https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/consumer-gadgets-news/ en-us Tthe latest news on consumer electronics, electronic gadgets and electronics. I recently typed a simple question into Google Search: How much screen time is too much for teenagers? Instead of presenting links, as Google had been doing for many years, it gave me an AI-generated answer. The artificial intelligence agent cited a number, then complicated that reply, noting that the quality and balance of that time could matter more than the number of hours and that "too much" time could depend on a teenager's sleep, exercise, school demands and mood. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-3.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:20:05 EDT news708955685 Research originating at Georgia State University's Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) into empathic digital humans and human-centered artificial intelligence continues to evolve, with a new publication, international research activity and professional recognition for Professor of Practice Jeasy Sehgal. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-empathic-digital-humans-creative.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:20:10 EDT news708948313 Robots no longer exist only in popular culture or science fiction. While we might be familiar with the likes of WALL-E, Baymax, the Terminator and Ultron from the big screen, versions of them are increasingly entering everyday life. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-robot-creepiness-highly-personal-subjective.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:40:06 EDT news708847981 As artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots become more popular and more humanlike in the way they communicate, users are increasingly turning to them as trusted sources of information on topics ranging from personal finance to health. That may be problematic, according to Penn State researchers, who found in a recent study that the more conversational an AI chatbot is, the more likely users are to trust it—even when it shares misinformation. The team said verification options may help rebuild needed skepticism. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-chatty-chatbots-users-verification-tools.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:00:02 EDT news708698542 AI-generated texts are increasingly perceived as human, but people can still recognize human writing as such. However, this distinction becomes much more difficult once AI is explicitly instructed to come across as human. This is shown by research involving, among others, Tilburg University, published in the journal Nature Communications. Several experiments involving more than 3,000 participants examined how human and empathetic people perceive relationship advice generated by AI and humans. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-empathetic-human.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:20:07 EDT news708689221 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 want to take care of it to make it last as long as possible. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-iphones-longer.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:47:48 EDT news708230846 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 be exploited to block legitimate devices from cellular networks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-stolen-safeguard-disrupt-home-alarms.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:20:07 EDT news708192001 Apple on Wednesday unveiled its latest generation of iPhones, including a widely anticipated foldable version called Duo. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-apple-ceo-unveils-latest-iphone.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:35:15 EDT news708186886 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 led by Rutgers researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-americans-artificial-intelligence-humans-consequential.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:00:13 EDT news708173101 Apple is expected to unveil a slew of new and updated devices, including a long-rumored foldable iPhone, when it holds its annual late-summer hardware event Wednesday in Cupertino, California. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-apple-ceo-foldable-iphone.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:20:01 EDT news708154889 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-apple-ceo-unveil-latest-iphone.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:39:01 EDT news708147522 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 Mattis van 't Schip is calling for improved European legislation regulating digital devices as ecosystems. His Ph.D. defense will take place Sept. 16 at Radboud University. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-smart-devices-legislation-falls-short.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:20:07 EDT news708098642 It has been two decades since Facebook introduced the News Feed—letting loose a world in which algorithms would shape ever more of our lives. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-facebook-news-age-algorithm-years.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:00:04 EDT news708097501 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 and those generated by AI software. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-minute-people-ai-generated.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:10:01 EDT news707665247 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 study found. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-smartwatch-smart.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:30:01 EDT news707663634 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 workshop where toys come to life." Its plush toys, like Gabbo and one modeled on the Italian brainrot character Ballerina Cappuccina, have onboard AI models that let them talk to kids, remember their conversations and personalize responses. But we know little about how such toys affect kids and even how kids play with them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-curiosity-frustration-antipathy-kids-play.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:20:12 EDT news707573845 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 shape AI personalities to customize AI agents for individual users, but most previous research into the benefits of AI has used experiments providing all participants with identical AI tools. A key question remained: Could variations in performance be related to tailoring AI agents for their human collaborators? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-personality-pairing-human-ai-collaboration.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:20:03 EDT news707568541 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-chatbots-wisely-psychologist.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:50:47 EDT news707554130 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 system that can direct speech to a specific person. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ultrasound-based-speaker-music-disturbing.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:08 EDT news707395202 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-animal-anime-boost-social-robots.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:20:05 EDT news707390161 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 your fatigue and reduce burnout. At night, NextSense's Smartbuds pick up the electrical signals of your brain to chart your sleep. By day, the same EEG sensors help schedule demanding tasks for the hours when you are sharpest. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-brain-earbuds-prompting-urgent-children.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news707126125 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 expressive behaviors, such as gestures, eye contact and nodding, as more trustworthy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-humanoid-robot-social-backfire.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:03 EDT news707109064 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, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-spy-device-detector-users-hidden.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:20:05 EDT news706804201 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 device they likely already have—a smartphone. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-smartphone-app-vision-users-obstacles.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:03 EDT news706535108 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 people in the online spaces they use every day, including gaming platforms and social media. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-emerging-threat-violent-exploitative-digital.html Internet Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:40:03 EDT news706346701 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 fraudulent charges, according to the new study, presented at the conference USENIX Security 2026. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-zombie-credit-cards-loophole-reanimate.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:20:06 EDT news706205101 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-opinion-life-ai-cory-doctorow.html Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 15 Aug 2026 05:40:01 EDT news705682535 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 to restore mobility and lifestyle. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-emitting-textile-sensors-optimize-prosthetic.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705929552 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-google-unveils-latest-pixel-slimmer.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:32:58 EDT news705763918 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 (AI). In discussing their personal experiences, some people have shared that they formed emotional attachments to AI agents or even felt that they had formed romantic relationships with them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-people-ai-agents.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:02 EDT news705585110