Consumer & Gadgets news
Consumer & Gadgets
AI tools like ChatGPT make learning easier—and more persuasive, study finds
Googling isn't quite what it used to be. Now, when typing something into Google's search engine, the first response flashing to life on your screen is not the top-ranked search result but an "AI Overview." When asked why ...
Mar 21, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
How Instagram addictiveness lawsuit could reshape social media—platform design meets product liability
A Los Angeles courtroom is hosting what may become the most consequential legal challenge Big Tech has ever faced. This is an inflection point in the global debate over Big Tech liability: For the first time, an American ...
Mar 19, 2026
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SoulMate LLM accelerator evolves according to the specific characteristics of the user
While large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are adept at answering countless questions, they often remain unaware of a user's minor habits or previous conversational contexts. This is why AI, despite being deeply integrated ...
Mar 18, 2026
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AI chatbots' tendency to always agree may reinforce delusions in vulnerable users
The integration of large language model-based AI chatbots into multiple facets of our everyday lives has opened us up to advantages that would have been considered impossible even a decade ago. The same development has, however, ...
With AI finishing your sentences, what will happen to your unique voice on the page?
It's a familiar feeling: You start a text message, and your phone's autocomplete function suggests several choices for the next word, ranging from banal to hilarious. "I love…" you, or coffee? Or you're finishing an email, ...
Mar 17, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New deep learning framework solves the cold-start problem
Recommender systems suggest potentially relevant content by evaluating user preferences and are essential in reducing information overload. However, when users join a new online platform, recommendation systems often struggle ...
Mar 16, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
New music release day could be dangerous for distracted drivers
Researchers seeking to understand the impact of smartphones on driving safety have a warning for music fans: Release day might be dangerous. The study, described in a working paper published last month by the National Bureau ...
Mar 13, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Report calls for AI toy safety standards to protect young children
AI-powered toys that "talk" with young children should be more tightly regulated and carry new safety kitemarks, according to a report that warns they are not always developed with children's psychological safety in mind. ...
Mar 12, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
How Apple's new low-cost MacBook Neo may shake up the market
With a price tag of $600—$500 with a student discount—Apple's new MacBook Neo releasing today is shaking up the entry-level PC market and education sector, competing squarely with similarly priced Windows laptops and ...
Mar 12, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
AI assistants can sway writers' attitudes, even when they're watching for bias, experiments indicate
Artificial intelligence-powered writing tools such as autocomplete suggestions can definitely change the way people express themselves, but can they also change how they think? Cornell Tech researchers think so.
Mar 11, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
It's tempting to offload your thinking to AI. Cognitive science shows why that's a bad idea
With so many artificial intelligence (AI) products being offered now, it's increasingly tempting to offload difficult thinking tasks to chatbots, agents and other tools.
Mar 10, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Behind the feed: New research explores how social media algorithms shape our digital lives
Every time you scroll, like, or share on a social media platform, an algorithm is watching, learning, and deciding what you see next. But how many of us stop to think about what's actually driving those decisions and what's ...
Mar 9, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Smart pillow lets users stream podcasts and music with hugs and presses
A "smart pillow" that enables people to access digital content at bedtime without looking at screens could help cut down on problematic evening smartphone use, its inventors say. Computing scientists at the University of ...
Mar 9, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Apple launches $599 MacBook Neo, threatening Windows PC market
Apple Inc. rolled out the $599 MacBook Neo in its biggest push yet into low-end laptops, aiming to challenge Windows PCs and Chromebooks for budget-minded shoppers.
Mar 8, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Why you need to charge your electric car more often in the cold: Tips from a battery expert
When the temperature drops to -20°C, electric car owners quickly notice it in their wallets. But is it just a matter of driving with the heat on full blast? And what can we do to save the battery as much as possible?
Mar 5, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Describe the vibe, see the look: An AI-based system projects makeup onto the user's face
An artificial intelligence-based projection makeup system from Science Tokyo lets users describe a mood or style in their own words and instantly see matching makeup colors on their faces. The technology learns each person's ...
Mar 5, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Nearly half of UK adults happy to use ChatGPT as a counselor, study finds
More than 4 in 10 adults in the U.K. are happy to use ChatGPT for their mental health support, new research suggests. The study, led by Bournemouth University, surveyed nearly 31,000 adults in 35 countries about their use ...
Mar 5, 2026
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Internet
Are Google's 'preferred sources' a good thing for online news?
Why do you see the results you do when you search for information online? It's a complex mix of what the source is, its relationships to other sources online, and your own past browsing history and device settings.
Mar 5, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Apple's 'big week' launches a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers
Apple CEO Tim Cook promised a "big week" of product announcements has seen the introduction of a new budget-friendly iPhone trim, an entry-level MacBook tier, updated iPad Air models, refreshed monitors and higher-end chipsets. ...
Mar 4, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Privacy and attention promises from alternative phones at MWC
Alternative phones on offer at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) telecoms trade show in Barcelona this week aim to answer demand for devices that protect users' data and attention.
Mar 4, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Gray screens and loading delays cut gaming time by 30%
You know it's time to put your phone down, but your thumb finds "Play Again" once more. In an age where digital entertainment never sleeps, willpower alone isn't enough. As more players, especially the younger generations, ...
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Video messaging effectiveness depends on quality of streaming experience, research shows
Low-resolution online videos are less likely to influence opinion and also more likely to dissuade viewers from engaging with future content, research by Oregon State University scientists shows. The study carries major implications ...
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Zuckerberg borrows Big Tobacco playbook in landmark social media addiction trial—psychologists aren't buying it
While internal emails reveal Meta executives once described themselves as "pushers," Mark Zuckerberg faces a jury to argue that 16-hour-a-day scrolling habits are a sign of "value," not addiction.
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Second-hand phones surf rising green consumer wave
The secondhand market for smartphones has surged in recent years, borne up by lower prices as well as interest in eco-friendly consumption even as some still fear buying a dud.
Mar 3, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
For solar power to truly provide affordable energy access, we need to deploy it better, say researchers
Small household solar power systems have been gaining traction—and investment—as a means to provide affordable and sustainable energy to those living without access to electricity. But new research led by the University ...
Feb 26, 2026
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