This week we had our very own Smart Home Week, celebrating the latest and greatest technology in the smart home sector and offering tips on how to use your gadgets more effectively.
We also saw the announcement of a great new Bluetooth speaker, a Surface Pro that finally rivals the iPad Pro, and some event dates between Prime Day and the Pixel 9 launch event.
In case you missed it, here are the seven biggest tech news stories from the past seven days.
7. Smart Home Week 2024 was held
As we look ahead to 2024, we've launched a new Smart Home Week, where we're showcasing all the latest tips and tricks for setting up and making the most of your smart home, including a guide on how to set up and use Alexa sound detection, as well as our thoughts on new products like this Bird Buddy smart bird feeder.
It also asked experts to weigh in on how safe smart home security cameras really are, and called on both Google and Apple to fight back with new hardware before Amazon gains even more of a lead in the race to dominate the smart home market.
6. We reviewed the Surface Pro 11 and called it the best Surface ever.
We're already calling the new Microsoft Surface Pro 11 the best Surface yet, thanks to “great performance, great battery life, improved compatibility, and new AI-powered apps that get even better over time.”
Starting at $999.99 / £1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99, this tablet isn't just any tablet: it's a bona fide Windows 11 OS machine, with a 10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, a 2.8K LCD display, 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, although you can upgrade to a model with a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD from $1,499.99 / £1,549 / AU$2,699.
This is the iPad Pro's first real competition, and as we said in our review, “Apple should definitely be worried.”
5. Prime Day 2024 dates announced
After the 2024 Prime Day dates were accidentally leaked, Amazon has officially confirmed that Amazon Prime Day will take place on July 16-17 in the US and UK.
As part of the sale, Prime members can find literally thousands of deals across a wide range of popular tech brands, including Sony, Samsung, Ninja, GHD, Fitbit, Oral-B, Bose, Shark and more.
If you're not yet a Prime member (and have never subscribed to Prime before), sign up for a free 30-day trial below to take advantage of some early bird discounts that have popped up and prepare for the full sale that will begin in a few weeks.
4. Google and Samsung set date for next phone launch event
Both Google and Samsung have announced the dates for their next tech events, with Galaxy Unpacked scheduled for July 10, 2024, with the event starting at 9am ET / 6am PST / 2pm BST.
We can expect new foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6, a successor to the Galaxy Watch 6 (and possibly a Galaxy Watch Ultra), and the highly anticipated Galaxy Ring.
Google's announcement is even more surprising, as it has scheduled its Pixel smartphone launch event for Tuesday, August 13th, instead of in October. We know that this will also be a Pixel smartphone event (and not an event for other hardware) as the promotional clip shows off the Pixel 9 Pro and is titled “AI… meet IX,” with IX standing for the Roman numeral nine.
3. Ultimate Ears and Beats unveil flashy new speakers
Warmer weather (at least in the UK where I live) is fast approaching, which means outdoor party season is upon us. There's nothing better than enjoying a barbecue while soaking up the sun outdoors – on the beach, by the pool, in the garden or in the park. And if you want to entertain everyone with some music, there are two new contenders.
The new Beats Pill has been launched, and while it looks similar to the previous generation model, the manufacturer is promising big things: it's noticeably louder, boasts IP67 dust and water resistance, has Bluetooth 5.3, supports USB-C for both audio pass-through and charging, and costs just $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$249.95.
And then there's the new Everboom from Ultimate Ears. This 360 speaker delivers solid sonic performance, getting plenty loud and with very little distortion, even at volumes up to 89 decibels. It sounds great at more moderate volumes (which is what you'll be listening to anyway). Plus, it's IP67 dust- and water-resistant and floats, making it perfect for gatherings that might get submerged.
2. A leak revealed some great characters for the Superman movie.
Is that a bird? Is that a plane? No! A big update on James Gunn's new movie Superman The DC movie is currently being shot in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. And as many expected, with filming well underway on the DCU Chapter 1 movie, some major leaks have surfaced.
And by big, I mean really big. Superman Leaks for the film have revealed new looks at the Man of Steel's costume, but also offered our first look at one of his fellow heroes, Mister Terrific, after the same character was seen running into Clark Ken's most loyal friend just days after the incident. Superman A video of the film has also been leaked. Several Let's save the surprise for when the Kryptonian returns to the big screen.
1. UploadVR Summer Showcase 2024 brought you the best of VR gaming
Meta may not have held its summer Quest Gaming Showcase this year, but its 2024 UplaodVR Summer Showcase showcased the games and apps coming to the best VR headsets in the coming months.
There was a lot to see at the hour-long event, but the highlights were the punk-themed VR escape game “Lovesick,” the mixed reality drawing teacher and assistant tool “Pencil!,” and Cold VR – Reverse Superhot, where time speeds up when you slow down.
