Earlier this year, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was consulting on a possible probe into Google and Apple's dominance in the mobile phone market. Now, the regulator has announced that it received "widespread support" for its proposals and has launched a market investigation into the two tech giant's "duopoly" in cloud gaming and mobile browsers.  

"Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google," said the CMA's interim chief executive, Sarah Cardell in a statement. "We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors."

The CMA noted that Apple and Google have a "stranglehold" over mobile device operating systems, app stores and browsers. It said 97 percent of UK web browsing in 2021 happened on either Apple or Google's browser engines, "so any restrictions on these engines can have a major impact on users' experiences." It also noted that cloud gaming services count 800,000 UK users, "but restriction on their distribution could hamper growth in this sector." 

Many responses to its earlier consultation came from browser vendors, web developers and cloud gaming services, the CMA said. Developers in particular complained about bugs and glitches in web pages, giving them "no choice but to create bespoke mobile apps when a website might be sufficient." 

The UK authority has been a thorn in the side of technology companies of late. It recently forced Meta to sell Giphy after the former lost an appeal, is investigating Google separately over competition in ads, and is looking into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition. "Market investigations can result in changes to companies’ behavior and restrictions, which improve competition and lead to greater choice for consumers and better-quality products," it said with regard to its latest probe. 

Amazon has started its Black Friday sales on a number of watches including $60 off the Watch Ultra, its best discount yet. We're also still seeing nice discounts on Apple's other new models, including the Watch Series 8 and Watch SE 2nd-gen, with savings up to 13 percent. 

Unlike the last sale, the Apple Watch Ultra models are available with both the small, medium and large Alpine Loop bands, so they should fit everyone's wrists. You can currently get one in green, orange and starlight colors, all for the same $739 price with any band size.  

As we detailed in our Engadget review, the Watch Ultra is geared toward outdoor activity and endurance athletes. It offers more refined navigation and compass-based features than regular Watch models, like the ability to set waypoints and guidance so you can follow your own breadcrumbs if you get lost. There's a new depth gauge and dive computer, along with accurate route tracking and pace calculations, thanks to the dual-frequency GPS. 

Like other Watch models, it also delivers sleep tracking, temperature sensing and electrocardiogram features, plus messaging, audio playback and Apple Pay. It currently offers about 36 hours of battery life, but that will increase to 60 hours maximum with an upcoming low-power mode.

If $739 is still too much, don't forget that the latest Watch Series 8 GPS model (41mm) is still on sale for $349 (13 percent off) in red or black with two different sized wrist bands. While not a huge update over the Series 7, it does carry some useful new features like a temperature sensor tied to women's health and Crash Detection. In addition, the budget Watch SE 2nd-gen model is also available at 8 percent off, bringing the already affordable $249 price down to just $229.

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NASA's Artemis I mission will hit a key milestone today as the Orion capsule makes its "outbound powered flyby" of the Moon, getting as close as 80 miles to the surface. The burn is the first of two maneuvers required to enter what's known as a "distant retrograde orbit" (DRO) around the Moon. During the flyby, cameras inside and outside the spacecraft will document the view, with shots of the Moon, Earth and Orion itself. "It’s going to be spectacular," said lead flight director Rick LaBrode. 

The flyby is "the big burn that will actually move Orion and send it toward the planned distant retrograde orbit" that allows it to burn less fuel, LaBrode said earlier. "DRO allows Orion to spend more time in deep space for a rigorous mission to ensure spacecraft systems, like guidance, navigation, communication, power, thermal control and others are ready to keep astronauts safe on future crewed missions," said Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin.

The capsule's service module ICPS engine, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), will fire for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. As Orion passes behind the Moon, engineers will lose contact for approximately 34 minutes starting at 7:26 AM. It will spend 6 to 19 days in DRO to collect data and allow mission controllers to assess spacecraft performance, according to the space agency. 

So far, the mission has gone mostly to plan. However, two "active anomaly resolution teams" are investigating faults in the star tracker system's random access memory and a malfunctioning power conditioning and distribution unit. "Both systems are currently functioning as required, and there are no mission impacts related to these efforts," NASA said. 

Following its stretchy LCD panels, LG Display's latest gadget is a super-thin speaker designed to be installed in car interiors while remaining "invisible." The Thin Actuator Sound Solution was developed with a "global audio company" (LG didn't say which), as a replacement for traditional speakers in automobiles. 

The system eschews the usual voice coils, cones and magnets found in most speakers, instead employing so-called film-like exciter technology. That can vibrate off display panels and various materials inside the car body to enable a "rich, 3D immersive sound experience," according to the company. 

With the panels' small dimensions (5.9 x 3.5 inches and just a tenth of an inch thick) and 1.4 ounce weight, they can be hidden inside car interior parts like the dashboard, headliner, pillar, and headrests. That frees up spaces normally occupied by speakers "without compromising sound quality," according to LG. 

The concept isn't entirely new, as we've seen similar vibrating panels used in OLED TVs from Sony and LG itself. However, car interiors are a new application with appreciable benefits, if LG Display's claims about sound quality are accurate. We may find out for ourselves soon, as LG is due to show the technology off at CES 2023 (yep, it's right around the corner). LG said the speakers will be commercialized in the first half of 2023.

Samsung's 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 plays dual roles, acting not only as a monitor with a webcam, but also a smart TV with built in speakers and support for cloud gaming and streaming. Now, with Black Friday week upon us, it's dropped back to its all-time low price of $500 (in white, pink, blue and green) at Amazon and Samsung.

As a computer display, the Smart Monitor M8 offers UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution at up to 60Hz, along with HDR10+. With a VA panel, it's decently bright at 400 nits, offers a 4-millisecond response time and displays up to a billion colors, with 99 percent sRGB coverage. Input-wise, you get USB-C and Micro HDMI 2.0 inputs, along with a USB-C charging interface. Finally, it has a a detachable SlimFit Cam for video calls, making it a solid choice for work or light content creation.

Other features include the ability to change the angle and position with the high-adjustable stand, along with a game bar that makes it easy to switch between cloud services. And with Samsung TV Plus and Alexa built in, you can watch streaming content, play games and even do work activities without the need to be plugged into a PC. Normally the white model sells for $700 and the color models for $730, so you get a 29 percent discount on former and 32 percent off the latter.

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Bob Iger is returning as Disney CEO in a shocking leadership shakeup, with current CEO Bob Chapek stepping down, the company announced in a press release. Iger is set to return temporarily for two years, with a mandate for "renewed growth" and to find and groom his successor. Iger said he's returning "with an incredible sensor of gratitude and humility — and, I must admit, a bit of amazement."

"We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic," said Disney chairman Susan Arnold in a statement. "The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period."

Iger handpicked Chapek to follow him as CEO, but a clash in their styles quickly became clear. Iger was known as a talent- and creative-friendly CEO, while Chapek focused on streaming, particularly as the pandemic decimated Disney's theme park and theatrical distribution businesses.

Under Chapek, however, Disney initially failed to react to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill and criticized Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson over her lawsuit involving streaming vs. theatrical distribution. And during a Disney retreat, Iger reportedly urged the company not to rely excessively on data to make decisions — seen by some as a dig at Chapek, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Under Chapek, Disney+ has grown to 235 million subscribers (including ESPN and Hulu), but the company lost $1.5 billion on streaming last quarter. Its market capitalization has also fallen from $257.6 billion in Iger's last full year to $163.5 billion. Much of that fall is pandemic related, though, as movie theaters and Disney's parks were forced to shut down.

The move comes as a surprise considering that Disney had renewed Bob Chapek's contract for three years (no comment from Chapel was available in the press release). Iger, meanwhile, has a near-mythical status at Disney CEO, having presided over the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox. That legacy will be put to the test, though, as Disney faces challenging times — the company recently announced plans to freeze hiring and said that layoffs are likely to come soon. 

YouTube has created own signature launch sound and slick animation just like Netflix's "Tudum" and detailed exactly how it made it in a new blog post. The mini-fanfare has already appeared in the YouTube app on TVs, playing each time you start the app.

The platform went into a lot of detail about how it built the sound in partnership with Antfood, a "sonic branding" studio. It aimed to make something "human," "connected," "expressive" and "story-driven," by marrying together a variety of sounds. You can hear it for yourself below:

In fact, each part of the mix has its own name, like "deep dive," "upward flourish," "melodic signature," "tactile motion" and "sentimental harmony." A lot of thought (and no doubt, money) went into all of this. For instance, YouTube said that "sentimental harmony" is a major 7th chord that "represents the way YouTube allows you to explore the things you really love."

So that's all well and fine, but how does the three-second piece sound? Putting on my tiny music critic hat, it's certainly pleasant and harmonious, though not nearly as memorable as "Tudum." The accompanying animation is equally well executed but also a bit boring. It's early days, though, so it could grow on me. 

YouTube didn't come up with a catchy name for it like Netflix did, calling it simply the "YouTube sound," and I can't think of any onomatopoeia that would do it justice. In any case, YouTube said that the sound and animation will appear "in more places over the next few weeks and months." 

Sony's having a big sale at Amazon, with significant discounts on games, wired and wireless Inzone headsets and all-time low prices on its DualSense controllers. The latter are marked down by up to 33 percent to just $50, and we're also seeing discounts of up to 64 percent on games like Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Sony is also hosting its own Black Friday sale at the PlayStation Store, with numerous other titles on sale.

For anyone looking to get a second DualSense controller, particularly a colorful model, it's never been a better time. All the models are on sale for $50, including the red, blue, pink, purple and camouflage versions, which normally sell for $75, so they're a third off. All models offer advanced haptic feedback that give you strong feel of what's happening on screen, with subtle differences between walking on grass or sand, for instance. And the analog triggers also recreate the feel of in-game tools, like the resistance of a bow when shoot an arrow.

You can also grab a number of physical games at steep discounts, including the aforementioned titles Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Other notable deals include Death Stranding Director's Cut ($20 or 60 percent off) WWE 2K22 ($25 or 64 percent off), The Last of Us Part I at $50 (29 percent off), Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut ($30, or 57 percent off) and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart ($30 or 57 percent off). And if it's some other game you're after, Sony has numerous deals at the PlayStation Store as mentioned earlier.

Finally, Sony is selling both its wired and wireless Inzone H3, Inzone H7 and Inzone H9 gaming headsets for $78, $148 and $278 respectively, for savings of 22, 36 and 7 percent. You can also grab the PlayStation DualSense charging station and Media Remote for $20 each, or 33 percent off. 

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Amazon's layoffs announced on Wednesday will continue into early 2023, CEO Andy Jassy said in a letter to employees posted yesterday. He said that the company "hired rapidly" over the last few years but "the economy remains in a challenging spot." With annual planning now extending into the new year, "there will be more role reductions as leaders continue to make adjustments," he added. 

Jassy didn't say how many people would be laid off or when, but noted that there would be "reductions in our Stores and PXT [people, experience and technology] organizations." He added that the company will inform impacted employees well before any layoffs are made public. 

On Wednesday, the head of Amazon's hardware division, Dave Limp, said that the company would consolidate team and "some roles will no longer be required." According to a report in The New York Times, as many as 10,000 jobs could be cut as a result of the changes. The company said it would extend voluntary buyouts and provide employees with "a package that includes a separation payment, transitional benefits, and external job placement support." Some workers may also be able to find different roles within the company.

Amazon is the latest tech giant to implement mass layoffs over the last few weeks. Meta cut 11,000 jobs last week, its first-ever mass-layoffs, and Twitter recently laid off about half its staff and cut thousands of contractor jobs. In addition, a large number of Twitter employees reportedly left the company following the deadline of Elon Musk's "hardcore" ultimatum. 

Lyft and Motional have announced plans to launch a driverless ride-hailing service in Los Angeles using Ioniq 5 EV Level 4 robotaxis. Los Angeles will be the second city serviced by the two companies, which started offering public rides in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, has been testing autonomous vehicles without safety drivers for exactly two years. As with the Las Vegas service, the Ioniq 5 vehicles will be integrated into Lyft's Los Angeles network. When the car arrives, you can unlock the doors using the Lyft app, and each vehicle has a dedicated passenger display that can be used to contact a remote agent at any time. 

"Los Angeles was the second city Lyft launched back in 2013 and it’s only fitting that it will be the second AV market we launch with our partner, Motional," said Lyft CEO Logan Green in a statement. "Los Angeles is the second most populated city in the U.S. and represents a huge market opportunity for AV adoption," added Motional CEO Karl Iagnemma.

Motional says it has given 100,000-plus rides in Las Vegas with Lyft and received over 95 percent five-star ratings. The company recently signed a 10-year agreement with Uber as well, saying its vehicles will be "strategically deployed" in cities around the US and that it will start offering passenger rides later this year.

Apart from Motional, only Alphabet division Waymo and GM's Cruise are offering true driverless services at a reasonably large scale. The Waymo One service is operating in Phoenix and San Francisco, while Cruise rides are currently limited to San Francisco. Both operate only in specific areas of cities and some vehicles still use safety riders.