First

Matter 1.5 - Matter 1.5 is a huge update. The headline feature is camera support. It also includes updates for contact sensors used in a variety of situations and energy-management improvements. This is an exciting milestone, but there’s nothing new to really use yet. Smart home platforms like Apple Home and device manufacturers will have to add support for it. I’m guessing Matter 1.5 support will be a big topic at CES in January, with support coming in mid-2026 at the earliest.

Second

Apple’s 26.2 releases - Apple’s latest betas for their 26.2 releases are full of lots of great quality-of-life improvements. Stephen Robles has a great video demoing the new features. I’m excited for the release to ship to everyone, hopefully sometime before the end of the year.

Third

Zigbee 4.0 - Matter wasn’t the only big update this week. The Zigbee wireless standard has also released a new version. This has a new hub-less mode, helpful for setup and new users, and a new, lower-frequency variant called Suzi. This 800MHz/900MHz spectrum should be better at penetrating walls and has fewer competing electronic signals than Zigbee’s existing 2.4GHz frequencies.

The Schedule

Last week, I launched my new website with my new Deals page in time for Black Friday week. I’ve been iterating behind the scenes on a way to share deals with you during and between sales like Black Friday and Prime Day. This page will include ongoing posts of deals throughout Black Friday week.

I also posted a video about the Dreame X50 Ultra, which is also available with a big discount for the rest of November.

This week, I have a huge Black Friday deals roundup video coming to the channel. Even if you've seen 24 different Black Friday deal roundups already, mine is one you won’t want to miss, as there’s a lot of good deals in there and at least one you probably haven’t heard about yet.

I might also slip in a video about Matter 1.5. I have a lot of thoughts.

Have a great rest of your Sunday,
Eric