Apple’s 10.2-inch iPad is back on sale for $299

Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale may not begin until next week, but you can already find a handful of deals on electronics like the 10.2-inch iPad. This weekend, the retailer has discounted both the 64GB and 256GB variants of Apple’s entry-level tablet. …

Hitting the Books: Modern social media has made misinformation so, so much worse

It’s not just that one uncle who’s not allowed at Thanksgiving anymore who’s been spreading misinformation online. The practice began long before the rise of social media — governments around the world have been doing it for centuries. But it wasn’t un…

The Chromecast with Google TV is on sale for $40 right now

Early Prime Day deals keep popping up as we get close to the two-day shopping event, and this time they discount the Chromecast with Google TV by $10. You can pick up the streaming device for $40 right now, which is a return to its record low. Not only does this gadget give you access to services like Netflix, YouTube TV and others, but it also supports classic casting from your smartphone and other devices.

Buy Chromecast with Google TV at Amazon – $40

The latest Chromecast came out in 2020, but it remains a great option for those who already rely on the Google Assistant or those who prefer the Android TV ecosystem. Like most streaming devices in this price range, it supports 4K HDR content as well as Dolby Vision and Atmos. It’s just as easy to install as other streaming dongles, but one of the best things about it is its voice remote. That makes it much easier to navigate the Android TV interface, and it has a voice button that you can press when you want to search for content using voice commands.

When you’re not binge-watching your favorite show, you can also use the Chromecast with Google TV to turn your set into something like a huge smart display (sans touch capabilities). Using Assistant commands, you can ask the Chromecast to display forecasts on your TV, show live feeds from compatible security cameras and control smart lights and other accessories. We also like that it supports Ambient Mode, which lets you display Google Photos on your TV when you’re not actively using it.

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

Apple Watch Series 7 is on sale for $284 right now

Ahead of its annual Prime Day sale next week, Amazon has discounted the Apple Watch Series 7. As long as you don’t mind buying the wearable in green, you can get the 41mm model with GPS connectivity for $284. The $115 price drop represents a nearly 30 percent discount from the usual price of Apple’s latest smartwatch. And if green is not your color, some of the other models are available for $329 or less.

Buy Apple Watch Series 7 at Amazon – $284

Engadget gave the Series 7 a score of 90 last fall. Apple may have not dramatically redesigned the wearable, but the changes it did introduce were impactful. Deputy editor Cherlynn Low found the move to a roomier screen made the Series 7 easier and more enjoyable to use thanks to there being more space the UI. She also appreciated the fact the Series 7 could charge faster than its predecessor.

If you’re on the fence because the Series 8 is right around the corner, most recent reports suggest you won’t miss out on much. The one big feature that’s reportedly on the way is a body temperature sensor that will warn you when you’re running a fever. Otherwise, the Series 8 is expected to feature the same design and performance capabilities as its predecessor. For that reason, you’re probably better off picking up a discounted Series 7 now rather than waiting to buy the new model at full price.

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

Blizzard won’t release any more new content for ‘Heroes of the Storm’

Blizzard is ending development on Heroes of the Storm. In a brief blog post published on Friday, the studio said it plans to support the MOBA “in a manner similar” to games like Starcraft II. Moving forward, Blizzard said fans can expect the company to…

Samsung’s next Galaxy S flagship could drop Exynos chips from global variants

Samsung’s next Galaxy S series phone could mark the end of an era. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is likely to single-source the processor for its next S series flagship from Qualcomm. That would be a significant departure for Samsung. …

Rogers restores service following Canada-wide internet outage

On Saturday, Rogers Communications said it had restored service for the “vast majority” of customers affected by the outage that left many Canadians without access to the internet. “As our services come back online and traffic volumes return to normal, some customers may experience a delay in regaining full service,” the telecom said in a Twitter update posted late Thursday evening. It later promised it was “working hard” to get any customers still without internet access back online “as quickly as possible.”

In a letter attributed to president and CEO Tony Staffieri, Rogers said it was “working to fully understand the root cause of this outage,” and that it would make all “the changes necessary” to avoid a repeat in the future. Additionally, the company promised to send a bill credit to every customer affected by the outage.

While Rogers has yet to share what caused its entire network to go down for the better part of an entire day, DDoS mitigation company Cloudflare provided a possible answer. “Based on what we’re seeing and similar incidents in the past, we believe this is likely to be an internal error, not a cyber attack,” the company said in a blog post published on Friday. Cloudflare speculated that a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) issue likely contributed to the outage. A “routine BGP update gone wrong” was the cause of the massive outage that took down Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp last fall.

Whatever led to the outage, its effect was easy to see. People crowded into cafes and public libraries so that they could use their phones and computers. At one point, Toronto Police even noted some people couldn’t call 911 due to the outage. Across the country, Interac, the system Canadian banks use to connect their networks, was down, leading to debit cards and ATMs not working. One analysis by internet monitoring organization NetBlocks showed that Canada’s national connectivity dropped to 75 percent of normal levels during the event. If nothing else, the episode is likely to reignite conversation within Canada about the dominance Rogers has over the national telecom market.   

Ford recalls 100,000 hybrid vehicles over fire risk

Ford has issued a recall for certain 2020 to 2022 model Corsair, Escape and Maverick hybrid vehicles over concerns that they could catch fire. According to UPI, the recall affects 100,689 vehicles in the US, all with 2.5-liter hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric engines. The automaker told the news agency that in the event of an engine failure, the affected vehicles could release a significant amount of engine oil and fuel vapor. Both substances could then accumulate near the vehicles’ ignition sources and cause a fire under the hood or melt the components inside. 

Ford said engine failures involving the recalled vehicles are caused by isolated manufacturing issues. The company added it hasn’t received any reports of injuries or accidents associated with the problems that compelled it to issue a recall. The automaker has already notified dealers about its decision, and owners are slated to be notified by August 8th. Dealers will fix recalled vehicles when owners turn them in by modifying their under-engine shields and active grille shutters. 

Last month, Ford also recalled 49,000 Mach-E EVs, citing concerns about the possibility of their high-voltage battery connectors overheating. In that particular case, the issue could prevent the vehicle from starting or cause them to lose propulsion power while on the road. Unlike the hybrid vehicles that have to be physically modified, the recalled Mach-Es only need an over-the-air software update that Ford rolled out a few days ago to fix the issue. 

Recommended Reading: Behind the wheel of the Rivian R1S

Rivian R1S First Drive Review: The SUV finally arrives! (sort of)

Abigail Bassett, Autoblog

Rivian’s second consumer vehicle is poised to expand the limited options in the fully-electric seven-seater SUV market. Autoblog took the 2022 model for a spin both on-road and off to see how the automotive startup’s latest product performs. 

‘I don’t know how my show is doing’

Kathryn VanArendonk and Josef Adalian, Vulture

Streaming services have loads of data on how shows perform, but according to showrunners, the companies aren’t forthcoming with the specifics when it comes time to renew or cancel a series. “It’s like reading something where everything is redacted except stuff that makes you feel bad about your show,” one of them told Vulture.

Boston Dynamics: Inside the workshop where robots of the future are being built

Anderson Cooper, 60 Minutes

60 Minutes goes inside the facility where Boston Dynamics builds all of its robots after years of trying to get a foot in the door.