Consumer & Gadgets news

Consumer & Gadgets

New AI-powered mosquito trap could help curb dengue outbreaks

As Florida continues to face one of its worst dengue outbreaks in nearly a century, a mosquito trap created by USF startup Digitomy is helping curb the spread of the virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. The smart trap ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Printed electronics turn mattress protectors into fall-risk monitors

Australian medtech company Sleeptite and RMIT University researchers have secured a U.S. patent for smart bedding technology designed to monitor residents' well-being in health care settings and identify fall risk so caregivers ...

Consumer & Gadgets

As Apple's Duo phone is released, here are dos and don'ts for folding phones

Apple's first folding phone arrives in stores on Friday, bringing the advantages of a flexible display to iPhone loyalists. Such devices also have their own care and protection considerations.

Consumer & Gadgets

Beware the AI throuple: Is technology manipulating you or your relationship?

Imagine you're involved with someone who knows exactly what captures your attention. They know what makes you laugh, what makes you angry and which topics you like to talk about. They've been paying attention. They've learned ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Apple unveils HomeView smart display in renewed home push

Apple on Tuesday unveiled HomeView, a voice-driven smart display built around its revamped Siri AI assistant, as the iPhone maker makes a fresh bid for a place in living rooms and kitchens.

Consumer & Gadgets

Five ways to beat dating algorithms at their own game

You open a dating app intending to spend 10 minutes on it. An hour later, you are still swiping. You might have a few new matches, but are you any closer to meeting someone you actually like? Arguably, one of the benefits ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Simple math formula predicts when AI chatbots will go rogue

Most of us now carry in our pockets devices capable of running small AI chatbots. These chatbots have little safety oversight to ensure they don't provide information and answers with the potential to encourage self-harm, ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Can your employer demand proof that you've slept well?

Fatigue can be just as dangerous as drunken driving. That is why both researchers and companies are increasingly investing in technologies that can monitor and improve our sleep. But what happens if sleep is no longer regarded ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Speeding drivers use app to dodge fines

Drivers alerted to police presence by others using a popular global app appear to be learning how to avoid speeding penalties—but not how to stay safe on roads.

Consumer & Gadgets

Should quitting smartphones be this hard?

According to a Pew survey conducted this year, about half of U.S. adults say that they spend too much time on their phone. About a quarter say that they are on their phone "almost constantly" and, of the 45% who have tried ...

Consumer & Gadgets

The electric car myths Australians can't shake

Electric cars are dangerous, bad for the environment and impossible to use in the outback. These are just some of the claims circulating among Australians skeptical of the switch to EVs, new research finds.

Consumer & Gadgets

Is it safe to charge your phone overnight?

It's bedtime. You set your alarm, notice your phone is down to 23% battery, plug it in beside the bed and go to sleep. By morning, it's been connected to the charger for seven to eight hours—much longer than it needed to ...

Software

Video games could make us better people

Addiction, violence, aggression, social withdrawal: Video games have been in the crosshairs for a litany of negative impacts. Researchers at Macquarie University, however, are working on the premise that video games can have ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Misleading AI-generated summaries can distort human memory

AI-generated summaries are becoming increasingly prevalent—from news article previews to workplace meeting transcriptions to high-stakes settings like police body camera footage—despite studies showing that AI can generate ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Meta launches camera-free AI glasses amid privacy pushback

Meta unveiled several new wearables powered by its AI models Wednesday, including an audio-only, camera-free version of its smart glasses, amid global concerns about privacy and the filming of women and girls without their ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Meta leans into AI, smart glasses amid privacy pushback

Meta has spent billions to stay competitive in artificial intelligence, but the tech giant faces growing pushback as CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to announce new products built for the AI era Wednesday.