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Microsoft

Microsoft set to win EU nod on Activision with licensing offer

With its proposal of licencing agreements to rivals, Microsoft Company is anticipated to obtain EU antitrust permission for its 69 billion USD acquisition of Activision, as per three individuals with knowledge of the situation, assisting it to clarify a huge obstacle.

Microsoft
Image Source: theprint.in

In January of last year, Microsoft introduced its largest-ever bid for Activision to compete with leaders Tencent and Sony in the thriving videogame market and to delve into the metaverse, which are online virtual spaces where individuals may work, play, and interact socially.

Also Read: Microsoft brings iMessage to Windows 11, will it last?

According to the individuals, the European Commission, which is anticipated to make a decision on the contract by April 25, will not require Microsoft to sell off assets in order to gain approval.

According to one of the sources, in addition to licencing deals for competitors, Microsoft might be required to provide other behavioural solutions to appease the worries of parties apart from Sony. Such solutions typically address the merged company’s future actions.

Microsoft said it was “committed to offering effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the European Commission’s concerns.”

Source: finance.yahoo.com

Activision shares were up 2.6 per cent in delayed trade after rising 1.8 per cent in pre-market trading following the publication of the Reuters article.

Over the past month, Microsoft President, Brad Smith, stated that the company was prepared to provide rivals licencing deals to resolve antitrust issues, but it was not going to sell Activision’s remunerative “Call of Duty” franchise.

Smith stated that it is neither feasible nor realistic to believe that one game or one piece of Activision can be detached from the remainder.

Microsoft revealed that it had decided to sign 10-year licencing agreements with Nintendo (7974.T) as well as Nvidia (NVDA.O) to introduce Call of Duty to their respective gaming platforms, with the approvals contingent on the Activision deal being approved.

Also Read: Microsoft Considers $10 Billion Investment in ChatGPT Creator

The deal is facing regulatory challenges in the United Kingdom, where the UK Competition Commission has recommended that Microsoft oust Call of Duty to solve its issues, and in the United States, where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has questioned the jury to stop the offer.

“Our commitment to grant long term 100% equal access to Call of Duty to Sony, Steam, NVIDIA and others preserves the deal’s benefits to gamers and developers and increases competition in the market,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Source: finance.yahoo.com
iOS 16.4

What’s new in Apple’s iOS 16.4 update for iPhone users?

Currently, in beta testing, the software update will be made accessible to the general public in the spring, most likely in March or April. The iOS 16.4 upgrade from Apple, which brings a number of new features and improvements for the iPhone, is about to go live.

Image Source: appleinsider.com

With iOS 16.4, Safari on the iPhone now has opt-in compatibility for web-based push alerts.

Through this feature, users can receive notifications from webpages through Safari just like they would from applications downloaded from the App Store. Push message requests can only be made by websites that users have saved as web apps on their home screens.

Also Read: Instagram starts testing its age verification tools in more countries

A shaken face, a heart in 3 new color choices, a jellyfish, a moose, a donkey, and other new emoji are among the new Unicode 15.0 emoji that are included in iOS 16.4.

With iOS 16.4, a new “Beta Updates” menu has been added under General Software Update in the Settings app. This menu will make it easier for participants in Apple’s Developer Program to obtain developer betas of iOS without having to download configuration profiles from the website for developers.

The same menu also makes it simple to activate iOS’s public betas. Only if one’s iPhone is signed onto the same Apple ID that they used to join up for Apple’s Developer Program will the developer beta option be visible.

This new menu will serve as the sole method to allow developer betas in subsequent iOS releases, according to Apple, stopping config profiles from being utilized and distributed for free online.

In the Podcasts app for iPhone and CarPlay, iOS 16.4 adds a number of new features. The Up Next queue now includes episodes that listeners have stored in their Library and episodes that they stream from programs they do not follow.

A new Channels menu in the Podcasts app offers a list of podcast streams all in one place on the iPhone. The Listen Now and Recently Played queues, as well as audio suggestions in the Browse tab, are now accessible through CarPlay’s Listen Now tab.

Also Read: Google expands Gmail client-side encryption to more users

iOS 16.4 brings back Apple’s revised Home app architecture, which was originally introduced with iOS 16.2 but later removed due to problems.

After updating to iOS 16.4, the Home app offers an optional upgrade with the new underlying architecture. Apple claims that the new design will improve the app’s usefulness, potency, and dependability for controlling smart home devices. The new design comes after iOS 16.1 added support for Matter accessories to the Home app.

Master Plan

Tesla’s ‘Master Plan’ Fails to Impress Investors: What Went Wrong?

On Thursday, Tesla’s stock dropped about 7% after CEO Elon Musk and his team’s nearly four-hour talk fell short of the expectations of investors hoping to learn more about a new, reasonably priced electric car.

At Tesla’s investor day on Wednesday, Musk and more than a dozen execs unveiled brand-new plans to slash assembly costs in half, invest in a new factory in Mexico, and talk about the business’s innovation in operations management.

master plan
Image Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

The EV manufacturer’s “Master Plan 3” was unveiled at the event, but Musk provided few details about the ideas’ timelines or any potential new Tesla products. Merlin Investor’s founder Guido Petrelli noted, “The biggest surprise coming out of Tesla investor day is that there wasn’t a surprise.”

Also Read: Tesla is getting cheaper. Is it a good move by Elon Musk?

Musk stated that Tesla will construct its upcoming auto plant in Mexico, close to Monterrey, but he didn’t offer any additional information besides the fact that the next-generation vehicle will be produced there.

Tesla’s senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, Drew Baglino, verified that construction on the company’s lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, has begun.

Musk claimed that AI makes him anxious and that a regulatory body is necessary to ensure that this “quite hazardous technology” serves the greater good.

The valuation of Tesla’s shares, which had decreased by roughly two-thirds in 2022, has increased by over 60% this year. “The markets were primed for a big announcement, perhaps on something like a more affordable new model. It may just have been a case of failing to live up to the hype”, AJ Bell’s investment director, Russ Mould, said.

In the past, Tesla events have made waves online, with Musk’s dance moves at the company’s Berlin plant opening in 2022 and an occasion in China in 2020 getting viral on social media. STMicroelectronics and Wolfspeed Inc., two suppliers and manufacturers of semiconductors, were affected by the company’s strategy to use 75% fewer silicon carbide vehicles while maintaining the performance and efficiency of the vehicles. In particular, STMicro will be negatively impacted by the reduction strategy, according to brokerage Equita.

In a move that mirrors the evolution in mobile phone billing, the business also intends to provide limitless overnight home charging in Texas for $30 per month. The company also praised its growing capacity for setting up production facilities rapidly.

The Corpus Christi lithium plant hopes to begin production within a year. Again, Tesla confirmed that the Cybertruck would be released this year, with mass manufacturing beginning in 2024.

Also Read: Elon Musk sells another $3.58 billion of Tesla shares

The US electric vehicle marketplace leader’s transformation from a niche player to a well-known automaker is the foundation of the new corporate strategy. Tesla released its two prior strategic plans in 2006 and 2016.

More than ten years ago, Musk released his first Master Plan, which outlined Tesla’s go-to-market plan of developing an electric sports car first, followed by a line of more affordable vehicles. With the Roadster, the Model S, and finally the Model 3 sedan—its least expensive model with a starting price of about $43,000—the business has carried out this vision.

Meta

Finally, Meta’s AR/VR roadmap is out. Will Meta succeed again?

With a surge of AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) products, the parent company of Facebook, Meta now appears to be significantly investing in its metaverse plans.

Quest Pro, a premium virtual and augmented reality headset from Meta, was introduced in October of last year. According to reports, Meta plans to introduce its first set of smart glasses with a display in 2025 along with a smartwatch with a neural interface to operate them.

Meta
Image Source: theverge.com

According to the story, Meta’s AR glasses are anticipated to become available later in 2027. A Quest 3 headset is probably included in the social media juggernaut’s potential 2018 plan as well. In 2024, it might also reveal a headgear with the codename Ventura.

Also Read: Snapchat launches A.I. chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT

The Verge reported that the potential roadmap for many AR and VR devices from Meta for the years 2023 through 2027 has been leaked. The Meta Quest 3 headset with mixed reality interactions will be revealed later this year, according to the story, which cites personnel of Meta’s Reality Labs division.

The main headset could be two times as thin and potent as the Quest 2 and is anticipated to cost more than it does at present. The Verge reported that the potential roadmap for many AR and VR devices from Meta for the years 2023 through 2027 has been leaked.

The Meta Quest 3 headset with mixed reality interactions will be revealed later this year, according to the story, which cites personnel of Meta’s Reality Labs division.

The main headset could be two times as thin and potent as the Quest 2 and is anticipated to cost more than it does at present.

According to the report, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company intends to release a more “accessible” headset next year under the codename Ventura. The firm might then release an advanced headgear with photorealistic Codec Avatars, code-named La Jolla.

Additionally, the report claims that the company will introduce the second-gen of its Ray-Ban Stories this fall. The glasses for augmented reality were created in collaboration with Luxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban.

The third version of smart glasses with a “viewfinder” display for reading incoming texts, scanning QR codes, and instantly translating written text from another language is expected to be unveiled by the company in 2025.

Also Read: Microsoft brings iMessage to Windows 11, will it last?

The “neural interface” band that will enable individuals to operate the glasses through their brains will be distributed along with them.

The “neural interface” band, which would enable users to operate the glasses through hand gestures, will be made available along with the glasses. According to other reports, Meta is also working on a smartwatch that will sync with smart glasses.

Additionally, it has been reported that Meta may reveal its long-rumored Orion augmented reality glasses to staff members internally in 2024. It might be accessible to everyone after 2027.

windows 11

Microsoft brings iMessage to Windows 11, will it last?

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it intends to counter one of the major advantages enjoyed by Apple products by incorporating fresh interoperability features to Windows 11. These features will enable Windows 11 to interact with iPhones to view notifications, send texts, and make and take calls.

Windows 11
Image Source: androidauthority.com

By connecting an iPhone and a Windows 11 computer via Bluetooth radio, the new feature, which Microsoft is dubbing Phone Link for iOS, will enable “basic” support for calls, texts, and app alerts.

The software is initially only available for limited public testing, and it prevents users from sending multimedia messages like pictures and videos or joining group message chats.

Also Read: Are all Google One subscribers now able to access Magic Eraser?

The feature’s announcement was made in a blog post by Microsoft’s chief product officer, Panos Panay. “This builds on our continued efforts to bring you closer to what’s more important,” he wrote. Microsoft’s attempts with its Phone Link software are merely the most recent in a line of initiatives to better integrate Windows PCs with Apple’s well-known products and services.

In particular, Apple’s iMessage tool for texting and iCloud for pictures, documents, contacts, and calendars helped make numerous sync and messaging services for smartphones popular.

Additionally, it has made use of those technologies to link up its Mac computers, iPad tablets, and iPhone smartphones in a way that observers of the market say makes Apple products stick out.

However, over the last few years, Microsoft has released enhancements that make Windows Computers more similar to Apple products, including an updated photos app that supports Apple devices, more iCloud syncing, and a phone link application for devices running Google’s Android operating system.

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that its new features for Android smartphones would be included in the Windows 11 upgrade, including the capacity to switch on a Samsung device’s personal hotspot from a computer.

According to Microsoft, Samsung customers will also be able to access websites they recently viewed on their phones from a computer. Both features have long been accessible on Apple devices.

Microsoft is starting testing with a “small percentage” of testers this week, but if you’re intrigued, you can test the new Phone Link feature for iOS in the Dev, Release Preview, and Beta networks for Windows Insiders.

Also Read: Will the iPhone 15 Pro have as much RAM as a MacBook?

The Windows team at Microsoft stated in a blog post, “We will increase the availability of the preview to more Insiders over time and based on feedback we receive with this first set of Insiders.”

Microsoft has never before supported calls or messaging for iPhone users, so this is a move in the correct direction. The Phone Link interface for iOS is basic in comparison to what’s available for Android. Contrary to other PC link applications we’ve seen from Dell, Intell, and others, Phone Link is included with Windows 11, making it native as well.

Magic Eraser

Are all Google One subscribers now able to access Magic Eraser?

In a rather unexpected development, Magic Eraser, one of the best aspects of the Pixel smartphone, is now available to any Google Photos for iOS or Android user who is a Google One subscriber.

“Magic Eraser,” one of the finest photo-editing tools on the Google Pixel, is now available on other iOS and Android gadgets. It won’t be free, though. Google revealed today that Google One users in addition to current Pixel owners will now have access to the well-known app that employs AI to remove unwanted stuff from images.

Image Source: thehansindia.com

A select few additional editing tools, including a new HDR video effect, unique collage Styles, and more, will be made available to Google One users.

Also Read: Is Apple working on a secret project to help people with diabetes?

In the beginning, the Google One membership was used to pay for extra online storage for apps like Photos, Docs, and Gmail.

However, over time, it has grown to become a more comprehensive set of features, which now also includes a VPN and other members-only benefits, such as the possibility of holding longer group videoconferencing on Google Meet, 10% cashback on Google Store purchases, longer trials, and other premium Google Photos features, such as Portrait Light for tweaking the light position and brightness on subjects’ faces.

With the release of Magic Eraser along with the other new features, an exclusive list of Google Photos benefits is now growing once more.

Magic Eraser, which was previously only accessible to Google Pixel 6 and 7 users, is now accessible to all Google One users on both Android and iOS. The Pixel 5a and previous Pixel devices will also be able to access it without a Google One subscription.

Magic Eraser adds the feature to the primary Photos application on Android devices, which many iPhone users favor over Apple’s Photos despite the fact that there are third-party apps that provide object removals. A fresh HDR video effect that attempts to blend dark backdrops and vibrant backgrounds, or the opposite, will also be available to Google One subscribers.

The collage editor in Google Photos is also getting a variety of new Styles to pick from as well as the option to only implement a Style to one picture in the collage. Both Google One users and Pixel customers will have access to this.

One more new benefit will allow Google One user’s free shipping when they buy photo prints from the website in the US, Canada, the UK, and the EU.

The combined package provided along with other benefits, the backup and sync choices, and the additional storage have made Google One’s membership a big seller in the app stores.

Also Read: Why suddenly are Twitter feeds flooded with Elon Musk’s tweets?

Even though each feature might not be worth paying for on its own. According to data.ai, the Google One application ranked No. 6 worldwide among non-game apps in terms of user spending in 2022. In the US, it was ranked No. 8.

Although the majority of customers purchase the membership for the additional storage and backup — in a sense, it’s Google’s answer to Apple’s iCloud — it’s also another means for Google to lock users into its app environment, even if they don’t use its Pixel smartphones or any other Android device.

Magic Eraser, the HDR effect, and new collage designs will start to roll out on 24th February, according to Google, but not to all users worldwide for a few weeks. However, free shipping is now available.