Gear News of the Week: Skype Will Close for Good in May

WIRED

01-03-2025

Mar 1, 2025 6:00 AM Plus: The FDA clears Google's Loss of Pulse feature on the Pixel Watch 3, Oura launches a pregnancy study, and Photoshop gets its first proper app. PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: WIRED STAFF; GETTY IMAGES
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Pour out a little liquor. Microsoft has announced that Skype, the popular video-calling app of the early 2010s, will finally be laid to rest on May 5.
Microsoft acquired the app in 2011 for a staggering $8.5 billion—some 40 percent higher than its internal valuation and the largest acquisition by Microsoft at the time. Some quick math by WIRED editor Jeremy White worked out that's a cost to the company of around $1.6 million per day since its acquisition, and it's hard to believe such a heavy investment has really paid off.
There were good days though. In 2016, at its peak, it was estimated there were around 300 million users—but then the competition arrived thick and fast. As we turned to new tools like Slack, Zoom, Whatsapp calling, and Microsoft's own Teams, Skype struggled to keep hold of its user base. As of 2023, the most recent data Microsoft shared put it at 36 million users worldwide.
Don't panic if you're one of them, the service won't be switched off immediately. You have 10 weeks to migrate your chats and contacts over to a free version of Teams for consumers, or you can also use the app's export tool to download your data.
For those who decide to make the move, all your Skype group chats will port over, and if you make the move before your friends do, messages sent from Teams will be delivered to Skype during the migration period. Microsoft is removing the ability to make domestic or international phone calls after May 5, though—something that was once Skype's bread-and-butter functionality but now something better solved by other tools. Photoshop Finally Gets a Proper App
Wait, isn't there a Photoshop app already, we hear you cry? Yes. Well, sort of. For anyone loyal to the brand, Adobe has offered Photoshop Express Photo Editor for basic photo editing on the go for years, but it has lacked many of the more powerful features that make Photoshop, well, Photoshop. This week, Adobe finally announced a full-fat, official Photoshop app for the iPhone, (with an Android version promised as 'coming soon'), and it's much closer to what you'd expect.
It's still a totally different experience to the desktop version, having been redesigned to fit a smaller screen, but if anything it's more intuitive and easier to use than on the desktop. There's nothing stripped down about the mobile version in this go-round, and it includes all the features you're accustomed to—from layer-based editing to AI-powered tools like Generative Fill and Generative Expand.
The app is free, though some features require the $8 per month (or $70 yearly) subscription. If you subscribe, you'll get access to the full suite of Photoshop's Adobe Firefly AI tools, like Generate Similar and Reference Image, along with Object Select, Magic Wand, the Clone Stamp, plus the more than 20,000 fonts available via Adobe.
Having played with the app for a few days now, I am happy to report that this is the full power of Photoshop on your iPhone. Layer-based editing works quite well, even with the limited screen real estate of a smartphone (it will be interesting to see how this plays out on Android where there is much greater range of screens available). The interface consists of selecting a primary tool and then a contextual menu at the bottom of the screen with the options for that tool. As with Photoshop on the desktop, the mobile app has a learning curve to figure out how you get to all the tools you're used to, but once you get that down, editing images is surprisingly simple.
The iPhone app syncs with your Adobe account—if you have one—which means you can pull photos from Lightroom or digital paintings from Fresco. You can also grab images from the Adobe Stock photo free collection and all the licensing is handled for you. — Scott Gilbertson Google's Loss of Pulse Gets FDA Clearance
When Google launched the Pixel Watch 3 last summer, the headline feature was one we haven't seen before on a smartwatch: loss of pulse detection. But the FDA hadn't cleared it yet, so it was available in only a few European countries. That changed this week, and now Google says Loss of Pulse will arrive to the Pixel Watch 3 in the US by the end of March.
More than 300,000 people die every year in the US from cardiac arrest, and immediate treatment is vital in saving someone's life. The Pixel Watch 3's feature uses complex algorithms to determine whether someone is purposefully moving when it detects no pulse—taking your watch off won't make it think you're having a heart attack. There are redundancies just in case, so a prompt appears on the screen and you can clear it if you're OK. If you're unresponsive, the watch will contact emergency services and will play audio through the speaker for potential bystanders to intervene. Oura Launches a Large-Scale Pregnancy Study
Consumer fitness wearables like the Oura Ring represent a tremendous opportunity to collect large amounts of data on underserved populations, as we've reported before. This week, Oura announced a research collaboration with Scripps Research Digital Trials Center to look at physiological changes in pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications to help pinpoint warning signs of miscarriage, postpartum depression, or preterm labor. The study will recruit 10,000 subjects through the Oura app, who will provide data through the Oura Ring, upload health records, and complete surveys if they choose.
This study joins others that use Oura Rings, like an ongoing study at Stanford to look at menstrual cycles across diverse populations. Oura's efforts aren't precisely unique—Apple kickstarted a long-term Women's Health Study that has also looked at vital signs during pregnancy. However, what Oura and Scripps are doing is large-scale (Apple's pregnancy health study had 733 participants) and has the potential to help bridge significant gaps in maternal health. This is crucial, especially at a time when the current administration has shelved other women's health initiatives. Caring for a healthy baby starts with caring for a healthy mom. —Adrienne So Panasonic's Latest Mirrorless Camera Can Record Up to 8K
Panasonic's new Lumix S1R II is one of the most interesting full-frame mirrorless cameras to come along in some time. With video and photo capabilities that stack up well against competitors like the Nikon Z8 and Canon R5 Mark II, the S1R II is a great all-around camera for those looking to shoot both high-resolution still and video.
The body is significantly smaller and lighter than the original S1R, and it has a slightly lower-resolution but much faster 44-megapixel CMOS sensor. The sensor isn't stacked, which makes it a little less capable for those shooting sports and fast-moving action scenes, but the video features more than make up for that for most users. The S1R II can record up to 8K video at 30p, with support for in-camera recording of ProRes 422 and ProRes RAW capture. There's also support for 32-bit float audio using an optional XLR 2 adapter.
On the photo side there's faster autofocus and some improved subject tracking algorithms for people, animals (dogs, cats, birds), cars, bikes (and motorcycles), trains and airplanes. You'll also get up to 40fps continuous shooting with pre-burst capture and 10 fps if you stick to the mechanical shutter. Perhaps most intriguing is the new high-res photo mode which captures a 177-megapixel image and can be used without a tripod according to Panasonic. The S1R II will be available in late March for $3,300. — Scott Gilbertson The Clicks Keyboard Case Is Finally Available for Android
Clicks Keyboard Case on Razr (left) and Pixel 9 in Surge colorway (right) Photograph: Clicks
You've likely seen the Clicks Keyboard Case on your social feeds (it's gone viral a handful of times on TikTok). It's the first-of-its-kind iPhone case with a built-in physical keyboard, which not only gives you tactile feedback while typing but also increases screen real estate because there's no longer a virtual keyboard in the way of the display. This week, the company finally revealed cases for select Android phones. Specifically, the Google Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, Motorola Razr+ (2024), and Samsung Galaxy S25.
Like the latest iPhone 16 version, the Clicks for Android case comes equipped with contoured, tactile keys that are backlit, brushed metal side keys, and a microfiber interior. You can also configure all the buttons to trigger shortcuts, including the Gemini key, Clicks key, and emoji key within the companion Clicks app. You can also use the app to customize additional settings like the brightness of the backlight or enable features like Caps Lock, Soft Return, and more.
While each case supports passthrough USB-C charging, only the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro cases support wireless charging thanks to an array of built-in magnets. It's a little odd that the Galaxy S25 case doesn't feature this as well, especially since Samsung's new phone is Qi2 Ready.
The Clicks Keyboard Cases are available in various colors depending on the model. The Pixel case comes in Surge and Onyx, the Razr+ case is available in Electric and Onyx, and the Galaxy S25 case has Pinot and Onyx. You can preorder the Google Pixel 9/9 Pro case now for $99 until March 21, but after that, the price increases to $139. It ships in April. Meanwhile, cases for the Razr+ and Galaxy S25 can be reserved for $49 to secure the launch price of $99 until March 21 (Clicks says preorders will remain available for $49, but the final price will increase to $139). Those cases will ship in late May and June, respectively. —Brenda Stolyar Plugable's 10-Port USB-C Hub Is Shipping
In the same world of accessories, Plugable is shipping its 10-port USB-C hub. No, it's not a generic hub with various ports—it's literally 10 USB-C Power Delivery (PD) ports lined up next to each other in one elongated slab of 50 percent postconsumer recycled aluminum. The PS-10CC was announced last year as part of a Kickstarter campaign, but it's available as of this week for $100.
Plugable says it features Intelligent Power Allocation, so it'll dish out the right amount of power to whatever devices are connected to the hub, and select kinds of devices are prioritized to charge first, like laptops and smartphones. Next to each USB-C port is an LED that indicates if it's successfully charging, operating at max output (100 watts), or if the connected device is incompatible. The downside is there's no data-transfer support here, and no power supply is included. Plugable says you can use any charger from 18 to 100 watts to use the hub, though presumably you'll need a higher wattage if you have 10 high-power gadgets plugged in. HTC's 'Viverse Worlds' Wants to be the YouTube of 3D Content
HTC may not be a household name anymore, but it's still chugging along with its virtual reality ambitions. This week, the company announced Viverse Worlds, a platform that likens itself to the YouTube of 3D content. HTC launched Viverse a couple of years ago, and you can think of it as the underlying platform that lets people create and socialize in virtual worlds. Viverse Worlds is the hub—a curated experience by HTC that shows off the most interesting worlds of the day.
The experience isn't too different from going to YouTube.com and seeing the latest videos the algorithm suggests. Except here, these worlds are interactive. You can view the virtual spaces people have created, and even socialize with others through a digital avatar—no account needed. Viverse Worlds is accessible via the web so you can hop into worlds on any device, even smartphones, though the best experience will be through a virtual reality headset. There's a unified control scheme that also helps with this.
HTC says it's easy for anyone to create and publish to Viverse Worlds, and the company also is hoping businesses will use the platform to show off 3D products and embed them into Shopify. Eventually, HTC expects Viverse Worlds will be supported by advertising, and if the platform grows, creators will be able to enable in-app purchases and subscriber-only content. Pat McGrath Labs Collabs With Candy Crush
What do you get when you combine two icons? Pat McGrath, one of the most well-known and influential makeup artists, is collaborating with Candy Crush Saga on a new beauty collection full of limited-edition MatteTrance lipsticks, Lust:Gloss lip glosses, and nail polishes. And I'm here for it. Beauty brands collaborating with cultural staples is nothing new—the Colourpop Cosmetics Twilight Collection and One/Size Wicked Collection are two that come to mind—but the mobile game nerd in me is stoked that Candy Crush Saga is in the spotlight.
The packaging is vivid and the makeup is color-soaked goodness that looks like it popped out of your phone screen. Prices start at $29 or you can snag the whole collection for $174. There's also a strange Willy Wonka-esque element—there are three bespoke, bejeweled rings that were 'originally intended' for Pat McGrath's friends but will be delivered to three random lucky winners (you can enter by purchasing a MatteTrance lipstick or by mail). The collection is available at Pat McGrath Labs now and will launch at Sephora and Nordstrom later this month. — Louryn Strampe