🚉 Good Thanksgiving Eve! If you’re traveling today, and approximately 98% of people seem to be, I hope it goes as smoothly as it can.
Roborock makes robot vacuums that just plain work. No gimmicks, no price gouging, just a home cleaner that you never have to think about. Their prices are typically competitive, but we just caught wind of a massive $140 discount on their most popular vacuum. This offer is only available today and Friday. Keep scrolling for more details.
S11 Plus: Smartphones with cameras, or cameras with smartphones?
If the leaks are to be believed, 2020’s flagship camera modules are growing:
Expected in February 2020, Samsung's Galaxy S11 Plus is set to be a 6.9-inch device, with in-display fingerprint scanner, Qualcom’s upcoming Snapdragon 865 processor, a 108-megapixel camera, and 5x optical zoom, 1TB of internal storage, and about as cutting-edge as you can find on a smartphone.
Now we know more about what it’s meant to look like:
- The design of the Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus looks just like you’d expect from a flagship, with curved glass on the front and a centered hole-punch camera.
- That’s all fine, Samsung doesn’t get this stuff wrong.
On the back, though? Look! (via reliable leak source @OnLeaks and Cash Karo).
- It’s a five-lens camera module, with lenses haphazardly scattered about, an off-center flash, and extra sensors.
- Of course, before getting carried away, we take these with a grain of salt given they’re leak-related and the device is some months away from launch.
- The @OnLeaks track record is pretty solid, even if another speculative leaker disagreed with some elements, hinting at the camera model being “more beautiful,” than this, possibly implying a little more symmetry.
- However, what’s clear is Samsung is putting on a very big camera window, far bigger than the already chunky Pixel 4 XL design, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max with its three-lens camera bump.
- The core design seen in this leak also surfaced in previous leaks for the Galaxy S11 series and new Galaxy A series phones. So those hoping for visually distinct Samsung smartphones in 2020 will likely be disappointed
- But it probably won’t matter. Some kind of cohesive design is important, although reviews will only focus on image quality and versatility.
- And if the S11 Plus is packing this kind of camera war chest, at least 5x true optical zoom would be welcome.
- The rumored 108MP main sensor might be unnecessary though, especially given our experience with the first 108MP phone. But Samsung is one of the few players with the software credentials to make it work, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Round Up:
🎁 The best Google deals we could find for Black Friday 2019 (Android Authority).
🍎 Best Apple Black Friday 2019 deals, including official Apple deals (Android Authority).
🎧 The best Black Friday audio deals already available, right now, including savings on Sony’s best noise-cancelling headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM3 for $278, matching Amazon’s lowest ever price (down from $350) (Android Authority).
🌠 Google explains how that crazy astrophotography mode works on its AI blog (Android Authority).
🆕 Gary Explains the new 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 1000 5G SoC, and why it matters (YouTube).
🐥 Twitter is starting to “clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information,” which includes removing accounts that haven’t been logged into for six months. They’re not all going at once though, but people will be trying hard to grab fresh real estate come December 12 (The Verge).
🐤 On that note, Gizmodo has a delightful list of Pretty Good Handles that should become available, including @badguy, @baddestguy, @verybadman, and er, @osamabinladen.
🕊 On a more somber note: “You can take my Dad’s tweets over my dead body” (TechCrunch).
🤔 It’s way too easy to get a .gov domain name ...if you include impersonating a town mayor as easy? (KrebsonSecurity).
🔊 Alexa’s voice can now express disappointment and excitement (The Verge).
😎 Facebook buys VR studio behind Beat Saber, probably the only true breakout VR game? (TechCrunch). Cost of acquisition versus the risk someone else buys the small studio and takes it off Oculus.
🛬 NASA’s giant ‘Super Guppy’ plane delivers the agency’s spacecraft to Ohio (The Verge).
🏃♂️ Facebook was the “mystery” firm bidding against Google to buy Fitbit, which is something (CNBC).
👽 Dubbed “the laziest merch ever”: Disney’s “Baby Yoda” aka ‘The Child' aka Disney rushing out crummy merchandise (TechCrunch).
🍣 Jiro Ono’s famous sushi restaurant is so exclusive it lost its Michelin stars, and yeah, I probably can’t dine there anytime soon (Vice).
🤔 “What are some foods that most people have been eating the wrong way or not the way it was intended?” (r/askreddit). 'Adding sugar to mac and cheese' was not something I expected to read and regret that I now know this.
Wednesday Weirdness
There’s a viral twitter thread on weird traditional Thanksgiving side dishes and it is legendary. It starts with seafoam salad, a “salad” made of jello and cream cheese, from Maya Kosoff’s family:
From here, it gets worse and weirder:
- Coca-Cola Salad;
- “Barf salad” with “lemon lime jello, crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, & mayo or sour cream.”
- A magic tomato soup cake;
- And a bologna layer cake frosted with ranch cream cheese icing, encouragingly rated as "pretty good," and much more - read the thread, and weep.
Mind you... I am now kinda hungry?
- Which is good news because this is the best day of the year for this handy guide: “Tips From Professional Eaters on Maximizing Your Thanksgiving Meal,” which includes this advice I, and anyone else who has ever read this advice, could never forget:
- “Food knowledge is key here, this is what separates the big eaters from the really big eaters. Are the mashed potatoes very light and fluffy? If so this will be your year. Most people will tend to wait on them as they think the starches will fill them up.
- “In truth, the light, mashed potatoes will actually go down easy and they can quickly break down and leave your stomach. This will allow for even more food.
- “So I like to get in a quick 2 - 3 pounds of mashed potatoes before anyone else senses what is going on.”
- Indeed.
SPONSORED
The robots are coming to take over the world this holiday season. We’ve got smart light switches, smart microwaves, and smart everything else. But they still need human interaction to really work. A smart vacuum is where it’s at, especially a smart vacuum from Roborock.
There are options for any budget, especially with Black Friday deals.
Every Roborock model from the E2 to the S6 packs built-in algorithms and software to plan a route ahead of time.
The S6 packs enough power to clean for three hours without charging, and loads of suction. The E2 has a smaller battery and slightly less suction, but has a massive dustbin.
Let’s talk deals.
Black Friday is the perfect time to upgrade your cleaning game as the whole lineup is discounted. The base-level E2 robot vacuum is available at $199 from November 25 through December 1.
Roborock’s newest model, the Roborock S4 will also be $100 off its original price during this period.
Last minute update: We’ve just received word from Roborock that the S5 will be on a massive $140-off sale for two days only: the day before Thanksgiving (today) and the day after (Friday). If you want to snag the Roborock S5 for the lowest possible price, be sure to check it out!
Catch you again here on Black Friday,
Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor