ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories from Google Pixel event details to a pair of new best Bluetooth speaker contenders

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This week, we hosted our very own Smart Home Week to celebrate the latest and greatest tech in the smart home sector and give you tips on how to use your gadgets more effectively.

We also saw the arrival of some brilliant new Bluetooth speakers, aSurface Prothat finally gives the iPad Pro a run for its money and several event date announcements from Prime Day to the Pixel 9 launch event.

So, in case you missed it, here are the seven biggest tech news stories from the past seven days.

7. We hosted Smart Home Week 2024

We launched our newSmart Home Week for 2024, where we’ve given you all the hottest tips and tricks for setting up and making the most of your smart home. This includes guides onhow to set up and use Alexa sound detectionand our thoughts on new products likethis Bird Buddy smart bird feeder.

We’ve also asked experts for insights intohow safe smart home security cameras really areand challenged bothGoogle and Apple to step up to the plate with new hardwarebeforeAmazonpulls even further ahead in the race to dominate the smart home market.

6. We reviewed the Surface Pro 11 – and called it the best Surface ever

Thanks to its “snappy performance, excellent battery life, improved compatibility, and new AI-powered apps that will only get better with time,” we’ve already dubbed the newMicrosoft SurfacePro 11 the best surface ever.

Starting at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99 this tablet isn’t a mere tablet; it’s a bonafideWindows 11OS-powered machine with a 10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, 2.8KLCD display, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD – though you can upgrade to a model with a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD starting at $1,499.99 / £1,549 / AU$2,699.

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This is the first proper competition the iPad Pro has ever had, and as we say in our review, “Appleshould absolutely be worried.”

5. Prime Day 2024 dates were revealed

Afteraccidentally leaking the datesforPrime Day 2024, Amazon 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 expect to see literally thousands of deals across a wide range of popular tech brands, includingSony,Samsung, Ninja, GHD,Fitbit, Oral-B, Bose, andShark,to name just a few.

If you’re not a Prime member already (and haven’t subscribed to Prime previously), you can sign up for a 30-day free trial below to take advantage of a handful of early deals that have appeared and be ready for the full sale when it goes live in a few weeks.

Amazon Prime: 30-day free trialIf you’ve never signed up before you can get a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime to get access to this year’s Prime Day deals. You get the same benefits as paid members, including free delivery, and access to other services such as Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Gaming and more. You can cancel at any time during the trial to avoid paying the regular fee, which is $14.99 / £8.99 per month.

4. Google and Samsung set dates for their next phone launch events

BothGoogleandSamsungannounced the dates of their next tech events, with Galaxy Unpacked landing sooner on  July 10, 2024, with an event starting at 9 am ET / 6 am PT/ 2 pm BST.

We expect to see the arrival of its new foldable phones, theGalaxy Z Fold 6andGalaxy Z Flip 6, a successor to theGalaxy Watch 6of some kind (maybe even aGalaxy Watch Ultra), and the highly anticipatedGalaxy Ring.

Google’s announcement is more surprising, as instead of October its Pixel phone launch event is scheduled forTuesday, August 13. We know it’s a Pixel phone event as well (rather than for some other hardware) as a promo clip shows us a look at thePixel 9 Pro, and is titled “AI… meet IX” – IX being nine in Roman numerals.

3. Ultimate Ears and Beats gave us bombastic new speakers

As we head into the warmer Summer months (at least here in the UK, where this writer is based), that means one thing: outdoor parties. Be it on the beach, by the pool, in the garden, or at a park, there’s nothing better than being outdoors soaking in the rays and enjoying a BBQ. And if you want to keep everyone entertained with music, there are two newBluetooth speaker contenders on the scene.

Thenew Beats Pilllanded, and while it looks similar to the last-gen model, its makers promise big things. It’s apparently louder, boasts IP67 dust and water resistance, has Bluetooth 5.3, supports USB-C for both audio passthrough and charging, and it costs just $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$249.95.

Then there’sUltimate Ears' new Everboom. This 360-speaker can get truly loud and still delivers a solid sonic performance with only some distortion at its max 89-decibel volume. At a more moderate loudness (which is where you’ll be listening anyway), it sounds fantastic. Plus, it boasts IP67 dust and water resistance, and it floats, making it perfect for any gathering where it might take a dip.

2. Leaks showed us a Terrific Superman movie character

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s a couple of new huge updates onJames Gunn’sSupermanmovie. The forthcomingDCfilm is currently being shot on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio – and, as many of us expected, some big leaks have emerged as filming on theDCU Chapter Oneflick continues apace.

And when we say big, we mean big. Not only did anewSupermanmovie leak reveal a new look at the Man of Steel’s costume, but it gave us our very first look at one of his fellow heroes in Mr. Terrific. A few days later, the same characterwas seen encountering Clark Ken’s most loyal friend in aSupermanmovie video leak, too. Let’s hopesomesurprises are saved for the Kryptonian’s return to the big screen.

1. The UploadVR Summer Showcase 2024 served VR gaming goodness

Meta might not have held its summer Quest Gaming Showcase this year, but the 2024UplaodVR Summer Showcaseintroduced us to games and apps headed to thebest VR headsetsin the coming months.

The hour-long event had a lot to show off, but some highlights for us included Lovesick – a punk-themed VR escape room, Pencil! – a mixed-reality drawing teacher and assistive tool; andCold VR– a reverse Superhot where time speeds up when you slow down.

Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.

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