Consumer & Gadgets news
Consumer & Gadgets
One Tech Tip: New iPhones arrive, but you can keep your old phone longer by caring for it
Apple's latest iPhones, unveiled this week, come with new features, better cameras and hefty price tags—including a folding model with a starting price of $1,999. If you're planning to splurge on a new iPhone 18, you will ...
Sep 10, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
A stolen-phone safeguard could disrupt home alarms and block new flagship phones
When a phone is lost or stolen, reporting it to a cellular carrier is supposed to prevent unauthorized use. Michigan State University researchers have found that weaknesses in the reporting system itself could potentially ...
Sep 9, 2026
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New Apple CEO unveils latest iPhone lineup, including a foldable model called Duo
Apple on Wednesday unveiled its latest generation of iPhones, including a widely anticipated foldable version called Duo.
Sep 9, 2026
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New Apple CEO to unveil latest iPhone lineup
Apple is unveiling its latest generation of iPhones, widely expected to include a foldable version, on Wednesday at an event headlined by new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1.
Sep 9, 2026
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Americans use artificial intelligence, but still prefer that humans make consequential decisions
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday life in the U.S., but Americans are far less comfortable when it shifts from something they use to something that makes decisions about them, according to a new survey ...
Sep 9, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
More grip on smart devices? Why legislation falls short
From smart vacuum cleaners and doorbell cameras to complex medical equipment in hospitals, many devices around us are connected to the internet. But are we adequately protected against the risks this poses? Legal scholar ...
Sep 8, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
15-minute training helps people spot AI-generated faces
Researchers at the University of Southampton have come up with a way to help people spot AI-generated faces. They've developed a short training program that improves people's ability to distinguish between real, human faces ...
Sep 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Your smartwatch may not be as smart as you think
Smartwatches can provide useful health information, but many of those numbers are algorithmic estimates rather than direct measurements of the body, and some outputs are more accurate than others, a new University of Michigan ...
Sep 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Personality pairing improves human-AI collaboration
While artificial intelligence (AI) is receiving increased attention for its potential to improve productivity and performance, results can vary widely across different tasks, industries and individuals. Developers can now ...
Sep 2, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Curiosity, frustration and antipathy: How kids play with AI toys
Claims of "smart" toys go back decades. See Chatty Cathy and Furby. But generative artificial intelligence is increasing the capabilities of interactive toys. The company Curio, for instance, markets itself as a "magical ...
Sep 2, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Why do we trust chatbots and how can we use them more wisely? A psychologist explains
Sometime this week, you probably did it: A question came up, and instead of searching for the answer online or reaching for a book, you asked a chatbot for it.
Sep 2, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Ultrasound-based speaker delivers targeted music without disturbing nearby listeners
The kind of technology that can deliver sound to a single listener—like something out of a spy film—may soon become a reality. Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have developed a speaker ...
Aug 31, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Animal-like and anime faces boost social robots' emotional appeal, tests suggest
Giving robot companions animal-like or anime-style faces and voices could maximize their emotional appeal to users, according to new research that could help guide the growing field of social robotics.
Aug 31, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
A humanoid robot's social expressiveness may backfire when it makes mistakes
For robots to be successfully deployed in real-world environments, humans should trust them enough to cooperate with them. Some roboticists have been trying to determine whether users perceive robots that exhibit socially ...
Consumer & Gadgets
Brain-reading earbuds are already here, prompting urgent questions about children and neurodata
While it may sound like science fiction, earbuds that read brain activity are already on sale. Wearable technology company Neurable claims that its headphones, equipped with electroencephalography (EEG) sensors, can track ...
Aug 28, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Smartphone navigation app guides blind and low-vision users around obstacles
For people who are blind or have low vision, moving around independently is a daily challenge. Harvard researchers have developed a new tool that could help people navigate more quickly and safely with nothing more than a ...
Aug 24, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Spy-device detector users miss nearly 60% of hidden gadgets
Consumer detectors sold to help people find hidden surveillance devices are often too difficult for typical users to interpret, potentially giving a false sense of security to those most at risk such as domestic abuse survivors, ...
Aug 24, 2026
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Internet
The emerging threat of violent, exploitative digital 'com networks': what do we need to know?
For many parents, keeping their children safe online is a top priority. But now there's an emerging threat: "com networks." Com networks (short for community networks) are online groups that mostly target vulnerable young ...
Aug 19, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
When zombie credit cards attack—a loophole that can reanimate expired cards
A new security loophole discovered by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst can bring some expired credit cards back to life. If stolen, these "zombie credit cards" could leave cardholders vulnerable to ...
Aug 17, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Opinion: What does life after AI look like? Cory Doctorow's guide is an outdated map, lacking answers
A "centaur" is a human helped by a machine: The person sets the direction, the machine supplies the horsepower, and together they are better than either one alone.
Aug 15, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Light-emitting textile sensors could optimize prosthetic fit and comfort
Prosthetics are a fact of life today. It's estimated that more than 50 million people globally—some 2 million of them in the United States—have lost a limb, and most could benefit or already do benefit from artificial limbs ...
Aug 14, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Google unveils latest Pixel phones with slimmer cameras and more AI features
Google on Wednesday unveiled its latest lineup of Pixel phones, with slimmer cameras that include more a powerful zoom and artificial intelligence features designed to help users accomplish things with fewer taps and swipes.
Aug 12, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Should people marry AI agents?
The widespread use of conversational platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini is raising important new ethical, anthropological and legal questions regarding the potential risks, misuses and shortcomings of artificial intelligence ...
