Consumer & Gadgets news
Consumer & Gadgets
Adobe announces development of SLM that can run locally on a phone with no cloud connection
A small team of AI researchers at Adobe Inc., working with a colleague from Auburn University and another from Georgia Tech, has developed a small language model (SLM) that they claim can be run locally on a smart phone with ...
14 hours ago
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How a solar Minecraft server is changing the way we play video games
Video games have always been a showcase for new technologies. They help create new audiences and new markets. In the 1990s, computer parts manufacturers advertised the speed of their video cards in terms of the frames they ...
Nov 19, 2024
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The metaverse lets audiences watch sports in a new way
Virtual reality and the metaverse are setting the stage for new ways to watch sporting events. A new study from the University of Georgia suggests that users value the unique virtual interactions with others offered by digital ...
Nov 19, 2024
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A mixed picture: Study explores e-participation in Germany's energy transition
Can e-participation build acceptance and strengthen the democratic legitimacy of infrastructure planning? A new study by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change ...
Nov 19, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Engineers transform smartphones into instruments for studying space
That ordinary smartphone in your pocket could be a powerful tool for investigating outer space. In a new study, researchers at Google and CU Boulder have transformed millions of Android phones across the globe into a fleet ...
Nov 17, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
A new generation of AI-enabled tools for accessible, personalized media experiences
Scientists from the University of Surrey are teaching artificial intelligence models to re-light different body types and clothing without the need for 3D modeling. This may have a positive impact on the film, television ...
Nov 14, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Custom-colored modules increase acceptance of photovoltaics on buildings, study finds
The Institute of Psychology at the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE conducted a joint study on the social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The conclusions ...
Nov 14, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Digital avatars to reshape shopping in the metaverse
Within the next decade, Australia's retail sector could see a major overhaul, with companies taking up space in the metaverse to create brand awareness and to provide shoppers with a novel purchasing experience, according ...
Nov 14, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Australia has backed away from plans to introduce local quotas on streaming platforms again
The federal government has quietly shelved plans to introduce local requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+.
Nov 14, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Everyday routines as the key to logging in to smart homes
Smart homes are intended to make life easier, but logging into individual devices is often still an onerous task. Researchers from ETH Zurich have investigated how everyday routines could be used for secure and user-friendly ...
Nov 13, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Asking ChatGPT vs Googling: Can AI chatbots boost human creativity?
Think back to a time when you needed a quick answer, maybe for a recipe or a DIY project. A few years ago, most people's first instinct was to "Google it." Today, however, many people are more likely to reach for ChatGPT, ...
Nov 13, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Haptic hardware offers waterfall of immersive experience, could someday aid blind users
Increasingly sophisticated computer graphics and spatial 3D sound are combining to make the virtual world of games bigger, badder and more beautiful than ever. And beyond sight and sound, haptic technology can create a sense ...
Nov 12, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Growth of extended reality tech means new 'enhanced' regulation needed to protect people's privacy
The growth of extended reality technology means new enhanced measures are needed to protect people's privacy, a new study says.
Nov 12, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Nintendo courts non-gamers in 'about-turn' strategy
Once confined to rectangular screens, chirpy plumber Mario and pointy-eared Princess Zelda are popping up in theme parks and toy stores as Nintendo goes all out to win non-gamer fans.
Nov 12, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Fitness apps can reveal your location—updated laws would help plug this hole in our personal security
Fitness apps have revolutionized the way we approach health and exercise. They provide users with the ability to track their workouts, monitor their progress towards fitness goals and share achievements with a like-minded ...
Nov 11, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Study finds 93% of social media ads for loot box-containing games non-compliant with UK, EU consumer protection law
A study from the IT University of Copenhagen reveals a high rate of non-compliance in social media advertising for gambling-like loot boxes in video games, with only 7% of ads disclosing their presence as required by UK advertising ...
Nov 11, 2024
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Internet
Governments are pushing teen social media bans—but behind the scenes is a messy fight over science
As governments worldwide move to restrict teenagers' access to smartphones and social media, a fierce scientific debate has erupted over whether these digital technologies actually harm young people's mental health.
Nov 9, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Report reveals future of television consumption in the UK
Around 95% of UK households will be able to watch television over the internet by 2040, new research has revealed. The national proliferation of fast broadband and smart TVs, and the allure of subscription-based services ...
Nov 8, 2024
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Internet
When should kids start using social media? Australia's government proposes age limit of 16
The Australian government announced on Thursday what it described as world-leading legislation that would institute an age limit of 16 years for children to start using social media, and hold platforms responsible for ensuring ...
Nov 7, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Nintendo Chief insists the Switch momentum will keep going, even after its successor
Japanese video game maker Nintendo's chief said Wednesday that Switch console sales were still going strong, while he promised its successor is coming.
Nov 6, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Social media and generative AI can have a large climate impact—here's how to reduce yours
On a train or bus, or just standing in a queue, the most common sight these days is the muted glow of a screen, and the flickering thumbs of people lost in the endless scroll on their smartphones.
Nov 5, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Gaming the news: How interactive journalism is changing how we tell stories to the next generation
Journalists have long used newspapers, radio, television, magazines and, more recently, the internet to entertain and inform the public on the stories that matter most. But what if there's a richer, more compelling and interactive ...
Nov 5, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Specialized AI can help online music learners make sense of musical symbols
A step toward improving online music education by developing an AI tool that can recognize musical notation is described in a paper published in the International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing.
Nov 4, 2024
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Consumer & Gadgets
Invisible disabilities in social VR: To disclose or not?
Social virtual reality games and apps such as VRChat, AltspaceVR and Rec Room are immersive 3D experiences that let people with disabilities—both visible and invisible—try activities that might not be available to them ...
Nov 4, 2024
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