Pre-order a Pixel 3 XL? Have a case ready when it arrives!

Google has unveiled the Google Pixel 3 XL, and if it’s going to be your next phone, you’re going to want to grab yourself a case or three to keep your phone safe when you’re out in the big, cruel world — or when you’re bumbling around your stone-floored apartment at 3 AM. Whether you’re after the stylish protection of the Spigen Neo Hybrid or prefer to show off your Pixel 3 XL’s natural beauty with an affordable Ringke Fusion, there’s a Pixel 3 XL case that can protect your phone and your showcase your style.

Soft fabric sweetness

Google Fabric Case

$40 at Google Store

Google’s fabric cases for the Pixel 2 series were soft, luxurious, and darn near perfect. Slimming down this year, Google also made tweaks to the case’s four color options: “Pink Moon” is more restrained than last year’s fiery “Coral,” and a deep blue “Indigo” replaces the static of “Midnight.”

Lithe, luscious leather

Bellroy Leather Case

$45 at Google Store

Bellroy did a rich leather case for the Pixel 2 series last year, and this year’s case for the Pixel 3 is every bit as luxurious. Made using “gold-rated LWG tannery leather,” this case is expensive, but isn’t this beauty worth it?

Make it yours

Google My Case

$50 at Google Store

Google used to have different listings and styles for its custom cases, but now, all custom cases use the same dual-layer style and the same price tag. You can deck My Case out with custom Google Maps, exclusive designer collections, or a personal photo, and the inner layers now come in three colors to best match your phone or your case colors better.

Our pick

Spigen Neo Hybrid

$14 at Amazon

The Spigen Neo Hybrid is one of our favorite case lines on the market; it earned an AC Choice Award for the Google Pixel 2 and it continues that excellence with the Pixel 3 XL. With distinct two-tone color schemes and a sophisticated Herringbone texture, the Neo Hybrid will protect your phone in style.

Kick up your protection

Spigen Tough Armor

$17 at Amazon

This traditional dual-layer case is made for those who know that luck favors the prepared. The flexible TPU layer and air-cushion design helps absorb the impact of a fall, and the hard candy shell offers stability and a built-in kickstand to prop up your Pixel for an in-flight movie or video chat.

Ruggedly handsome

Spigen Rugged Armor

$13 at Amazon

Spigen’s Rugged Armor has been one of our go-to cases for years, and for good reason: this single-layer case feels great in the hand and protects your phone as well as many dual-layer cases. Contrasting carbon fiber accents give the case a rich look and a slim feel.

Tough as a gemstone

Ringke Onyx

$9 at Amazon

This single-layer case is similar to the Spigen Rugged Armor, using Carbon fiber accents and contrasting textures to make a discreet case look bolder and feel better in the hand. That said, the Onyx comes in two colors, black and a deep Lilac Purple.

Altered carbon

Vinve Carbon Fiber Case

$8 at Amazon

This carbon-fiber-accented case from Vinve comes in four colors: a bright red that borders on salmon, a grey that sits somewhere between pewter and gunmetal, deep navy blue, and the ever-standard black.

Carbon coloring

Detral Carbon Fiber Case

$8 at Amazon

This Dretal case also sports carbon fiber accents and a flexible TPU design that’s easy to slip the Pixel 3 XL in and out of, but the color options here are far wider. Beyond the more traditional Black, Gray, and Navy, you can let your Pixel 3 XL pop with bright shades of Red and Mint green.

Magnetic grip

Detral Magnetic Anti-Slip Case

$9 at Amazon

Hiding under this case’s extra-grippy honeycomb texture is an integrated metal plate for magnetic mounts and stands. That plate will also interfere with wireless charging, but if you’d prefer to use magnetic mounts, Dretal lets you ditch those stick-on magnetic plates.

Lightweight protection

Spigen Thin Fit

$12 at Amazon

Leaving the top and bottom of the phone uncovered, Spigen’s Thin Fit wraps around the sides and back of the phone. This understated case offers corner protection and just enough lip around the camera and screen to help avoid scratches and scuffs. It also has a dedicated gap inside of the case for a magnetic car mount plate.

Crystal Clear

Spigen Liquid Crystal

$12 at Amazon

Eschewing hard polycarbonate backs that tend to produce oily rainbows on many a clear case, the Liquid Crystal’s flexible TPU is easy to apply and easier to grip. This case offers light protection that is as thin as it is beautiful on the Google Pixel 3 XL.

Strap it down

Ringke Fusion

$9 at Amazon

This clear case is a bit more rugged than the Spigen Liquid Crystal, offering beefier bumper and tough polycarbonate back. The Fusion is designed with an anchor point for the included wrist strap, which can help you keep ahold of your phone during a morning jog.

The X factor

Ringke Fusion X

$10 at Amazon

This big brother of the Fusion features an even beefier bumper and reinforced corners for extra protection, and while the black bumper is solid, the red version is translucent, allowing the color to catch the light and shine beautifully.

Affordable crystal

MoKo Clear Case

$8 at Amazon

MoKo’s clear cases display the Google Pixel 3 XL’s beauty to the world with a hard polycarbonate back while a more flexible TPU bumper lets you get the case on and off the phone with ease. Unlike the bulky, buff corner guards on the Ringke Fusion line, MoKo’s small air cushion corners take a more refined approach.

Again, I’m a sucker for the Spigen Neo Hybrid, but the deep purple hues of the Ringke Onyx are absolutely darling and could produce some very fun contrast with the different Pixel 3 XL colors. Just remember: no matter your taste, your phone needs a case.

Google Home Hub vs Lenovo Smart Display: Which should you buy?

We’re a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. All of our homes are Connected Homes, and we use our combined experience to make the best recommendations for your needs.

Google Home Hub

Bedside Companion

$149 at Best Buy

Pros

• Compact design
• Crisp display

Cons

• Rear-firing speakers limit where you can place this hub

With it’s super simple and compact design, Google made it clear this is the smart display you get when space is an issue. You can put this anywhere and get the best of Google Assistant right where you are.

Lenovo Smart Display

Kitchen Powerhouse

$249 at Best Buy

Pros

• Huge, beautiful display
• Front-firing speaker puts you in the music
• Security slider for camera

Cons

• Design makes it very wide
• A little pricey

Lenovo made a simple display that sounds great and does everything while looking great, but it’s not a design that works in every room of the house. In the kitchen, however, it’s fantastic.

Google makes the software powering both of these experiences, but the way the hardware is designed and the price tag means these displays are for very different kinds of users.

The smartest display

You can put a Lenovo Smart Display in the kitchen and get a great experience with heaps of features, but Google’s Home Hub was clearly designed to live in more places. It’s compact enough to be a bedside clock of sorts, or to tuck away on a shelf in the laundry room. These design decisions aren’t huge when it comes to the overall experience, unless the amount of space you have really matters.

Display	8-inch/10-inch	7-inch
Speakers	10w + 2 passive tweeters	“Multi-room” audio
Microphone	2×2 Dual mic array	2 mic array
Wireless	2×2 802.11ac MIMO	802.11ac
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 5
Camera	720p	❌
Google Cast	✅	✅
Google Duo	✅	✅
Price	$199/$249	$149

Google’s Home Hub comes in at $100 less than the 10-inch Lenovo Smart Display, but it’s clear you lose a lot more than three inches of display with that price drop. Instead of using a privacy shutter on the camera like Lenovo did, Google chose to release a smart display capable of receiving video chats as a core feature with no camera to send back video. Google’s microphone array and WiFi array in the Home Hub also appear to be less capable than Lenovo’s offering, and while the speakers are certainly comparable the design of the Home Hub places the audio away from you by design. This doesn’t work well in every room, especially places like the kitchen where the audio is competing with everything else making noise.

Still, that price tag is difficult to argue with. At $149 you get an extremely capable visual companion to Google Assistant, including the ability to stream video not only from YouTube but also dozens of other video streaming apps through Google Cast. That makes it possible to basically have a TV in places you wouldn’t ordinarily put one, and the compact design makes it very easy to put in places you simply can’t fit a Lenovo Smart Display.

Lenovo Smart Display

Feature Packed

$249 at Best Buy

This is the Google Assistant display you get when you want the best of every feature.

With it’s killer speakers, huge display, and clever design this is one of the coolest things Lenovo has ever made. And if you’ve got the room for it in your home, it’s going to do a great job every time.

Google Home Hub

Assistant everywhere

An excellent and inexpensive way to make Google Home a big part of your day to day life.

$149 at Best Buy

It’s not quite as big or featureful as some of the more expensive smart displays, but it looks incredible in each of its four available colors and will do a great job delivering Google Assistant to every room in your home.

Marshall’s upgraded line of Bluetooth speakers is sure to impress

These Bluetooth speakers will rock your world.

Marshall has been well-known for decades due to its stellar audio equipment, and the various speakers it has available today are no exception to the quality products we’ve come to expect from the brand. Earlier today, the company unveiled three new additions to its line-up of Bluetooth speakers which are sure to make music lovers turn their heads and start pulling out their wallets: the Acton II Bluetooth, Stanmore II Bluetooth, and Woburn II Bluetooth.

The three new options have a lot of variety in what they offer. If you’re looking for a portable speaker, the Acton II Bluetooth is the one for you. However, if you’re looking for a speaker which will sit in a permanent spot in your home entertainment setup, the Woburn II Bluetooth is a much better fit for that scenario. On the other hand, the Stanmore II Bluetooth offers a ton of versatility; it isn’t too large to carry around yet it will also do a great job of rocking your socks off while at home too.

Each of these speakers is fitted with Class D amplifiers, a bass reflex cabinet system, an upgraded DSP for improved dynamic range compression, Marshall’s iconic logo on the front, and more. They feature Bluetooth 5.0 which allows them to connect to devices wirelessly up to 33 feet away, along with Qualcomm’s aptX technology. Plus with multi-host functionality, two devices can be connected wirelessly at the same time. With the Marshall Bluetooth app, you can switch up EQ presets, set up stereo or ambient mode, wake up your speaker, and more right from your phone.

The Acton II Bluetooth, Stanmore II Bluetooth, and Woburn II Bluetooth speakers are now available at $249, $349, and $499 respectively via Marshall’s website in black and white models, though they’ve already gone out of stock. Entering in your email will send a notification to you when stock is available again. If you don’t want to wait to order, the Stanmore II Bluetooth speaker is available to purchase at Amazon for $349.99, though it is temporarily out of stock as well. Placing your order now will ensure it’s shipped when stock is next available.

See at Amazon
See at Marshall

Curved QLED monitors, gaming headsets, and more are discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

There’s never a shortage of deals available, but sorting through all of them can be difficult at times. We’ve handpicked all the best tech, and everyday essentials discounts that you can take advantage of right now and brought them to one central location. From curved QLED monitors to Rosetta Stone, these are today’s best deals.

Tech Deals

View the rest of the deals

Everyday Essentials

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

These Pixel 2 cases are so thin, you’ll forget they’re there

Cases can be bulky, boring, and ugly, so I can understand why so many choose to go naked and show off their phone’s full glory for the world to see. Even the thinnest of cases can offer some small protection from scuffs, chips, and smaller tumbles, and these ultra-thin cases for the Google Pixel 2 are so thin, you may even forget you’re wearing a case!

Like totally awesome

Totallee Case

While it looks too thin to do much of anything, you really can rest easy with the Totallee case. You don’t have to worry about smudges, scuffs, scrapes, or chipping the coating Google adds to the Pixel 2. Totallee made this case so you can get a basic safeguard against regular wear-and-tear while also giving your phone a new splash of color without adding any bulk.

$18 at Amazon

Super thin support

Peel Super Thin Case

Peel is quite proud of their “0.35mm thin” cases and we agree that these cases are perfect for people who hate cases. And unlike most case makers, Peel doesn’t shoehorn logos and branding into their paper-thin cases, instead letting the beauty of your Google-designed phone show though frosted cases color-matched to each variant of the Pixel 2.

$25 at Peel

Little black case

Spigen Thin Fit Case

Most of Spigen’s line is known for thinness that doesn’t compromise protection, but the Thin Fit offers MIL-STD 810G 516.6 military-grade protection in a case that won’t make your Pixel 2 or 2XL feel like a tank. It only comes in black, but black goes with everything.

$12 at Amazon

Slim and sparkly

Bear Motion Slim Case

This sparkly case adds grip to the back and sides of your phone while leaving the top and bottom open for easy access to ports and sensors. This case wraps around the corners of the phone for protection, a hard-shell case that snaps on to protect your phone from scuffs and scratches while bringing some shine and style.

$8 at Amazon

Almost invisible

Aeska Ultra Slim Thin Case

This thin, translucent case is easy to slip on and off, with its flexible TPU offering a tiny bit more energy absorption and redirection during drops than harder polycarbonate cases. This case comes in 5 subtle colors, including this lovely Purple, a color not seen much with Pixel 2 cases that are dominated by black and teal and mint.

$8 at Amazon

I’ve always been partial to Spigen cases, but the allure of the Totallee case’s bright blue hue is hard to ignore. If you’re looking for slim protection that’s more budget-friendly, the Aeska Ultra Slim is crystal clear protection at half the price with just a hair more thickness than the Totallee and Peel cases.

Here’s everything that’s new in WWE 2K19

There’s more here than meets the eye.

WWE 2K19 is out, and as such with annual sports (or sports entertainment) titles, it can be difficult to figure out all that the new releases have to offer. Let us take that difficulty out of the equation.

We’ve gone through this game with a fine-toothed comb to find absolutely everything new. Here’s what you can find new compared to WWE 2K19.

$60 at Amazon

An amazing lighting engine

The first thing you’ll notice upon booting this game up is its beauty. WWE games have looked great over the years, but WWE 2K19 takes it to a whole new level.

Strobe lights accurately bounce off everything in the arena, your superstar included. The multi-colored display lights shoot colorful beams of energy into the sky.

The flashes from the floodlights are blinding, and the spotlight follows superstars with methodical and smooth motion. This is one beautiful game, and believe it or not, much of the improvements come from sheer lighting.

Popular match types get enhancements

WWE 2K19 seems to be a year focused on tightening up the solid foundation established in the previous year’s game, and you won’t see a better example of that than with changes to several popular match types.

Steel Cage

The classic steel cage match is back, and it’s more dangerous than ever with new environmental fighting possibilities. For starters, you can now fight your opponent as both of you are climbing the cage. You can also pick your opponent up and throw them into the side of the cage. The fighting can go all the way to the top before you make one last effort to reach the other side.

Speaking of which, there’s now a button mashing mini-game to escape the cage either over the top or through the door. It’s a simple addition, but it adds another layer of difficulty in a match that was a bit too easy to win before.

Hell in a Cell

This gruesome match type is perhaps the most iconic for WWE. Hell in a Cell has shrunken in total size this year, but the change is much-welcomed when you consider the new possibilities.

It’s now much easier to break outside the cell, and not just from one side. You can break through all sides of the cell now, which — as you may guess — means you can also fight on all four sides of the cell outside.

The match has been propped up with a host of new animations for cell-fighting, making the match feel more impactful throughout all stages.

When you decide to climb to the top, you’ll find that lateral movement is now possible mid-climb. Superstars can fight each other before reaching the top. And once on top, you’ll now have four cell panels to break instead of just two.

The cost of all this is the inability to grab weapons from beneath the ring. That’s sure to be a big downer for some, but if it makes for a more meaty match in all other areas, then it’s a welcome tradeoff.

Showcase mode is back

For some inexplicable reason, 2K removed Showcase mode from last year’s game. This mode places a spotlight on prominent moments in WWE history.

Well, it’s back in WWE 2K19, and this time we get a great retelling of Daniel Bryan’s rise to fame in the WWE. From his early days as a tryout talent through to the YES! Movement and on his way to the WWE Championship, you’ll get to relive all of his biggest moments.

Showcase mode includes digital renditions of promos and matches, with the real commentary from these moments used to heighten the authenticity. You’ll also hear from Daniel Bryan himself as he chronicles his musings documentary style.

MyPlayer

MyPlayer is back as the most personal mode in a WWE video game. You’ll create your character and see which new heights you can take him to. Here’s everything that’s new.

MyCareer Story

MyCareer is back to offer an original story. While MyCareer isn’t a new feature in and of itself, WWE 2K19’s MyCareer is the first in series history to have a fully-voiced dialog.

There are close to 30 WWE superstars featured in the story, each with multiple pages worth of lines. There are also several original characters and radio personalities who will chime in on what’s going on in the world of wrestling.

While there isn’t much room for user freedom, the linearity allowed 2K to deliver a truly memorable and fun story. You’ll start out as a fledgling wrestler from an independent company and go as far as your drive can take you, hopefully to the WWE Hall of Fame someday.

Progression

Character progression in WWE 2K19 is a bit different. You now earn MyPlayer Skill Points which can be used to purchase upgrades on a massive skill tree.

Each node of the skill tree corresponds to a few points of stats for any of your attributes, and you’ll also unlock special character abilities on the way. There are maximum stats for each category, and some of these categories can go much further once you settle in on your preferred fighting style.

And yes, VC is still in the game, but it’s not used for character progression outside of purchasing new moves, superstar parts, and theatrics (all of which can still be unlocked through loot crates, by the way).

2K Towers and Road to Glory

New to MyPlayer this year is 2K Towers. This mode lets you take your superstar into a series of matches gauntlet-style, with the match types, participants, and victory conditions adhering to a set of fun stipulations.

For instance, one Towers session might have you facing a series of opponents who have all won the Royal Rumble. There are both daily and weekly events to partake in, and you’ll earn increased rewards in this mode.

Of course, Road to Glory is back to offer a standard ranked ladder for those who are ultra competitive.

Improved Universe Mode

Veterans to the series know that Universe Mode can do with some big improvements. While we wouldn’t necessarily call the changes made to the mode in WWE 2K19 “meaty,” there are several quality-of-life changes that shouldn’t go unappreciated.

For one, show management and customization have gotten a lot better. Matches with rivalry cutscenes can now be edited in a way that lets you retain the rivalry status. You can also now choose the outcome of matches you decide to simulate. The ability to assign a manager to any superstar you want is also welcome, and the fact that Universe finally properly includes those managers in matches and rivalry cutscenes is exciting.

2K also hooked us up with a match tables editor. This feature essentially allows you to customize how often certain match types appear on your shows. The tool, along with the aforementioned improvements, should go a long way toward improving AI-based booking.

Moving on, each show can now have up to 6 titles, mixed and match however you’d like. You could have an entire Divas-only show with Divas-only championships if you so wish. And the Money in the Bank briefcase now also counts as a title.

Speaking of Money in the Bank, it’s now possible to create your own briefcase with custom logos, colors, and materials.

And speaking of championships, you now organize the pecking order of your WWE Universe rosters by championship so that you can ensure certain superstars only fight for certain titles. This seems to affect how Universe mode automatically books shows, so random weird occurrences like Undertaker vs Aiden English in a Falls Count Anywhere match should no longer happen (unless, of course, you want it to).

Big Head Mode

This is a fun one. Your matches can now be played with Big Head Mode enabled. It’s just as you’re imagining: wrestlers go at it with huge heads on their normal now-tiny bodies.

It’s sillier than we’re used to in WWE games of late and can be ignored if you’d like, but those who come to love it will enjoy oversized versions of their favorite superstars where all the hurt and pain in the world can be seen on their faces without having to squint.

Huge Roster

WWE 2K19 has the biggest roster to date, with over 200 superstars from the past and present being featured. Indie darlings turned champion like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. Legends like Ric Flair and The Rock. Electrifying acts like The New Day and the Hardy Boyz. Fierce women like Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair. This roster is packed, and you can add to it even more by downloading custom superstars from the Creation Suite.

New Creation Mode options

While we’re on the topic, the Creation Mode is also getting its fair share of new bits. You can find hundreds of new parts and over 200 brand new moves to use on your created superstars.

That includes a new superstar body type: blocky. That’s right, you could create an entire Minecraft or Roblox wrestling federation if you wanted.

For the less creatively inclined, a new randomizer feature generates a full-blown superstar. These aren’t jumbled messes of characters, either. The result is often something so cohesive that you’d wonder if the wrestler was in the game as a default character.

You can also do something similar for the WWE superstars included on the disc, as you can now customize the attire colors for the superstars and give them a random spin of their own.

Are you ready?

WWE 2K19 isn’t the single biggest leap in the series’ history, but it certainly feels like the most meaningful one. The game is out today. Will you get it?

$60 at Amazon

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Canadians can now pre-order the Toshiba Fire Edition televisions

No more window shopping.

The Toshiba Fire TV Edition televisions are finally up for pre-order in Canada. They’ve been available for awhile in the United States, and now the tech is finally crossing the border. You can pre-order now from Amazon and Best Buy, and your new TV will ship on October 19th.

If you’re looking for 4K, your options include a 43-inch model for $550, a 50-inch model for $600, and a 55-inch model for $700. There are HD versions, too, which start at $300 for a 32-inch 720p model, $450 for a 43-inch 1080p model, and $550 for a 49-inch 1080p model.

Every version features 3 HDMI inputs and a built-in RF antenna for the preloaded OTA tuner. There are also other various ports like Ethernet, USB, and more. Each model comes with an Alexa voice remote, similar to the ones you’ve seen with Fire TVs. Aside from basic controls like power and volume, you can use your voice and Alexa to browse and play media, and there are shortcuts for Prime Video, Netflix, and more.

See at Amazon Canada

Google Pixel Slate hands-on: Chrome OS built to take on the Surface

The hardware is gorgeous, but Google has something to prove in the software.

Google threw a little shade at “laptops trying to act like tablets” as it announced its latest convertible two-in-one device, the Pixel Slate. Google doesn’t want to call this new device a laptop, or a tablet (though it’s listed in the “tablets” section on the Google Store), but something new altogether — a convergent device that splits the difference, without compromising.

In reality the Pixel Slate falls right in line with other convergent devices like the Surface line: it’s a large tablet-like device that can work on its own, and is filled with enough power to replace a laptop when a full-featured keyboard is attached. And most importantly for Google, this is its first tablet detachable device running Chrome OS, with a refreshed and improved tablet interface.

Looking at the Pixel Slate as a tablet, was surprised by just how big and heavy it is. Remember this is a 12.3-inch device, which is much larger than you typical tablet, and it has laptop-like specs (and a battery to support it). That display is surrounded by decent-sized bezels to promote holding it as a tablet, and also to make room for a pair of front-firing speakers. It’s surprisingly thin, just 7 mm, but that makes it feel extra dense. The 1.6 pound weight is seemingly perfectly distributed throughout the tablet, so it doesn’t feel top- or side-heavy as you hold it, but it still feels heavy regardless. For comparison the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is also roughly 1.6 pounds. I wouldn’t want to hold this up in the air for more than a handful of minutes, unless I was perhaps cradling it in my hand in portrait mode to draw with the Pixel Pen.

This is typically great Google hardware — but it’s pretty big and heavy as far as tablets go.

The rest of the Pixel Slate is rather featureless. The entire back is flat and smooth, and the edges are just rounded metal save for a couple spots used for antennas. There are two USB-C ports, both of which work for charging and data, which is great to see — but you give up the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is just a step too far for many people.

Drop the Pixel Slate into its folio keyboard case, and things get a bit more interesting. Looking at the device as more of a laptop, the 1.6 pound weight doesn’t seem all that daunting. Despite not having a battery, the keyboard itself weighs another 1.1 pounds — for a total package of 2.7 pounds, about normal for a thin-and-light laptop. This keyboard is also a massive step above your typical tablet accessory — this thing turns the Pixel Slate into a proper laptop. The keys have more travel than the Pixelbook, and it only takes a moment to get over the awkwardness of the round keys — I was typing quickly and accurately in no time at all. It’s also backlit, which you don’t often see on these removable keyboards. The trackpad felt just as smooth and responsive as my MacBook Pro, which is high praise.

The keyboard does well with its mix of materials to accentuate the experience. The exterior is a soft suede-like material that’s easy to grip and should hold up pretty well. The base has a grippy silicone-like material, similar to the base of the Google Home Mini, so it won’t slide around in laptop mode. It also makes clever use of magnets, which is something we’ve seen over Google’s hardware history. The case portion of the keyboard folds around back and attaches to the Slate with magnets at a wide range of angles, and flips back over and magnetically connects to the screen — albeit not as securely as the Pixel C did back in the day, unfortunately.

Chrome OS feels a bit more at home on a tablet than before, but it doesn’t feel as good as iOS or Android.

Google really wants Chrome OS to be capable on tablets, and the Pixel Slate is its fresh attempt. There are a few subtle changes that make it feel more at home on an all-touch Slate — like a Pie-styled quick settings panel, cleaner window management, and a new app drawer view that’s displayed by default when there’s no keyboard attached. Chrome OS still feels a little awkward without a keyboard and mouse, to be honest, and the issues with running some Android apps are well-documented at this point. Google needs devices like this out in the wild to make the experience better, though, so it’s hard to chastise it too hard at this point.

In my limited time with the device at Google’s hardware launch event in New York City, I couldn’t discern just how fast (or slow) the Pixel Slate was. We were using freshly power washed devices with dev-release software, and it wasn’t clear which spec variants were deployed in the demo area. The base model with 4GB of RAM and a Celeron processor isn’t going to blow anyone away, but you can spec up this exact device to a Core i7 and 16GB of RAM where it could compete with the best Chromebooks available today.

Then we bring it all home with the pricing: starting at $599 + $199 for the keyboard, this is not a device for everyone. And really, chances are if you expect this to be your main portable computing device, you want to bump up one level to a Core m3 processor and 8GB of RAM, which is $799 (again +$199 for a keyboard). That’s $998 for a two-in-one running Chrome OS. So that raises the question, then: is the Pixel Slate worthy of this high price when it may not be as good at tablet things as an iPad Pro, but also not as powerful for laptop duty as a Surface Pro? That conclusion will come with time. Right now, I’ll say that the hardware is great and the keyboard is smartly made — a device worthy of attention, if not your money right away.

Canada Daily Deals: Mechanical keyboards, Nintendo Switch games, and more

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on Aukey mechanical gaming keyboards, Nintendo switch pre-release games, Weiser keyless door locks, Logitech mice, ILIFE Robo Vacs, and much more!

View the rest of the deals

Each day, the Thrifter Canada team scouts out and shares amazing deals on products you know and love, helping you find the best prices on the ‘net.

For more Canadian deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter CA, sign up for the Canadian newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

Stardew Valley Coming to iOS on October 24, Pre-Orders Available Now

Ultra popular farming simulation RPG Stardew Valley is set to expand to iOS devices starting on October 24, developer ConcernedApe announced today.

For those unfamiliar with Stardew Valley, it’s an incredibly in-depth game where players take on the role of a character who takes over their grandfather’s small, failing farm, working to bring it back to prosperity by planting and tending crops, raising animals, and crafting goods to sell. It’s similar to other games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing.

Players are also tasked with fighting monsters to earn money, mining ores, getting to know all the townspeople, and engaging in various social activities within the town. There are cyclical seasons and different crops and activities to partake in as the game progresses through different years.

The mobile version of Stardew Valley is the full version of the game that “plays almost identically to all the other versions.” It has been rebuilt for touchscreen controls by London-based mobile development studio, The Secret Police.

All single-player content from the 1.3 patch, including the night market, skull cavern changes, and new character events, will be available, but the game will not support multiple players.

Those who have played Stardew Valley on the PC will be able to transfer their save data to the iOS version of the game using iTunes.

Pre-orders for the new iOS version of Stardew Valley are available starting today, with the game priced at $7.99 with no in-app purchases.
Discuss this article in our forums