The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) plans to perform an in-depth probe into Adobe’s acquisition of Figma, the agency announced today (viaThe Wall Street Journal). Citing concerns about “a substantial lessening of competition” for screen design software, it plans to move into a “phase two” investigation. However, it’s giving the companies five business days to “offer legally binding proposals” to address the concerns; if their response doesn’t satisfy the CMA, the probe will begin. Adobe announced its plans last year to buy its smaller rival for $20 billion.

“The CMA found that Figma has established a substantial share of the market for screen design software and that Adobe has been continuously investing in and competing in this segment,” the UK agency, which recently rejected Microsoft’s proposed $75 billion purchase of Activision, wrote today. “The CMA found that competition between Figma and Adobe has driven investment in updating and developing screen design software, and this important rivalry could be lost if the deal goes ahead.” It described Figma as “an emerging competitive threat” to the Photoshop maker, expressing concerns about the reduced innovation that could come from Adobe scooping up an upstart competitor. The agency said it’s concerned the acquisition could lead to higher costs and fewer / less innovative products.

Adobe’s purchase of San Francisco-based Figma, founded in 2012, would be the largest-ever acquisition for the 41-year-old design behemoth. In Sigma’s 11 years on the market, it has established itself as a popular tool for vector-based design. The cloud-based software specializes in remote collaboration and is a direct competitor to Adobe’s XD and Illustrator products. At the time of the acquisition, Adobe said it wanted to bring features from its Creative Cloud suite into the collaborative software while incorporating more of Figma’s team-focused features into its core products — predictably framing it as a win-win for customers. The company added it was “deeply committed” to keeping Figma an independent company while insisting there was “no plan” to change its pricing — including its free tier.

“We’re worried this deal could stifle innovation and lead to higher costs for companies that rely on Figma and Adobe’s digital tools — as they cease to compete to provide customers with new and better products,” said Sorcha O’Carroll, the CMA’s Senior Mergers Director. “Unless Adobe can put forward viable solutions to our concerns in the coming days, we will move to a more in-depth investigation.”

Sony just announced North American availability for its unique Mocopi motion-tracking system. The tools allow you to control digital avatars in real-time using full body movement, thanks to six motion sensors and a proprietary smartphone app. In addition to real-time control, this translated body movement can be used in videos and 3D animations, via an SDK that imports motion data into affiliated software. 

The obvious use for this is VR, particularly social apps like VRChat, though the technology extends to filmmaking and other creative pursuits. In other words, this is a much easier way to create full-body motion capture footage. If only George Lucas had this when creating the galaxy’s favorite Gungan.

The SDK is now available for major 3D development software suites like Unity, MotionBuilder and Unreal Engine, so expect more CGI characters to begin popping up in indie titles with smaller budgets. Sony says it’s currently expanding the number of partners to develop unique services and features linked to the toolset.

The sensors attach to your head, hip, ankles and wrists, with each tiny sensor weighing just 8 grams. Once attached via Velcro straps, connect to the app via Bluetooth and start recording. Each sensor is completely wireless, thanks to Bluetooth receivers, and includes integrated batteries. The system ships with a variety of avatars to pick from, but you can obviously use your own, just cool it with Sonic. There are already too many animated hedgehogs in VRChat as it is.

Sony’s Mocopi system is available for preorder now, at $450, with shipments starting on July 14. The price is $100 more than when the system was originally announced, though Sony provided no details on the increase. The metaverse must also suffer from inflation.

Apple is borrowing a marketing tactic from Twitter pirates. The company made the unusual move of uploading the entire first episode of its series Silo to the social platform, allowing anyone there to watch the opening installment for free. The gambit follows Twitter’s move to allow longer video uploads for subscribers. The free episode may be worth checking out: Engadget found the Apple TV+ original series to be “simply transcendent sci-fi TV.”

Silo is based on the science fiction novel Wool by American author Hugh Howey. It takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth, where what remains of humanity is confined to the Silo, a 144-story underground bunker that serves as a self-sufficient underground community. The citizens are told that the world outside the Silo is perilous, but questions arise about what truly lies beyond. It’s a clever premise that allows showrunner Graham Yost to explore the book’s themes about truth vs. fiction and information as power. Apple has reportedly renewed the series for a second season.

Rebecca Ferguson (Dune) stars as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who uncovers a web of secrets after her lover, George (Ferdinand Kingsley), is murdered. The series also stars Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, Tim Robbins and Harriet Walter.

Episodes one through nine of Silo are available to stream now on Apple TV+. The season finale (titled “Outside”) premieres this Friday.

Apple makes some of the best earbuds you can use with an iPhone, and now you can buy a pair of AirPods Pro for less than you would typically pay for them. The second-generation model has dropped back to its all-time low price of $200, or $50 off the AirPods Pro’s usual $250 price.

Similar appearances aside, the 2022 AirPods Pro are a significant upgrade over the original 2019 model. Thanks to a more powerful H2 chip, the new AirPods Pro boast better audio quality and improved ANC capabilities. They also offer one of the best transparency modes on any set of wireless earbuds on the market right now. The AirPods Pro aren’t perfect, however. Battery life is so-so and the new touch controls could be more intuitive. But for $200, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another pair of Bluetooth headphones that offers the mix of features and convenience that the AirPods Pro do.

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Google Assistant vanished on many smartwatches when the Wear OS 3 update arrived, leaving just the Pixel Watch and Samsung's newer Galaxy Watches supporting the feature. Thankfully, you no longer have to switch brands just to talk to Google on your wrist. Fossil is rolling out an update this month that adds Assistant to Gen 6 watches running Wear OS 3. This includes both Fossil's own models as well as counterparts from Diesel, Michael Kors and Skagen, although you'll need to be paired with a phone running standard Android with Google apps (Android Go and many Chinese phones won't count).

The functionality will be familiar if you've used either Google or Samsung wristwear. You can invoke the AI helper by saying "hey Google," holding a button or tapping a watch face complication. The feature lets you answer texts, control music or otherwise handle tasks that would normally require your phone. Unlike many alternatives, though, you'll also have Alexa on hand. You won't be locked into one ecosystem for speaking commands.

This won't be much help if you're using a Wear OS 3 watch from another brand, like Mobvoi or Montblanc. Fossil is one of the most popular names in Google-powered smartwatches, though. Support here ensures that many more wearable owners can use Assistant and avoid tapping a minuscule screen.

You might want to wait before purchasing if you're new to smartwatches. Fossil historically introduces new Wear OS models in late summer, with the exception being this year's mildly upgraded Gen 6 Wellness Edition in January. While there's no word on when Gen 7 will arrive or what it might entail, it's likely to be a significant upgrade if and when it appears — we wouldn't buy Gen 6 just because Assistant is ready. The update is more for existing owners who lost functionality last year.

Google will soon make it easier to interact with PDFs if you have low vision. The company is adding OCR (optical character recognition) technology to Chrome that can convert PDFs to text that makes them more accessible, particularly if you want a screen reader to read them aloud. The tool will also provide image descriptions.

The feature will be available in the "coming months," Google says. The company also plans to expand the functionality beyond Chrome later this year, although it hasn't said which platforms might receive the upgrade. We've asked Google for more details and will let you know if we hear back.

Google

The introduction comes as part of a broader education push that includes app licensing for school Chromebooks and free access to Adobe Express in the US. Administrators will also have tighter control over what students and faculty can access on their Chromebooks — they can ban students from copying and pasting text from certain websites, such as generative AI tools that could help them cheat on tests. Users, meanwhile, will have an easier time turning off their camera or microphone regardless of where they are in Chrome OS.

The read-aloud PDF feature is mainly intended for classrooms, where students with vision issues will have an easier time reading scanned class material or necessary research articles. However, this will also make the internet more accessible for the public at large. It's not uncommon for websites to put terms of service or other important information into PDFs. The upgrade puts that info within reach of more people.

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused alternative to Google, has been working on its own browser. First available on the Mac in open beta late last year, the DuckDuckGo browser is rolling out in beta for Windows starting today. DuckDuckGo says this is “our most requested product for years.”

Naturally, DuckDuckGo is the default search engine here. But the browser has some additional features such as the Duck Player, which will prevent YouTube from serving targeted ads and prevent user-tracked recommendations. YouTube will still see this as a new view, but the browser will prevent any sort of tracking or information that would contribute to your advertising profile.

DuckDuckGo also claims a superior ad-blocking experience. It says that in addition to blocking ads and cookies, the browser will also clean up the white space that’s typically still there with traditional ad blockers. Users familiar with the Mac beta will be familiar with other features including password management, automatic cookie pop-up handling and email protection.

DuckDuckGo first previewed its desktop web browser in late 2021 and released an initial Mac beta in late 2022. Windows is the latest platform to get an official app. But if you don’t use Mac or Windows, DuckDuckGo is available in search engine support on Google Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox. It’s also available as an app for iOS and Android.

Apple is once again in trouble for its union-busting practices. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge ruled Apple interfered with employees' organizing efforts at its World Trade Center store in New York City after workers, Bloomberg reported. Managers were found to have taken away pro-union flyers in the break room and attempted to dissuade employees from joining unions, which prosecutors argued had led employees to end the organizing campaign. A judge ordered Apple "cease and desist from coercively interrogating employees regarding their protected concerning activities and Union sympathies." 

The news broke in early 2022 that Apple store workers nationwide were quietly organizing in response to concerns that their wages didn't reflect the rising cost of living. However, Apple soon hired the anti-union law firm Littler Mendelson, which also represents Starbucks and McDonalds, among others. The company also instructed store managers to share anti-union sentiments, such as warning employees that joining a union could bring reduced pay, career opportunities and time off. That May, the Communications Workers of America filed Unfair Labor Practice charges for the Apple stores in the World Trade Center and Atlanta's Cumberland Mall. 

Union efforts are slowly gaining ground at Apple stores across the country. The NLRB previously found Apple had violated federal law in Atlanta, including daily mandatory anti-union meetings for employees and interrogating workers. Last year, employees at an Apple store in Maryland and another in Oklahoma voted to unionize. Yet, other locations like the St. Louis branch abandoned plans to unionize, blaming similar tactics by Apple. 

This is a good moment to get an Apple smartwatch if you're more concerned about price than anything else. Amazon is once more selling the Apple Watch Series 8 with a 41mm case and GPS for $329, or a steep $70 discount that's very nearly a record low. This applies to all but the Product Red color, and you'll also see bargains for cellular and 45mm models.

The Apple Watch Series 8 may be an iterative update, but it remains our favorite overall smartwatch. You can expect brisk performance, an exceptional display, solid fitness tracking and robust health features that include ECGs, blood oxygen monitoring, crash detection and a temperature sensor for sleep and reproductive cycle tracking. More importantly, there's a strong ecosystem that includes a wide range of third-party apps as well as tight integration with other Apple products. You can seamlessly switch AirPods between your iPhone and watch, or unlock your Mac.

The catch, aside from the iPhone requirement, is simply that Series 8 is several months old. We won't be surprised if there's an Apple Watch Series 9 in September. The current generation is much easier to justify at $329, though, and it will easily handle watchOS 10 when the software upgrade arrives later this year. And right now, this is arguably the best value in the lineup. While the second-generation Apple Watch SE is priced lower at $249, the gap is small enough that it may be worth the extra money for the 8's always-on display and more advanced health sensors.

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Dell makes arguably the best laptops for Windows users through its XPS brand, and two fairly recent models are currently on sale. When we reviewed the 2022 Dell XPS 15, we called it the best 15-inch Windows laptop around. You can pick one up for a sizable discount, as the price has dropped by $800 to $1,099. Meanwhile, Dell has cut the price of last year's XPS 17 by $650 to $1,449.

Aside from the screen size, the two models have very similar specs. They each have a 12th-gen i7 Intel Core processor and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. You'll get 16GB of DDR5 memory and a 512GB SSD. Both models have FHD+ displays with 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate.

If you're looking for a laptop and don't mind having slightly older specs, these are good deals. You'll need to pay quite a bit more for newer models with the latest graphics cards.

We gave last year's Dell XPS 15 a score of 93 in our review. We felt it has a nice design with a terrific trackpad and keyboard (save for them getting a bit messy after light use). It performed well in our testing, with the battery running for over 13 hours on a single charge. While the laptop could stand to have a wider variety of ports, it's still an excellent machine.

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