Consumer & Gadgets news
Consumer & Gadgets
AI is changing more than your writing—it may be shaping your worldview, say researchers
Use of ChatGPT, Claude and other large language models, or LLMs—what most people call "AI"—has surged since ChatGPT debuted publicly in 2022. Hundreds of millions of people now use these tools weekly, according to recent ...
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Consumer & Gadgets
A new generation is reviving the iPod for distraction-free listening
Remember the iPod? It's making a quiet comeback. Four years after Apple killed off its digital music player, secondhand sales are surging. It's fueled in part by young people interested not just in its retro looks but a desire ...
Apr 9, 2026
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Deep-tech company develops high-precision passive eye-tracking technology for smart contact lenses
XPANCEO, a deep-tech company developing smart contact lenses, has unveiled a passive eye-tracking system that achieves industry-level measurement precision using standard cameras. The system employs microscopic patterns embedded ...
Apr 8, 2026
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Travelers will face limits on how many chargers they can carry as airlines try to reduce fire risks
Travelers will soon face restrictions on how many portable chargers they can carry on a flight as airlines continue to try to reduce the risk of another lithium battery fire aboard their jets.
Apr 8, 2026
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Explainability is a must for older adults to trust AI, study shows
Voice-activated, conversational artificial intelligence (AI) agents must provide clear explanations for their suggestions, or older adults aren't likely to trust them. That's one of the main findings from a study by AI Caring ...
Apr 6, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Sonar on stock smartwatches leads to hand-tracking advancement
Imagine tapping your thumb and index finger together twice to skip to the next song or clicking around your laptop or desktop computer without a mouse, using discreet finger motions. New first-of-its-kind wearable technology ...
Apr 6, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Neuroscience explains why teens are so vulnerable to Big Tech social media platforms
In a landmark decision, a Los Angeles jury has found that social media company Meta and video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with addictive design features that led to mental health distress, including body ...
Apr 5, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI companions can comfort lonely users but may deepen distress over time
AI companions are always available, never judge, never tire and never demand anything in return. If someone is struggling with loneliness, this frictionlessness can seem profoundly appealing. However, new research shows that ...
Apr 4, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Do TV ads work? Ask smart TVs
Despite the hype about streaming services, traditional broadcast television still dominates advertising dollars. This year, advertisers will spend $139 billion on "linear" TV—where viewers watch programs at scheduled times—compared ...
Apr 2, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Q&A: A better design of social media platforms instead of blanket bans for young people
US courts have ruled against platform providers for failing to protect children, and the debate over age restrictions for social media has gained momentum. An international group of experts from academia, children's rights ...
Apr 2, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New app designed to improve conference experience
A new app developed by Yun Huang, associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, aims to make navigating conferences less work and more fun, so that attendees can ...
Apr 2, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Apple's 50-year odyssey has redefined technology, pop culture and comeback stories
A scrawny hippie and a nerdy engineer who became prank-playing friends vowed to change the world when they founded a Silicon Valley startup on April Fools' Day 50 years ago and then—no joke—pulled it off.
Apr 1, 2026
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Internet
Popular kids' apps use deceptive tactics to draw users to paid content, study shows
A QUT study of 20 popular paid and free apps for children aged 5 to 8 years found that most contained deceptive design patterns aimed at attracting children to paid content, increasing their time spent using the app, or encouraging ...
Mar 31, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New technique turns everyday surfaces like walls and desks into touch panels
Augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets let us see the world around us with virtual elements superimposed on top. For example, many modern AR/MR headsets use hand-tracking cameras to detect hand gestures in ...
Mar 30, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Apple at 50: Eight technology leaps that changed our world
In the early 1970s, the idea of an ordinary person owning a computer sounded absurd. Computers back then were more like aircraft carriers or nuclear power plants than household appliances—vast machines housed in data centers ...
Mar 30, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Five Apple anecdotes as iPhone maker marks 50 years
iPhone maker Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 1 having marked pop culture and the tech industry like few other firms since its beginnings in 1976.
Mar 29, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Nvidia's new AI tool is giving female game characters a makeover—and gamers are pushing back
Last week leading chipmaker Nvidia announced DLSS-5 (Deep Learning Super Sampling), a new artificial intelligence (AI) rendering tool it describes as a "breakthrough in visual fidelity for games." The software takes low-resolution ...
Mar 27, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Verdicts against Meta, YouTube could be a turning point, expert says
A landmark California verdict that found the social media company Meta and video-sharing service YouTube liable for the depression and mental health challenges of a young woman could be "the beginning of a tidal wave," a ...
Mar 27, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI overly affirms users asking for personal advice, study finds
In a new study published in Science, Stanford computer scientists showed that artificial intelligence large language models are overly agreeable, or sycophantic, when users solicit advice on interpersonal dilemmas. Even when ...
Mar 26, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Asking AI to act like an expert can make it less reliable
To get the best out of AI, some users tell it to provide answers as if it were an expert. Others ask it to adopt a persona, such as a safety monitor, to guide its responses. However, this approach can sometimes hurt performance, ...
Consumer & Gadgets
When smell meets VR: Scent technology blends up to 8 fragrances for immersive virtual experiences
A multi-channel wearable scent display developed at Institute of Science Tokyo allows a user to experience multiple scents while exploring virtual environments. Based on virtual scenes, the device can blend up to eight fragrances ...
Mar 25, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Fragmented phone use—not total screen time—is the main driver of information overload, study finds
Amid hot discussion on screen time, social media use and the impact of digital devices on our well-being, a seven-month study from Aalto University in Finland sheds new light on what overwhelms users the most—and the results ...
Mar 24, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
LLMs and creativity: AI responses show less variety than human ones
Can using a large language model (LLM) make a person more creative? Prior work has shown that using LLMs can make creative outputs more homogeneous, but this homogenization could stem from the specific LLM used or from widespread ...
Mar 24, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
US regulator blacklists all new foreign-made routers
The US Federal Communications Commission on Monday banned authorizations for all new consumer routers produced in foreign countries, citing "national security" reasons.
Mar 24, 2026
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