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Consumer & Gadgets news
Parents underestimate the privacy risks kids face in virtual reality
Virtual reality lets kids play 3D games with their friends as avatars, go back in time, even journey to outer space, all without leaving their living rooms.
Consumer & Gadgets
4 hours ago
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AI-powered noise-filtering headphones give users the power to choose what to hear
Noise-canceling headphones are a godsend for living and working in loud environments. They automatically identify background sounds and cancel them out for much-needed peace and quiet. However, typical noise-canceling fails ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 16, 2024
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From silent dialogues to vivid memories—here's how the science of inner experience could transform gaming
Video games are big business. The value of the global market is pushing the US$200 billion mark (£158 billion): bigger than the music industry and Hollywood combined. But the gaming industry has also been facing challenges. ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 16, 2024
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All wound up: A clearer look at electric guitar pickups
The electric guitar has been a core element of popular music for much of the past century. Pickups are the components that turn vibrations from the strings into electricity for sound and can be seen as the "heart" of the ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 15, 2024
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Cinematic tools can significantly improve user experience in virtual reality environments
Cinematography techniques can significantly increase user engagement with virtual environments and, in particular, the aesthetic appeal of what users see in virtual reality.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 14, 2024
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Managing screen time by making phones slightly more annoying to use
The best way to help smartphone users manage their screen time may be to make phones progressively more annoying to use, according to new University of Michigan research.
Software
May 14, 2024
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Research sheds light on the web of trust, privacy and safety factors shaping users' experiences on Facebook Marketplace
Love it or hate it, Facebook Marketplace is the largest online resale site today with more than one billion monthly users. A new study conducted by UBC researchers sheds light on the intricate web of trust, privacy and safety ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 14, 2024
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The metaverse could change our religious experiences, and create new ones
New technologies have always informed and changed our religious experiences. Listening to early radio broadcasts in the 1880s was experienced by many as religious because radio voices seemed to come from some other dimension. ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 14, 2024
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Coming out to a chatbot? Researchers explore the limitations of mental health chatbots in LGBTQ+ communities
Today, there are dozens of large language model (LLM) chatbots aimed at mental health care—addressing everything from loneliness among seniors to anxiety and depression in teens.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 13, 2024
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Chatbots tell people what they want to hear, researchers find
Chatbots share limited information, reinforce ideologies, and, as a result, can lead to more polarized thinking when it comes to controversial issues, according to new Johns Hopkins University–led research.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 13, 2024
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Female health apps misuse highly sensitive data, study finds
Apps designed for female health monitoring are exposing users to unnecessary privacy and safety risks through their poor data handling practices, according to new research from King's College London and University College ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 13, 2024
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Just believing that an AI is helping boosts your performance, study finds
Sometimes it seems like an AI is helping, but the benefit is actually a placebo effect—people performing better simply because they expect to be doing so—according to new research from Aalto University. The study also ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 13, 2024
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Amazon's new fees on sellers likened to 'kick in the gut'
Amazon.com Inc. merchants have found themselves caught in an economic vice. Earlier this year, the e-commerce giant rolled out changes to the fees its charges them—essentially shifting more of its operating costs onto the ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 10, 2024
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Wearable devices can now harvest neural data—urgent privacy reforms needed
Recent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with or without the ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 10, 2024
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Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad after backlash
Apple apologized on Thursday after an ad for its latest-edition iPad caused an uproar for showing an industrial press crushing objects linked to human creativity, infuriating artists.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 10, 2024
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AI companions can relieve loneliness: Here are four red flags to watch for in your chatbot 'friend'
It's been seven years since the launch of Replika, an artificially intelligent chatbot designed to be a friend to human users. Despite early warnings about the dangers of such AI friends, interest in friendships and even ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 9, 2024
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Microsoft's Xbox is planning more cuts after studio closings
The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn't finished.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 9, 2024
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iPad 'Crush' ad causes uproar amid AI anxiety
An ad for the new iPad Pro caused an uproar Wednesday for showing an industrial-sized hydraulic press crushing objects linked to human creativity—such as a record player and trumpet—into a sleek tablet.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 9, 2024
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'Digital afterlife': Call for safeguards to prevent unwanted 'hauntings' by AI chatbots of dead loved ones
Without design safety standards, artificial intelligence that allows users to hold text and voice conversations with lost loved ones runs the risk of causing psychological harm and even digitally "haunting" those left behind, ...
Consumer & Gadgets
May 8, 2024
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Research casts new light on bike safety in the age of self-driving cars
Equipping self-driving cars with external displays that use colored lights to communicate their next maneuver could help keep cyclists safe on the roads of the future, researchers say.
Consumer & Gadgets
May 8, 2024
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Report finds e-bike incentives are worth the investment
EU says Apple iPad operating system to face stricter rules
How electric vehicle drivers can escape range anxiety
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Scientists develop new geochemical 'fingerprint' to trace contaminants in fertilizer
Furry thieves are running loose in a Maine forest, research shows
Ion irradiation offers promise for 2D material probing
Chemists develop new method for introducing fluorinated components into molecules
Study shows plants restrict use of corrective 'Tipp-Ex proteins'
Major declines reported in South Korean big cat trade
The biggest barrier to a vibrant second-hand electric vehicle market? Price
Quarter of UK 5 to 7-year-olds have smartphone: Study
A new wave of wearable devices will harvest a mountain of personal data
