Consumer & Gadgets news
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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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 Cory Doctorow's guide is an outdated map, lacking answers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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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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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 ...
Aug 11, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
'You're a 4 out of 10': The troubling rise of AI appearance ratings
A teenager joins an online video chat. Within seconds, artificial intelligence analyzes their face and gives them a score out of 10 for "attractiveness." They are compared in real time with another user who scores higher ...
Aug 10, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
When expressive humanoid robots are awkward, people become wary
People become more suspicious of a humanoid robot that makes errors, especially when the robot is an expressive conversation partner.
Aug 8, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Thinking about trading your car in for an EV? Here's a compelling new reason to do it now
In recent months, American drivers have felt the pain of increased prices at the gas pump. There's some evidence that higher prices may be fueling interest in greener ways of getting around. Battery electric cars, more commonly ...
Aug 6, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI models nearly erase female characters when they write kids stories about animals
Last year, Melanie Walsh, a University of Washington assistant professor in the Information School, wrote an article examining how 300 popular children's books gendered their animal characters. Of the 13 most common animals, ...
Aug 5, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Why AI wants you to buy more, and mindfulness could help you buy less
You search online for a pair of sneakers. Minutes later, similar shoes appear on social media feeds. A shopping site offers a limited-time discount and suggests a matching jacket. This is no longer just an ad shown to millions ...
Aug 5, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
People prefer stories written by AI—especially when told they're written by a human
People gave the highest ratings to AI-generated stories they were told had been written by humans and were unable to tell the difference between human- and AI-created stories, according to new research published in Judgement ...
Aug 4, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Prototype glasses can turn infrared into color vision
The human eye, as good as it is, misses out on so much of the world because it is limited in what it can perceive. It can't see X-rays, ultraviolet rays or infrared light. While X-ray goggles are still the stuff of science ...
Consumer & Gadgets
Adaptive decision support can fight overreliance on AI
From doctors diagnosing symptoms to judges intervening in court cases, humans make complex decisions every day. Increasingly, artificial intelligence tools are being used to help with those decisions.
Aug 3, 2026
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Internet
Current privacy frameworks fall short for governing identity in immersive online worlds
Research published in the International Journal of Web-Based Communities has looked at how digital identity might be governed online, specifically in the so-called metaverse. The study found that current frameworks for digital ...
Aug 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
How rewarding better consumer choices could advance next-gen queueing platforms
Improving how crowdsourced information is shared across mobile platforms by incorporating a user penalty-and-reward system could curb long lines caused by inefficient human queuing behavior, a new study suggests.
Jul 28, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New AI tools let readers talk to books
Imagine a world where you could ask a book a question as you read it.
Jul 27, 2026
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Internet
Older people's media literacy can be boosted in just 60 minutes—new study
Consider these scenarios.
Jul 27, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Wearable patch vibrates when it detects environmental hazards
Researchers have created a wearable patch that can detect hazards in the environment—such as dangerous gases or heavy metals in water—and then notify wearers by vibrating against their skin. The researchers have also extended ...
Jul 24, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
China has cracked down on AI companions: What can we learn from this?
Since November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been rewriting billions of emails, student assignments, reports and breakup text messages. Alongside these mundane uses, we've seen a proliferation of chatbots ...
Jul 23, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI chatbots can be as effective as humans at emotional support—sometimes better
New research led by The University of Manchester in collaboration with Durham University has found that AI chatbots such as ChatGPT can match—and in some situations outperform—humans as a source of everyday emotional support. ...
Jul 22, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Samsung launches new, more expensive foldable smartphones
South Korean technology giant Samsung unveiled new, sleeker smartphone models Wednesday priced higher than previous models as artificial intelligence raises component costs.
Jul 22, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Attitudes toward autonomous service robots at real-life events reveal social behaviors
When a robot offers you candy, it is hard not to be curious. In an experiment conducted by ethologists at ELTE, visitors at public events noticed an autonomous service robot more often than a human server, and the candy on ...
Jul 22, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Open-source XR turns webtoons into 3D comics readers can explore in physical rooms
Webtoons are coming to life in the physical world, ushering in a new era in which comics are not merely viewed but experienced. A KAIST research team has developed the world's first next-generation extended reality (XR) comics ...
Jul 21, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
'Fictional' chatbots help explain popularity of artificial intelligence
The huge popularity of AI chatbots can be explained by their accepted role as fictional characters in people's lives—in the same way as those found in films, TV and books, a new study shows.
Jul 21, 2026
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