Consumer & Gadgets news
Consumer & Gadgets
App's AI 'eyes' for blind users fall short, researchers find
A blind man points his phone at a pan and asks, "Are the sausages brown yet?" The app he's using responds out loud that some spots are still slightly pink. So a bit later, he takes another photo and asks again, and then again, ...
11 hours ago
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Consumer & Gadgets
Researchers thread the world's first touchscreen into a garment
Researchers at the National University of Singapore's College of Design and Engineering (CDE) have developed a fiber that functions as pixels and senses touch at the same time, integrating 54 of them into a sleeve to create ...
16 hours ago
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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.
23 hours ago
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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 ...
Oct 21, 2026
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AI chatbots often give unsafe or incomplete advice to survivors of tech-enabled abuse, study finds
People experiencing technology-facilitated abuse, such as spyware on a phone, an ex tracking their location or an abuser controlling their accounts, may encounter or turn to AI chatbots for help. But a new study led by researchers ...
Oct 21, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Why Meta's new virtual reality glasses could finally take this technology prime time
Two years after releasing its last virtual reality product, Meta has announced plans to release virtual reality (VR) glasses. They are due to reach the market in spring 2027.
Oct 21, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI creates art in seconds, but creative growth still matters, paper argues
As artificial intelligence becomes capable of producing sophisticated art in seconds, a new paper challenges us to rethink what makes human creativity valuable. The paper argues that while AI can bypass years of artistic ...
Oct 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New AI shopping agents promise better bargains. But who pays the price?
Meta's recently launched AI agent Muse promises to be many things: it can fire off emails, book vacations and fill out cumbersome online forms.
Oct 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Posture-supportive environments enhance how you think and play in esports
Leaning forward was observed to encourage players to take more shots and make more passes in a soccer video game. Meanwhile, reclining helped them maintain accuracy in a cognitive task after three hours of gaming. These contrasting ...
Oct 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
The driveway divide: Why parking for electric vehicles is such a big barrier
Most people who have an electric car have access to a driveway or private parking. In England, 90% of EV owners can park easily and charge theirs from home. But roughly 40% of U.K. households don't have off-street parking, ...
Oct 20, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Tech-savvy customers may take more online banking risks despite positive security attitudes
A study of electronic banking users has found that cybersecurity depends not only on knowledge of digital threats but also on attitudes, memory and the user's relationship with technology. Details are published in the International ...
Oct 19, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Switching languages can change a chatbot's personality test results
Ask an AI chatbot to complete a personality questionnaire in English, then give it the Mandarin version, and its answers paint a different picture. In tests of five systems, switching languages changed how strongly the responses ...
Consumer & Gadgets
Experiment reveals how hidden agendas in AI advice can distort human decisions
A research team has discovered that AI assistants can easily manipulate users into making disadvantageous decisions when the AI operates with a hidden agenda.
Oct 15, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Clone2Pwn: Android data migration flaws allowed attackers within Wi-Fi range to steal sensitive data
The standard data migration tools offered by major Android manufacturers such as Samsung, Google and Xiaomi pose security risks, as researchers from the Institute of Information Security at Graz University of Technology (TU ...
Oct 15, 2026
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Internet
What might turning off the algorithm look like? Chinese social media provides some hints
The Albanese government has introduced its digital duty of care legislation to parliament today. The bill includes an "off switch" to allow social media users to opt out of recommender algorithms.
Oct 15, 2026
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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.
Oct 13, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Here's how to find the learning strategy that makes AI work for you
Generative AI can explain a difficult concept, solve a problem, correct a sentence or produce an answer in seconds. That creates enormous opportunities for learning.
Oct 13, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
'Fast Tech' fuels growing e-waste concern as millions of small, low-cost electronics flood world markets
With annual Black Friday and holiday shopping sprees approaching, International E-Waste Day 2026 shines a spotlight on the booming trade in "Fast Tech"—USB adapters, mini fans, LED lights, electronic toys and other small, ...
Oct 13, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
EU watchdog says smart glasses must give 'clear warnings' when recording
The European Union's central data regulator on Tuesday said smart glasses should give "clear warnings" when they are recording, after a public outcry in recent months over secretly filmed footage of girls and women.
Oct 13, 2026
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Internet
Frequent short-video use tracks greater wealth gap dissatisfaction among people in China
Frequent use of short-video apps is associated with lower satisfaction with one's quality of life, particularly regarding perceptions of the wealth gap, according to research published in the International Journal of Mobile ...
Oct 13, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
How wearing smart textiles could transform health and safety for people with additional needs
A bra, a vest, a sock, a pillow and a pair of gloves might seem unlikely places to find technology tackling serious health, safety and communication problems. But at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), researchers are exploring ...
Oct 12, 2026
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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 ...
Oct 12, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Ready Player 1: Paris to host 2027 edition of EVO fighting video game event
Paris will host the 2027 edition of EVO, the biggest fighting video game event in the world, the organizers announced Sunday as this year's event drew to a close in Nice.
Oct 11, 2026
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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, ...
Oct 8, 2026
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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 ...
Oct 8, 2026
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