent in the period ending March 1, the first increase in a month, after falling 3.8 percent the previous week, the Washington-based group reported.

The refinance gauge advanced 14.8 percent, while the purchase index climbed 15 percent.

New tablet

News Corp.’s Amplify division has unveiled a $299 tablet computer designed for schoolchildren.

The 10-inch device will run on Google’s Android software and use Wi-Fi to provide children with a personalized learning service, Amplify said.

The company said it is working with AT&T to test the product in school districts across the U.S.