https://techxplore.com/consumer-gadgets-news/ en-us Tthe latest news on consumer electronics, electronic gadgets and electronics. The rapidly evolving nature of digital media presents a challenge for those who study digital addiction—social networks like TikTok and video games like Fortnite might be popular now, but they could be irrelevant in a matter of years. A new tool developed by researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York will make it easier for clinicians and researchers to measure digital media addiction as new technologies emerge. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-addicted-tool-overuse-digital-media.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:25:03 EST news621015901 To heat your home without damaging the climate, you will need to replace your gas boiler. UK government advisers recommend switching to appliances that run on electricity. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-hybrid-bills-carbon-footprint.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:17:03 EST news621001021 Elon Musk's recent endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X (formerly Twitter) is the latest in a series of controversial statements the owner of the social media platform has made since he acquired it in 2022. Major brands, including Disney, Apple, and Microsoft, have decided to pause or suspend their advertising spending on X in recent weeks. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-apple-disney-big-brands-adswhy.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:46:04 EST news620999161 The highly anticipated trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI arrived a little early after a copy was leaked online. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-grand-theft-auto-vi-leak.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:13:18 EST news620997196 Fans around the world exploded with excitement Monday when Rockstar Games released the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI—the most hotly anticipated game of the decade. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-grand-theft-auto-vi-trailer-1.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 04:40:39 EST news620973636 Gamers got their first glimpse on Tuesday of a trailer for the sixth edition of "Grand Theft Auto", a testosterone-fueled franchise that has been lighting up screens since 1997. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-grand-theft-auto.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 04:39:45 EST news620973583 In a video game industry known for cranking out sequels, Rockstar Games has cashed in big by making "Grand Theft Auto" fans painfully wait for their next fix of the shoot 'em up blockbuster. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-grand-theft-auto-built-haul.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 05 Dec 2023 04:38:54 EST news620973531 People interacting with social robots disclosed more about themselves over time and reported feeling less lonely, according to a new study. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-social-robots-effective-tool-combat.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:41:18 EST news620923275 A suite of recent cybersecurity data breaches highlight an urgent need to overhaul how companies and government agencies handle our data. But these incidents pose particular risks to victim-survivors of domestic violence. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-domestic-violence-victim-survivors-privacy-breach.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 04 Dec 2023 12:32:05 EST news620915523 So you program your thermostat to save heating costs, recycle glass and plastic, ride a bicycle to work instead of driving a car, reuse sustainable grocery bags, buy solar panels, and shower with your mate—all to do your part to conserve energy, curb waste and lower your carbon footprint. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-ai-image-generation-carbon-footprint.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 04 Dec 2023 12:10:01 EST news620913925 The number of incidents involving damaged electronic devices on board aircraft has increased in recent years. Most of these are caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are found in laptops and other portable electronic devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-laptops-similar-devices-safely-aircraft.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:14:04 EST news620648041 True believers in cryptocurrency have had a rough few weeks. The US government just fined Binance—the world's largest crypto exchange—US$4.3 billion (£3.4 billion) for its involvement in money laundering. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-ftx-binance-latest-crypto-scandals.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 01 Dec 2023 09:57:03 EST news620647021 Smartphones have altered human behavior in complex ways but context can also alter smartphone use. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-smartphone-differ-urban-rural-areas.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 30 Nov 2023 12:26:02 EST news620569561 In a time when the Internet has become the main source of information for many people, the credibility of online content and its sources has reached a critical tipping point. This concern is intensified by the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT and Google Bard. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-ai-human-generated-online-content-similarly.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 29 Nov 2023 16:32:03 EST news620497922 A new study has found that algorithms used by online dating platforms have popularity bias—meaning that they recommend more popular, attractive users over less popular, less attractive users. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington published their findings in the journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-popularity-compatibility-uncovers-bias-algorithms.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:54:50 EST news620495688 "Do older Apple devices have the software that allows them to regulate the amount of power provided by today's more powerful chargers? Can those higher-powered chargers harm older devices?" https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-charger.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 29 Nov 2023 06:57:09 EST news620463427 Finding out why men and women perform differently in some tasks is a matter of controversy with no scientific consensus. One of the areas under study is that of visuospatial abilities, where a number of studies have shown that men are better at certain tasks, such as mental rotation or egocentric spatial cognition, which involves locating elements in space by reference to one's own body rather than other objects. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-virtual-reality-gender-gap-spatial.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:43:04 EST news620397781 Smartphones are a staple of modern life and are changing how we see the world and show it to others. Almost 90% of Aussies own one, and we spend an average of 5.6 hours using them each day. Smartphones are also responsible for more than 90% of all the photographs made this year. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-casual-distant-aesthetically-limited-ways.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 27 Nov 2023 13:20:01 EST news620313038 In the real world/digital world cross-over of mixed reality, a user's immersive engagement with the program is called presence. Now, UMass Amherst researchers are the first to identify reaction time as a potential presence measurement tool. Their findings, published in IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, have implications for calibrating mixed reality to the user in real time. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-immersive-engagement-reality-reaction.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 27 Nov 2023 13:02:52 EST news620312567 "Get Ready with Me"—to go on a date, go to work or ... get fired? "Get Ready with Me" videos are everywhere these days, and they're as straightforward as the name suggests. Social media users, often influencers, invite viewers to watch them get ready to do something or go somewhere. And embedded in the storyline are the skin care, the makeup, the hairdo and all the glam that goes into looking hot—and, of course, the personal stories about life or love that arrest your attention. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-ready-video-genre-focuses-everyday.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 27 Nov 2023 03:30:01 EST news620275926 Receiving a bogus designer handbag or imitation Wagyu beef might infuriate a Cyber Monday consumer, but a knock-off respirator or a fake pacemaker could imperil them. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-cyber-monday-legit-app.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:14:48 EST news620054085 We are told that artificial intelligence and the automated decisions it enables will offer us improved public governance. Artificial intelligence will flexibly provide consistent and quick decisions, and considerable savings can be achieved thanks to automation. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-renegotiating-relationship-citizens-automated-decision-making.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 24 Nov 2023 12:08:34 EST news620050109 One voice does not fit all when it comes to virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, according to a team led by Penn State researchers that examined how customization and perceived similarity between user and voice assistant (VA) personalities affect user experience. They found a strong preference for extroverted VAs—those that speak louder, faster and in a lower pitch. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-alexa-siri-youll.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 22 Nov 2023 12:33:02 EST news619878776 The turmoil at ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, sparked by the board of directors firing high-profile CEO Sam Altman on Nov. 17, 2023, has put a spotlight on artificial intelligence safety and concerns about the rapid development of artificial general intelligence, or AGI. AGI is loosely defined as human-level intelligence across a range of tasks. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-dystopian-scenariosai-pervasive-today-hidden.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 22 Nov 2023 11:28:04 EST news619874881 Digital payment platforms such as Venmo work great for sharing a dinner bill with friends, buying gifts at a pop-up shop, or making payments without cash or credit cards. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-digital-payment-platforms-easily-misused.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 21 Nov 2023 14:27:59 EST news619799276 University of Sussex researchers have developed a more energy-efficient alternative to transmit data that could potentially replace Bluetooth in mobile phones and other tech devices. With more and more of us owning smartphones and wearable tech, researchers at the University of Sussex have found a more efficient way of connecting our devices and improving battery life. Applied to wearable devices, it could even see us unlocking doors by touch or exchanging phone numbers by shaking hands. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-bluetooth-scientists-efficient-transmit-devices.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:44:04 EST news619793042 Explicit content has long been a feature of the internet and social media, and young people's exposure to it has been a persistent concern. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-tiktok-startling-amount-sexual-content.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:23:04 EST news619723381 It is almost a year since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, fueling great excitement as well as concern about what it might mean for education. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-ai-accessible-parents-kids.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 20 Nov 2023 12:27:03 EST news619705621 In a major reversal, Apple Inc. plans to adopt a technological standard next year that will allow text messaging to operate more smoothly between iPhones and Android devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-apple-easier-text-iphones-androids.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:50:10 EST news619699805 There are signs of AI everywhere, it's behind everything from customer service chatbots to the personalized ads we receive when browsing online. However, we remain largely unaware of the hidden algorithms doing the heavy legwork behind the scenes. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-ai-power-machines-view-world.html Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 19 Nov 2023 10:10:01 EST news619441371