Microsoft wants to bring a taste of Xbox game shopping to your phone. As The Vergeexplains, a company filing with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has revealed plans to build a "next generation" Xbox store that's available on mobile devices, not just consoles and PCs. The shop would unsurprisingly lean heavily on content from the proposed Activision Blizzard merger. Call of Duty Mobile and King's more casual games (think Candy Crush) represent more than half of Activision's revenue and would help attract gamers to the new platform, Microsoft said.

The purchase would boost Microsoft's mobile gaming and ad revenue, according to the company. It would also offer "much needed expertise" in developing and marketing these titles.

The software giant is aware there will be challenges. It will require a "major shift" in consumer habits to pull them away from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, according to the filing. Microsoft says it will apply its open app store philosophy to the Xbox mobile shop, including equal treatment for third-party apps and choices for in-app payments.

It's far from certain that Microsoft will launch the Xbox mobile game store as outlined. The CMA is conducting a deep investigation of the Activision Blizzard buyout over concerns it might hurt competition, particularly in console gaming. There's also no practical way to install a dedicated Xbox game store on iPhones and iPads. While Android users can sideload third-party stores, Apple requires use of the App Store. Microsoft struggled to bring Xbox games to the App Store, and had to offer Game Pass streaming through the browser. Short of antitrust lawsuits forcing Apple to open its platform, Microsoft may have to be content with courting Android gamers.

The strategy behind the filing isn't subtle. Microsoft wants to convince UK regulators that the Activision Blizzard deal would preserve or even improve competition, and the prospect of an Xbox mobile store theoretically helps. Agencies like the CMA might not see it this way, however. Officials are still concerned that Microsoft's potential ownership of Call of Duty on console, cloud and mobile would give the company too much control over the games industry, and the developer's promises to support rival platforms might not be sufficiently reassuring.

Don't worry if you missed out on initial discounts for the Apple Watch Series 8 — they're back. Amazon is once again selling the 41mm GPS smartwatch at the all-time low price of $349 that you saw during the Prime Day Early Access sale. The deal only applies to this smaller case size and rules out cellular models, but you'll have your choice of colors.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is a slight step up from the Series 7, but that's not necessarily a bad thing at this price. The new wristwear adds crash detection that could prove useful in an emergency, while temperature monitoring can help track ovulation cycles if you're trying to conceive. The features we liked from Series 7 are still intact, including an excellent always-on display, brisk performance (including charging) and a robust operating system.

That does mean some hitches remain. Apple's sleep tracking is relatively limited even with watchOS 9. And while the new low-power mode can stretch battery life, you'll likely still want to charge every day. And if you don't need the always-on screen or advanced health tracking, the Apple Watch SE offers much of the core experience for less. When the price difference is down to $100, however, the Series 8 is considerably easier to justify.

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Now that Apple has introduced a lower-priced Apple TV 4K, it's apparently getting rid of the entry-level model. MacRumorsnotes the company is no longer selling the Apple TV HD through its online store. It's not clear if the device will still be available at retail or through other online shops, but you may want to act fast if you find it at a discount. We've asked Apple for comment.

A move like this isn't surprising. The Apple TV HD launched in 2015 and stayed at an official $149 even as later 4K models offered much more power for as little as $30 extra. Now that the 2022 Apple TV 4K starts at $129, there isn't much point to keeping the legacy player around — certainly not when it uses an iPhone 6-era A8 chip that limits its theoretical capabilities.

There are catches. The new Apple TV 4K doesn't include Ethernet or Thread support in the base 64GB model, so you'll still have to pay $149 for the 128GB version if you want that connectivity. Also, this still leaves Apple without a truly low-cost living room media player. You'll have to turn to competition like the Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max if you just want an alternative to your TV's built-in features.

You are getting much more for that $149, though, including support for all the major HDR standards, a far brawnier processor and more storage. If nothing else, Apple is clarifying its focus — it's staking out the high end of the market, and seems content to let rivals battle for the rest.

Last year's Apple TV 4K wasn't much of an update internally, though the new Siri remote made up for that. But now, Apple finally has some worthy upgrades for its streaming box. That includes faster performance with its A15 Bionic chip, as well as support for HDR10+, which uses metadata to dynamically optimize HDR10 content (similar to Dolby Vision). Best of all, the new Apple TV 4K has a lower starting price of $129 (down from $179!), as well as double the base memory (64GB instead of 32GB).

If you want more storage, you can also snag the 128GB Apple TV 4K for $149. That model also adds gigabit Ethernet, as well as support for the Thread IoT standard. Both new Apple TVs also support Wi-Fi 6, which should greatly expand their wireless reception. They can also act as smart home hubs for HomeKit devices, like previous Apple TVs. The Siri Remote has all of the features we loved last year, except it now charges over USB-C.  

No matter which Apple TV 4K you're looking at, they're both significant upgrades from the previous model. Apple says the A15 Bionic is around 50 percent faster, with 30 percent better GPU performance. That should come in handy if you're the rare person actually playing Apple TV games. 

You can pre-order the revamped Apple TV 4K today, and it'll be available on November 4th.

Apple has unveiled its latest iPad Pro, which is powered by the company's M2 silicon chipset. The tablet will offer faster connectivity thanks to WiFi 6E support and it has a new "hover" experience for Apple Pencil. The latest iPad Pro will offer ProRes video capture as well.

As was rumored, the new iPad Pro comes in 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions. It's available in silver and space gray with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage. 

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for WiFi only and $999 for Wi-Fi and Cellular. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099 for the WiFi variant and $1,299 if you want cellular connectivity. Orders are open now and the new iPad Pro will be available in stores on October 26th.

Developing...

Apple only just released the highest-end version of its smartwatch a few weeks ago, but you can already get a discount on the device — albeit a modest one. You can get $20 off the Apple Watch Ultra, which usually costs $800, if you're willing to plump for a specific model. This one has a titanium case with a green alpine loop band and cellular connectivity. The discount only applies to the small version of the wristband. It'll fit those with a wrist measuring 130mm to 160mm (5.1 inches to 6.3 inches). While this model, nor the device in general, obviously won't be suited to everyone, it's still notable that the Apple Watch Ultra is on sale for the first time.

The device is all about outdoor activity. Apple baked in more refined navigation and compass-based features, such as the ability to set waypoints and guidance for retracing your steps should you get lost. There's a new depth gauge and dive computer too. So, the Apple Watch Ultra may be a good fit for hikers and divers.

There are also features geared toward endurance athletes, such as more accurate route tracking and pace calculations, thanks to the dual-frequency GPS. You can expect all the health features from other Apple Watch models too — such as sleep tracking, temperature sensing and electrocardiogram readings — along with functions like messaging, audio playback and Apple Pay. Apple promises up to 36 hours of battery life as well (and up to 60 hours with an upcoming low-power mode).

On the downside, the Apple Watch Ultra has a chunky (though rugged) case that you may not find comfortable to wear to bed. Moreover, the positioning of the action button is a little awkward, because it's right where many people will go to steady the Apple Watch Ultra with one finger while they press the digital crown or side button. In the end, we gave the Apple Watch Ultra a score of 85 in our review.

Adobe's annual design and technology conference begins today, so the company is making updates across much of its software lineup as part of the fall event. When it comes to Photoshop, Adobe has a host of new features for desktop and iPad as well as an update on the progress of the web version. With additional tools for selections, Neural Filters, collaboration and working on a tablet, there could be something to make everyone's workflow a bit easier in the latest releases. 

First, Adobe has refined the Object Selection tool to improve the accuracy of automatic selections and expanded the list of items that Photoshop can recognize on its own. This builds on the selection abilities the company first brought to the app in 2020, allowing you to hover over an item in an image while Photoshop automatically detects and then selects it. With this update, Objection Selection can now recognize complex things like sky, buildings, water, plants, flooring and the ground — even mountains, sidewalks and streets, according to Adobe. There's also a new one-click delete and fill shortcut (Shift + Delete) that combines Object Selection with Content-Aware Fill for those items the app can automatically detect and highlight in photos. 

Adobe also introduced Neural Filters in 2020, using AI to handle major edits in seconds. The technology allows for things like smoothing skin, changing facial expressions and transferring styles from famous works of art. This time around the company is adding a Photo Restoration filter that leverages machine learning to revive old or damaged photos. The AI can recognize and fix "scratches and other minor imperfections," Adobe says.

Adobe

For Photoshop on iPad, Adobe is once again bringing more desktop tools to the tablet version of the app. With one tap, you can now Remove Background or Content-Aware Fill. Using the same tech that powers Select Subject, Photoshop on iPad can quickly isolate the main item or person in an image and apply a layer mask automatically to nix the background. Content-Aware Fill works just like it does on the desktop, removing unwanted objects or people, only this time you can do with with a single tap. Additionally, Adobe has improved Select Subject for portrait images and added one-tap Auto Tone, Auto Contrast and Auto Color editing options to the Filters and Adjustments panel. 

Lastly, Adobe says its still working to expand the abilities of Photoshop on the web. This version that launched last year is still in limited beta, but the company plans to add tools like Object Selection, Remove Background, Adobe Camera Raw edits and Content-Aware Fill to the browser-based app. Photoshop on iPad was extremely limited when Adobe first introduced it, sparking a huge backlash that the company has worked to rectify since. That app is now full of powerful features, so it's probably best that Adobe fine tune the web version with limited participants for a while. Creative Cloud subscribers can try it by visiting the beta section of Creative Cloud home. 

Apple keeps on losing court battles in Brazil over its decision to stop shipping iPhones with a charger. The São Paulo state court has ruled against the tech giant and slapped it with a 100 million real ($19 million) fine in a lawsuit filed by the Brazilian Consumers' Association, a group of borrowers, consumers and taxpayers. In addition, the court has ordered Apple to supply all customers in Brazil who purchased the iPhone 12 or 13 over the past couple of years with a charger, as well as to start including them with all new purchases. Apple, as you'd expect, told the news organization that it will appeal the decision. 

According to Barron's, the judge in charge of the case called the non-inclusion of chargers in phone purchases an "abusive practice" that "requires consumers to purchase a second product in order for the first to work." Apple has been at odds with Brazilian authorities over the issue for a while now. In 2021, São Paulo consumer protection agency Procon-SP fined Apple around $2 million for removing the power adapter from the iPhone 12, telling the company that it was in violation of Brazil's Consumer Defense Code.

This September, the country's Ministry of Justice issued an order that bans Apple from selling iPhones that don't come with a charger. It also fined the company another $2.38 million and ordered the cancelation of iPhone 12's registration with Brazil's national telecoms agency. The tech giant is also appealing that decision. 

Apple stopped bundling its iPhones with power adapters back in 2020 with the release of iPhone 12. The company cited environmental concerns for removing chargers with every purchase of the device and claimed that the decision will save 861,000 tons of copper, zinc and tin. The Brazilian Ministry of Justice remained unmoved by that reasoning, telling Apple that it could help the environment in other ways, such as giving its devices USB-C support. In Europe, Apple has a couple of years to do just that after the European Parliament voted to make USB-C the common charging standard in the EU. Mobile devices like the iPhone sold in the region will have to come with USB-C charging posts by the end of 2024.

Google's elaborate video chat booths will soon exist as more than just a clever design exercise. Ars Technicareports the company will start installing Project Starline prototypes in some of its corporate partners' offices for "regular" tests later this year. In other words, Google will see how its "magic windows" work beyond on-campus demos.

Program partners include Salesforce, T-Mobile and WeWork, among others. The in-house demos have included over 100 companies spread across healthcare, media and retailers.

Project Starline is effectively a bid to create a natural-feeling telepresence system. Each participant sits in a booth with an array of cameras and infrared projectors that create a realistic 3D depiction, with spatial audio capture making it seem as if the voice is coming from that digital persona's mouth. Combined with head tracking and a 65-inch, 8K glasses-free display, the system makes it seem as if the other person is sitting in front of you. This theoretically leads to more effortless meetings than you'd get by staring at a computer monitor with a webcam.

The question, of course, is whether or not the early access program will lead to installations at your employer's boardroom or the local store. While Google hasn't outlined the cost of a Project Starline booth, the technology is inherently expensive and consumes a lot of space. Smaller businesses might have trouble justifying this when off-the-shelf computers may be good enough. The timing is also less than ideal. While remote and hybrid work have taken off, Starline is coming right as more people are comfortable returning to in-person interaction. The audience for the tech isn't nearly as large as it might have been a year ago, and we wouldn't count on it getting bigger.

One of the great things about Twitter is that you can reach out to any public user with a quick @ mention to their username. One of the worst things about Twitter is that it's all too easy to abuse that feature. But it turns out, the bird network may be working on a way to control those mentions. According to privacy researcher and engineer Jane Manchun Wong, the company is testing out the ability to block @ mentions entirely, or limit them to people who already follow you. (Literally, don't @ me, bro.)

Twitter privacy designer Dominic Camozzi initially confirmed the feature was in the works, but as The Verge reports, he later deleted that confirmation. Giving users more granular control of @ mentions falls right in line with Twitter's other recent privacy features, like limiting replies, and being able to unmention yourself from threads. While it might make Twitter seem less open, but mention controls will ultimately make the service a better experience for users who inevitably find themselves targeted by trolls.