Now's a good moment to buy if you've been chasing down the Apple Watch Series 7 as a gift — or as a treat for yourself. Amazon is selling the 41mm GPS model in blue aluminum for $350, a sizeable $50 below the usual price. Green and red models are also down to $380 if they're more your style. And if you'd rather save money with the Apple Watch SE, the gray 40mm model is down to $230 versus its usual $279.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is a subtle iteration of a familiar design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The large screen (even on the 41mm model) makes a big difference for readability, not to mention control. Dust resistance and a more crack-resistant screen will help for venturing outdoors, while the fast charging should keep you going if sleep tracking or a lengthy workout has chewed through the battery. Add a strong app ecosystem and solid health features and the Series 7 is strong both as a first-time watch and a solid upgrade for anyone coming from Series 4 or earlier.

There are a few catches beyond the usual iPhone requirement. Apple's built-in sleep tracking won't compare to what you get from rivals like Fitbit and Samsung, and the S7 chip isn't a breakthrough in performance. There's not much to tempt an upgrade if you're using a Series 5 or 6. Beyond that, however, t's an easy choice at this reduced price.

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Amazon has explained the Web Services outage that knocked parts of the internet offline for several hours on December 7th — and promised more clarity if this happens in the future. As CNBCreports, Amazon revealed an automated capacity scaling feature led to "unexpected behavior" from internal network clients. Devices connecting that internal network to AWS were swamped, stalling communications.

The nature of the failure prevented teams from pinpointing and fixing the problem, Amazon added. They had to use logs to find out what happened, and internal tools were also affected. The rescuers were "extremely deliberate" in restoring service to avoid breaking still-functional workloads, and had to contend with a "latent issue" that prevented networking clients from backing off and giving systems a chance to recover.

The AWS division has temporarily disabled the scaling that led to the problem, and won't switch it back on until there are solutions in place. A fix for the latent glitch is coming within two weeks, Amazon said. There's also an extra network configuration to shield devices in the event of a repeat failure.

You might have an easier time understanding crises the next time around. A new version of AWS' service status dashboard is due in early 2022 to provide a clearer view of any outages, and a multi-region support system will help Amazon get in touch with customers that much sooner. These won't bring AWS back any faster during an incident, but they may eliminate some of the mystery when services go dark — important when victims include everything from Disney+ to Roomba vacuums.

You'll want to quickly update Microsoft Teams if you're an Android phone user. According to former XDA editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman, Microsoft has fixed a Teams bug that led to failed 911 calls on devices using Android 10 or later. Reddit user KitchenPicture5849 discovered that having Teams installed, but not signed in, would prevent emergency calls from going through. The phone would say a call was active and ring once, but never properly initiate the connection — call logs would show nothing.

Rahman and friend Kuba Wojciechowski pinpointed the cause. While all Android calling apps will try to create a PhoneAccount class instance in the operating system, Teams was creating instances every time a user started the app "cold" — that increased the chances of a sorting problem that stopped calls from going through.

Google talked to the Reddit user and revealed that both the company and Microsoft were planning fixes. In addition to the Microsoft patch, Google is delivering an Android platform update on January 4th that should address its side of the problem. You can delete and reinstall Teams to clear any excess PhoneAccount instances, and staying logged in should prevent any mishaps.

Google said this only affected a "small number of devices." The issue, however, was the severity. This could have blocked someone from making a life-saving call through no fault of their own.

Microsoft wasn't the only big console maker hoping to bring its games to phones. The Verge said it has obtained a document from Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple indicating the iPhone maker had learned Sony was planning a "mobile extension" of PlayStation Now in 2017. The service would stream over 450 PS3 games at first, and follow up with PS4 titles.

Apple mentioned the PlayStation Now expansion as it was in the early stages of developing Apple Arcade, its answer to Sony's service as well as Xbox Game Pass. While Arcade didn't launch until 2019 and still doesn't include streaming, Apple saw PlayStation Now as indicative of a broader shift toward gaming subscriptions.

Provided Apple's scoop was accurate, it's unclear why Sony still isn't streaming games to smartphone owners. A hybrid of PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus is reportedly due in spring 2022, but the relevant rumor didn't make mention of mobile access. Sony has already declined to comment.

There may have been a few factors at work. Sony might not have wanted to test Apple policies effectively blocking cloud gaming apps — Microsoft had to use the web to get around that limitation. There are also familiar technical challenges, such as adapting gamepad-focused titles to touchscreens or ensuring reliable streams on cellular connections. Either way, this suggests Sony was at least considering a more ambitious version of PlayStation Now than the service you see today.

It won't surprise you to hear Twitter is fighting former President Trump's lawsuit over his ban. Bloombergreports Twitter has asked a judge to dismiss the suit as it allegedly misinterprets and threatens the company's First Amendment free speech rights. The social network noted it was a private company that isn't obligated to host speech it doesn't like, and that Trump repeatedly violated the rules he agreed to when he chose to use the service. A forced ban reversal would challenge "bedrock principles of constitutional law," Twitter said.

Moreover, Twitter argued its editorial choices related to basic public concerns, including threats to a peaceful White House transition as well as statements that could foster "further violence." The company merely flagged Trump's tweets as misleading in the run-up to the January 6th Capitol assault, but banned him after he continued.

Lead attorney John Coale has contended Twitter is a "state actor" as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act supposedly equates to a subsidy that forces it to honor the First Amendment like the government does. Biden's Justice Department has objected to this interpretation in a court filing, however, stating that Section 230 is only meant to protect against liability, not regulate the speech of officials like the ex-President.

Trump isn't waiting for a return to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. He recently launched Truth Social in a bid to enable himself and other conservatives who've felt silenced by tech companies. If Twitter succeeds in its dismissal request, though, Trump won't have much of a choice but to give up his once-preferred platform.

Major spoiler warning. Peloton is grappling with another media crisis in 2021, although this one is decidedly... stranger. As The Vergereports, Peloton has raced to defend its signature Bike after a scene in the first episode of HBO Max's Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That, featured the cycling hardware in a less-than-flattering way.

The scene depicted Carrie's husband Mr. Big, played by Chris Noth, dying of a heart attack soon after he finished a 45-minute Peloton class on the company's Bike (with real instructor Jess King in a fictional role, we'd add). Peloton is worried viewers might think the Bike was responsible, and not just because the show might hurt sales — the company's stock price plunged between December 9th and December 10th, and it didn't get much better by the weekend.

In a statement, Peloton health and wellness advisor Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum argued that Mr. Big's death likely occurred despite the Bike, not because of it. Big lived an "extravagant lifestyle" that included drinking, smoking and a steak-filled diet, and he'd even had a cardiac incident in SATC's sixth season. If anything, Dr. Steinbaum suggested, Big's riding might have "helped delay" his heart attack.

Peloton also said it was caught off-guard. Spokesperson Denise Kelly toldBuzzFeed News the company was aware an HBO-purchased Bike would be in the episode and that King would portray an instructor, but "confidentiality reasons" prevented it from learning about the tragic plot point until the And Just Like That premiere.

This likely won't significantly dent Peloton's sales figures. Still, this probably isn't the publicity the firm wanted as it grapples with a treadmill recall and stiffer competition from rivals like Bowflex, Echelon and NordicTrack. Peloton may have to hope price cuts, a new strength training camera and a loyal following will help it overcome any hesitancy from Sex and the City fans.

No, Meta and Beat Games still aren't done adding big-name musicians to Beat Saber. They're releasing a 10-song Lady Gaga Music Pack that, as you'd imagine, brings some of the pop superstar's best-known songs to the VR rhythm game on Quest and Rift headsets. There aren't any surprise picks here — the collection ranges from early hits like "Poker Face" to the Ariana Grande collaboration "Rain on Me." Still, you might appreciate slicing to Gaga's beats with a Chromatica-inspired backdrop.

The pack should be available tonight (December 9th) at $13 for the whole bundle, or $2 per song. Completists could undoubtedly poke holes in the selection (you won't get singles like "Applause"), but it's hard to object loudly when Gaga's dance pop should lend itself well to Beat Saber's gameplay.

The Game Awards are in-person once again, but you'll still have an opportunity to tune in online. The games industry ceremony is streaming live at 8PM Eastern, and you can watch it here through YouTube as well as through multiple other services that include Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook Live, Steam and even in VR (albeit 2D) through Oculus Venues.

You can expect sizzle from the awards themselves, with frontrunner nominees like Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank vying for attention alongside indie darlings and odd choices like Cyberpunk 2077. You'll also likely see a surprise or two among the many game premieres and updates that define the show. That's not including simultaneous launches like the Unreal Engine 5-based The Matrix Awakens demo.

However, this year's event may be as notable for the surrounding drama as the actual presentation. Activision Blizzard will be a no-show (beyond the advisory board, that is), and the company's sexual harassment scandal may cast a shadow over some nominees. You can also be sure the organizers will make full use of a real-world venue, with performances from the likes of Sting and Imagine Dragons. In that light, the 2021 gala still won't represent business as usual.

Apple has generally been cautious in dealing with COVID-19 even as it loosens store policies, but that apparently wasn't enough to prevent an outbreak among staff. NBC Newsreports the Apple store in Southlake, Texas is closed until December 13th after 22 workers tested positive for the illness. Four employees tested positive right after Black Friday, NBC learned, and the cases appear to have spread.

Affected workers will have to isolate for 10 days and go two days without symptoms before they can return, according to a virtual team meeting. Everyone returning on the 13th will have to take a rapid antigen COVID-19 test the day before.

There are concerns the outbreak might have been avoidable. One worker at Southlake said it was difficult to maintain social distancing even before Black Friday, while others said they were encouraged to come to work even when they reported COVID-like symptoms in a mandatory survey. Staffers were also incorrectly told they couldn't claim special sick leave unless they tested positive.

We've asked Apple for comment on these reports. In a statement to NBC, a spokesperson focused on an overall "comprehensive approach" to safety that included regular testing, masks, cleaning and paid leave.

Apple has faced accusations of poor retail employee treatment in the past, including (discontinued) off-the-clock bag searches. There may be multiple factors at work in this case, however. Whether or not the leadership was responsible, staff are reportedly concerned there's too much pressure to meet certain sales targets. Managers may feel compelled to put sick staff to work rather than risk falling short of store goals.

It only took three years, but the Epic Games Store finally has one of the staples of online stores: a shopping cart. Visit the store on your computer and you can grab multiple games, apps and add-ons at the same time. You can review and remove items before checking out, and move content to your wishlist if you'd rather wait for a sale. You can still click "buy now" if you're only bent on picking up a single item.

It seems like a simple addition, and Epic is keenly aware of how late it is to the party. The company opened its store in 2018 with a barebones feature set and spent a long while adding features people take granted from rivals like Steam, such as gifting. This is just the most prominent catch-up in recent memory. Still, it'sd difficult to complain loudly if it helps you buy a bunch of discounted classics.