Consumer & Gadgets news
Consumer & Gadgets
Describe the vibe, see the look: An AI-based system projects makeup onto the user's face
An artificial intelligence-based projection makeup system from Science Tokyo lets users describe a mood or style in their own words and instantly see matching makeup colors on their faces. The technology learns each person's ...
9 minutes ago
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Consumer & Gadgets
Nearly half of UK adults happy to use ChatGPT as a counselor, study finds
More than 4 in 10 adults in the U.K. are happy to use ChatGPT for their mental health support, new research suggests. The study, led by Bournemouth University, surveyed nearly 31,000 adults in 35 countries about their use ...
1 hour ago
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Apple's 'big week' launches a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers
Apple CEO Tim Cook promised a "big week" of product announcements has seen the introduction of a new budget-friendly iPhone trim, an entry-level MacBook tier, updated iPad Air models, refreshed monitors and higher-end chipsets. ...
20 hours ago
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Privacy and attention promises from alternative phones at MWC
Alternative phones on offer at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) telecoms trade show in Barcelona this week aim to answer demand for devices that protect users' data and attention.
23 hours ago
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Gray screens and loading delays cut gaming time by 30%
You know it's time to put your phone down, but your thumb finds "Play Again" once more. In an age where digital entertainment never sleeps, willpower alone isn't enough. As more players, especially the younger generations, ...
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Video messaging effectiveness depends on quality of streaming experience, research shows
Low-resolution online videos are less likely to influence opinion and also more likely to dissuade viewers from engaging with future content, research by Oregon State University scientists shows. The study carries major implications ...
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Zuckerberg borrows Big Tobacco playbook in landmark social media addiction trial—psychologists aren't buying it
While internal emails reveal Meta executives once described themselves as "pushers," Mark Zuckerberg faces a jury to argue that 16-hour-a-day scrolling habits are a sign of "value," not addiction.
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Second-hand phones surf rising green consumer wave
The secondhand market for smartphones has surged in recent years, borne up by lower prices as well as interest in eco-friendly consumption even as some still fear buying a dud.
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
For solar power to truly provide affordable energy access, we need to deploy it better, say researchers
Small household solar power systems have been gaining traction—and investment—as a means to provide affordable and sustainable energy to those living without access to electricity. But new research led by the University ...
Feb 26, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New system designed to protect drones from cyber threats
Adelaide University researchers have initiated the development of a world-first cybersecurity system designed to protect drones from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The new study led by the Industrial AI Research ...
Feb 26, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
VR game helps police officers manage stress better
Training police officers with a virtual-reality game can significantly improve their ability to regulate stress, even in realistic, high-pressure situations. The VR game, developed at the Donders Institute at Radboud University, ...
Feb 26, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AirDrop is coming to Android phones
The cell phone world is divided into two camps—iPhone users and Android users. Apple curates new features for iOS and Google develops for Android, and they likely don't spend a ton of time worrying about how their phones ...
Feb 25, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
HEART benchmark assesses ability of LLMs and humans to offer emotional support
Large language models (LLMs), artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can process human language and generate texts in response to specific user queries, are now used daily by a growing number of people worldwide. While ...
Consumer & Gadgets
How can you avoid AI sycophancy? Keep it professional, researchers say
Drawing boundaries isn't just important for relationships with humans anymore. It could be the key to people's relationships with their favorite AI chatbots. Researchers recently discovered that the overly agreeable behavior ...
Feb 24, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Ensuring smartphones have not been tampered with
With increasing cyberattacks and government data breaches, one of the most important devices to keep secure is the one in everyone's pocket: smartphones. The problem is that it is difficult to check that a smartphone has ...
Feb 24, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
How eyes affect our perception of a humanoid robot's mind
Eyes are said to be the mirror of the soul. Eyes and gaze direction guide attention, evoke emotions and activate the brain's social perception mechanisms. Researchers at Tampere University and the University of Bremen conducted ...
Feb 21, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI chatbots provide less-accurate information to vulnerable users, study shows
Large language models (LLMs) have been championed as tools that could democratize access to information worldwide, offering knowledge in a user-friendly interface regardless of a person's background or location. However, ...
Feb 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Humanoid home robots are on the market—but do we really want them?
Last year, Norwegian-US tech company 1X announced a strange new product: "the world's first consumer-ready humanoid robot designed to transform life at home."
Feb 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Investigating how people respond to air taxi noise
New kinds of aircraft taking to the skies could mean unfamiliar sounds overhead—and where you're hearing them might matter, according to new NASA research. NASA aeronautics has worked for years to enable new air transportation ...
Feb 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Most AI bots lack basic safety disclosures, study finds
Many people use AI chatbots to plan meals and write emails, AI-enhanced web browsers to book travel and buy tickets, and workplace AI to generate invoices and performance reports. However, a new study of the "AI agent ecosystem" ...
Feb 19, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
People are overconfident about spotting AI faces, study finds
Most people believe they can spot AI-generated faces, but that confidence is out of date, research from UNSW Sydney and the Australian National University (ANU) has demonstrated. With AI-generated faces now almost impossible ...
Feb 18, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Laughter reveals how we use AI at home
Voice assistants such as Alexa are often marketed as smart tools that streamline everyday life. But once the technology moves into people's homes, interest quickly fades. This is shown by new research in which laughter is ...
Feb 18, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Personalization features can make LLMs more agreeable, potentially creating a virtual echo chamber
Many of the latest large language models (LLMs) are designed to remember details from past conversations or store user profiles, enabling these models to personalize responses. But researchers from MIT and Penn State University ...
Feb 18, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI and kindness: Are we morally obligated to be kind to Grok?
Would you ever kick your Roomba? Or leave a scathing review of the robot at a Thai restaurant who delivered your green curry? What about sending a mean message to ChatGPT?
Feb 18, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Research project launches free tool to make AI safer and more trustworthy
A University of Glasgow-led research project is releasing a free tool to help organizations, policymakers, and the public maximize the benefits of AI applications while identifying their potential harms. The tool, developed ...
Feb 18, 2026
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