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Robot vacuums are one of the few sci-fi predictions that more or less delivered — there actually are autonomous machines that can help keep your home clean. We’ve tested over a dozen robot vacs, and right now our top recommendation for a budget dirt sucker, iRobot’s Roomba 694, is $95 off both at Amazon and through iRobot’s site. Usually $275, the 694 is just $179 right now, which matches the all time low it dropped to a few times previously. The deal is part of a wider robot vacuum sale with discounts ranging up to $300, depending on which model you pick. If you’ve been thinking of adding one of these smart devices to your life, this might be a good time to snap one up.  

In our tests, the 694 proved itself by being both a powerful cleaner and offering an app that’s easy to use — even for robot vacuum newbies. You can set schedules to have the bot clean on regular intervals and it can handle both tiled or carpeted surfaces. We found that it roved around cleaning for around 45 minutes before returning itself to the dock for a recharge, which was plenty of time to maintain an apartment, but may need to a pit stop before it can cover a larger house. Unless it tries to suck up an errant cord, you’ll likely only need to interact with it to empty the dirt collection tray. That’s something you may need to do every couple days or more often, depending on whether or not you have pets or a lot of tracked-in dirt. 

If you’d rather not empty your vac quite so often, you can pick up one that empties itself, like the Roomba s9+. We named this the best premium robot vacuum in our guide and were impressed with both its suction power and navigation abilities. It usually comes with a steep $999 price tag but the sale knocks $200 off the list price, which makes it a little more affordable.  

For homes with smooth surfaces that could use a wipe down, a hybrid model could be what you’re looking for. The Roomba Combo j7+ combines mop and vacuum functions and is $250 off during the sale, bringing the $1,099 unit down to $849. One of our editors used the j7+ in his home for several weeks, and while the initial mapping runs were a bit of a hassle and the noise of the unit emptying into the clean base was loud, he was impressed with the bot’s learning capabilities and the fact that it made a noticeable difference in the general cleanliness of his floors. 

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Earlier this week, Windows 10 mistakenly prompted some users to upgrade to Windows 11, despite the fact their computers did not meet the operating system’s minimum requirements. Twitter user PhantomOcean3 was among the first to notice the error after Windows 10 displayed a full-screen notification telling him he could install the software on a system that only had 2GB of RAM.

“Some hardware ineligible Windows 10 and Windows 11, version 21H2 devices were offered an inaccurate upgrade to Windows 11,” Microsoft states in a support document spotted by The Verge. “These ineligible devices did not meet the minimum requirements to run Windows 11. Devices that experienced this issue were not able to complete the upgrade installation process.” Microsoft adds it resolved the issue the same day it was detected.

As The Verge notes, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has erroneously prompted some Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11. Last year, hundreds of Windows Insider beta testers were able to install the operating system, even though their machines didn’t meet the minimum requirements. The incidents highlight an ongoing frustration with Windows 11. Microsoft requires that a PC feature a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) before you can install its latest OS on your computer. Ever since Microsoft first revealed that requirement, there’s been confusion about what PCs can run Windows 11.

 

An ad-supported Apple TV+ tier is starting to look all but inevitable. According to The Information, Apple recently hired Lauren Fry, a former ad tech executive, “to help build a video advertising business” for its streaming service. Before her most recent stint at digital advertising firm Simulmedia, Fry held ad sales roles at AT&T and Comcast. 

Bringing more ads to Apple TV+ would fall in line with some of Apple’s more recent actions. Toward the end of last year, the company began displaying additional ads within the App Store, a move that could be a precursor to search ads appearing in Apple Maps and other first-party software. It’s worth noting before Fry’s hiring, Apple was already showing ads alongside Major League Baseball games. In November, Bloomberg also reported Apple was building a live tv ad network to support its 10-year deal with Major League Soccer. As The Information points out, an ad-supported tier would be the most straightforward way for Apple to bring more ads to TV+. A handful of other streaming platforms, including Netflix and Disney+, already offer such tiers to customers as they’re an easy way for those services to broaden their subscriber base.

 

For the last few days, an “internal systems issue” has left many of the services and websites operated by satellite television provider and Sling TV owner Dish Network inaccessible. The outage started on Thursday morning when Dish customers began reporting a host of issues. On Downdetector and Twitter, there are complaints of people being unable to access IPTV services like Watch ESPN with their Dish credentials. Other customers say they can’t log in to their online accounts to pay monthly TV and cellular bills. The outage appears to be affecting nearly every part of the company’s footprint – including Boost Mobile, the prepaid wireless carrier Dish purchased in 2020 – and its call centers, which have been unreachable since the outage began.

“Thank you for your patience,” a banner on top of the Dish website says. “We are experiencing a system issue that our teams are working hard to resolve.” The Boost Mobile website provides a more helpful explanation. “Due to internal system issues some users may experience difficulty with their Boost Mobile accounts, paying their bill, or reaching Boost Care,” the landing page states. “Please be assured that if your account is affected, your wireless service is not affected by these issues and your service will not end due to non-payment.”

There have been conflicting reports about the cause of the outage. When the company’s problems began on Thursday, The Desk reported they were not the result of a cybersecurity incident. However, on early Saturday morning, Bleeping Computer said the outage was due to a likely ransomware attack. A source told the outlet employee computers are showing “blank icons,” suggesting they’re infected with malware. A separate source said their manager told them the outage “was caused by an outside bad actor, a known threat agent,” and that Dish had yet to determine how they had gained access to its internal systems.

“We experienced a systems issue with our corporate network on Thursday that is continuing to affect internal servers and telephone systems, and we are actively investigating it. Our DISH TV, Sling TV, Wireless services, and data networks continue to operate and are up and running,” a Dish spokesperson told Engadget. “However, some of our corporate communications systems, customer care functions, and websites were affected. Our teams are working hard to restore affected systems as quickly as possible.”

Dish would not confirm if the outage was due to a ransomware attack, but said it hoped to share more information soon. According to The Verge, as of Friday afternoon, the company had not been forthcoming with employees about what was going on with its internal systems. Many remote workers are reportedly unable to do any work due to issues with Dish’s internal VPN service. Engadget will update this article as more information becomes available. 

 

If you read Engadget regularly, you probably know how we feel about the final season of Star Trek: Picard. In short, it’s not worth your time. But if you must see the show for yourself, or can’t resist the chance to see the Enterprise-D crew one last time, Paramount is offering a free way to watch the first episode of season three. Provided you live in the US, you can catch “The Next Generation” (no, not that Next Generation) on YouTube for a limited time (via Gizmodo). And if you don’t live in the US, you can probably find a way to transport yourself for an hour, can’t you?  

The debut episode sees Jean-Luc Picard return from retirement (yet again) after his friend and former first officer Will Riker receives a warning from Dr. Beverly Crusher. Engadget Senior Editor Daniel Cooper had the chance to watch the first six episodes of season three before it began streaming earlier this month on Paramount+. In his view, the final season is dull and joyless, with a plot that is far too obvious. But don’t let that stop you from making your own decision.

 

The Federal Trade Commission has given up on trying to stop Meta from purchasing VR company Within. According to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, the agency has voted to drop its administrative case against the company a few weeks after a federal court denied its request for a preliminary injunction to block the acquisition. 

The FTC originally filed antitrust lawsuits in federal court and its in-house court last year in an effort to prevent Meta from snapping up the company that developed the virtual reality workout app Supernatural. At the time, the commission accused Meta of “trying to buy its way to the top… instead of earning it on the merits.” It said the company had the resources to enter “the VR fitness market by building its own app” and doing so would increase consumer choice and innovation. By buying Within, the FTC alleged Meta would stifle “future innovation and competitive rivalry.”

US District Judge Edward Davila, who oversaw the federal case, ruled in favor of Meta. While he reportedly agreed that mergers that could potentially harm competition in the future should be blocked, he decided that the FTC failed to offer sufficient evidence showing how the Within acquisition would be detrimental to the market. He also said that while Meta has vast resources, it “did not have the available feasible means to enter the relevant market other than by acquisition.”

Technically, Davila’s ruling didn’t have a direct effect on the administrative case. As The Journal notes, though, antitrust officials have previously dropped administrative lawsuits if the federal court denies an injunction. Now Meta can rest assured that when it completed its acquisition of Within on February 8th, the deal was truly final. 

“We’re excited that the Within team has joined Meta, and we’re eager to partner with this talented group in bringing the future of VR fitness to life,” a Meta spokesperson told Engadget.  

The FTC’s withdrawal represents one of its most pertinent losses under the leadership of Lina Khan, who’s known to be a prominent critic of Big Tech and a leading antitrust scholar. In December, the agency took on an even bigger challenge than this one when it filed an antitrust complaint to block Microsoft’s planned $68.7 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard. “Microsoft would have both the means and motive to harm competition by manipulating Activision’s pricing, degrading Activision’s game quality or player experience on rival consoles and gaming services, changing the terms and timing of access to Activision’s content, or withholding content from competitors entirely, resulting in harm to consumers,” the FTC said.

 

Just ahead of Mobile World Congress, HMD Global has announced a trio of Nokia phones, including the first one it built specifically with repairability in mind. The company has teamed up with iFixit to offer official repair guides and parts to help people fix issues such as a busted display, kaput battery or wonky charging port on the G22.

The device has a plastic rear casing made entirely of recycled materials, and comes with the promise of two years of Android updates, three years of security patches and a three-year warranty. The G22 is very much an entry-level phone — it has a Unisoc T606 CPU and tops out at 128GB of internal storage (though that’s expandable via microSD). It has a 6.5-inch HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. There’s a 50MP camera, 2MP depth camera and 2MP macro sensor. The device supports 20W fast charging, though it runs on Android 12 rather than the latest OS.

The G22 embodies the drive HMD has been making to become more environmentally friendly. With other manufacturers such as Apple, Google and Samsung offering official repair guides and parts so consumers can resolve issues by themselves, it makes sense that smaller brands would do the same.

You’ll be able to pick up a G22 in gray or blue starting on March 8th. It starts at £150 ($179) or you can snag one through HMD’s Circular subscription service. To fix certain issues, you can snap up a Fit Kit (i.e., the tools) from iFixit for £5. A replacement battery will cost £23, a display £45 and a charging port £19.

HMD also announced the Nokia C32, an Android 13 phone with “stellar imaging algorithms” and a 50MP main camera. The company says it offers the best image quality of any C-series device to date. The C32 has an octa-core, 1.6Ghz CPU, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. There’s a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a notch for the 8MP selfie camera. The £130 ($155) device will be available in charcoal, green and pink, and it will land in the UK this spring.

In addition, there’s the Nokia C22. Like the other new models, it has IP52 splash and dust protection, a microSD slot and (HMD claims) a battery that can run for up to three days on a single charge. The C22 has a dual 13MP camera and a rugged metal chassis, along with Android 13, a 6.5-inch display and an octa-core, 1.6Ghz CPU. Internal storage tops out at 64GB. Again, this is a budget-friendly phone — it starts at £110 ($131). It comes in black and sand colorways and it will be available in the spring.

On top of all that, HMD wants to bring manufacturing to Europe. “In the first stage of this journey, the company is developing capabilities and processes to bring 5G Nokia device production to Europe in 2023,” it said in a press release. The fact that the European Union is aiming to manufacture more chips in the region rather than relying on parts from Asia could make HMD’s plan more viable. Making phones in Europe primarily for a European market falls in with HMD’s environmentally friendly mission too.

 

Apple originally released its third-gen AirPods in 2021 for $179, but their retail price has since gone down by $10. Now, you can get a pair of the wireless earbuds for even less, since they’re currently on sale at Amazon for $150, or $19 cheaper than their usual price these days. The tech giant completely redesigned the AirPods for the third-generation model, giving them a new look with reduced weight, a more tapered silhouette and a shorter stem than their predecessors. While they still don’t have the Pro’s silicone eartips, we found them more comfortable to wear than the older models. 

The earbuds come with Apple’s redesigned in-ear detection system and use an optical sensor to detect whether you’re truly wearing them. Since they’re equipped with Apple’s H1 chip, they’re easy to pair with the company’s devices and they have access to always-on, hands-free Siri. When we tested them out, we found their audio quality to be superior to older models’, thanks to Apple pairing a custom driver with a high-dynamic-range amplifier for “rich consistent bass” and “crisp, clean” highs. The model is capable of dynamic head tracking, as well, and the sounds it generates are bigger and more immersive.

If you are looking for something even more affordable, though, Apple’s second-gen AirPods are also currently on sale for $99 or $60 less than their usual price. They’re not quite as advanced as their third-gen sibling, but they still come with improvements over the first AirPods and feature in-ear detection and automatic device switching.

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Nintendo has decided not to take part in this year’s E3. “We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans,” Nintendo told Engadget in a statement. “Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA [Entertainment Software Association] and E3.”

Nintendo typically has a presence on the E3 showfloor and it has often run Treehouse broadcasts throughout the event in addition to a Direct. The company took part in the last proper edition of E3 in 2019, as well as the all-digital affair in 2021. There was no E3 in 2020 or 2022.

Earlier this month, IGN reported that Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have all bowed out of E3 this year. Sony hasn’t had a presence at the event since 2018, but neither it nor Microsoft have publicly confirmed plans for this year’s edition. Regardless, Microsoft will host its big annual showcase in Los Angeles this summer. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently hinted it will take place around the same time as E3, which will run between June 13th and 16th.

There could always be a Nintendo Direct in mid-June as well, even if it’s not officially connected to the expo. Meanwhile, word on the street is that PlayStation is planning a major showcase ahead of E3 after this week’s so-so State of Play stream.

The absence of just one of the big three console manufacturers from E3 is a blow for the ESA, let alone all of them. Summer Game Fest is threatening to steal more of the stalwart event’s thunder too. But hey, at least Ubisoft will be at E3.

 

Researchers are still discovering more about the Earth’s center. A team at Australian National University (ANU) has found evidence of a new layer to the planet sitting within the inner core. This “innermost inner core” is an iron-nickel alloy ball that, as professor Hrvoje Tkalčić explains, is a “fossilized record” of Earth’s ancient history. Until now, science had only recognized four layers (crust, mantle, outer core and inner core).

The scientists found the ‘hidden’ core by studying seismic waves that traveled back and forth across the Earth’s entire diameter up to five times — previous studies only looked at single bounces. The earthquake waves probed places near the center at angles that suggested a different crystalline structure inside the innermost layer. Effectively, the alloy is skewing the travel times for the waves as they pass through.

The findings open up new ways to investigate the inner core, according to lead author Thanh-Son Phạm. ANU also believes the innermost inner core hints at a major event in Earth’s past that had a “significant” impact on the planet’s heart. As researchers explain to The Washington Post, it could also help explain the formation of the Earth’s magnetic field. The field plays a major role in supporting life as it shields the Earth from harmful radiation and keeps water from drifting into space.

Those insights may help with studies of other worlds. Mars is believed to be a barren planet because it lost its magnetic field roughly four billion years ago, leaving no protection against solar winds and dust storms that carried away the atmosphere and oceans. Exoplanet hunters, meanwhile, could use the knowledge to search for habitable worlds. The presence of an Earth-like core structure isn’t guaranteed to indicate survivability, but may play a role in narrowing down candidate planets.