https://techxplore.com/consumer-gadgets-news/ en-us Tthe latest news on consumer electronics, electronic gadgets and electronics. In a new study, deepfake video clips of movie remakes that don't actually exist prompted participants to falsely remember the films—but simple text descriptions of the fake movies prompted similar false memory rates. Gillian Murphy of University College Cork, Ireland, and Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, and colleagues presented these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-deepfake-videos-prompt-false-memories.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:52:03 EDT news608471521 Artificial intelligence (AI) can help people shop, plan, and write—but not cook. It turns out humans aren't the only ones who have a hard time following step-by-step recipes in the correct order, but new research from the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing could change that. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-chef-dataset-ai-cooking.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:49:02 EDT news607794538 Even though our computers are now better than 15 years ago, they still malfunction 11%–20% of the time, a new study from the University of Copenhagen and Roskilde University concludes. The researchers behind the study therefore find that there are major gains to be achieved for society by rethinking the systems and involving users more in their development. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-problems.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:45:04 EDT news607272301 In the space of a few months generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, Google's Bard and Midjourney, have been adopted by more and more people in a variety of professional and personal ways. But growing research is underlining that they are encoding biases and negative stereotypes in their users, as well as mass generating and spreading seemingly accurate but nonsensical information. Worryingly, marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by the fabrication of this nonsensical information. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-generative-ai-encoding-biases-negative.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:00:02 EDT news606645973 Despite attempts to anonymize user data, the fitness app Strava allows anyone to find personal information—including home addresses—about some users. The finding, which is detailed in a new study, raises significant privacy concerns. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-app-loophole-access-home.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:18:01 EDT news605366279 Apple on Monday unveiled a long-rumored headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter's ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public's imagination. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-apple-unveils-sleek-vision-pro.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:20:43 EDT news605200836 Apple appears poised to unveil a long-rumored headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter's ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public's imagination. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-apple-unveil-sleek-pricey-headset.html Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 04 Jun 2023 10:08:21 EDT news605092087 Imagine if the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" opened Michael Jackson's "Beat It," then Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow" riff blended with Jackson. This mix isn't an impossible fantasy, but a reality with Mixboard, a tablet application that lets users without musical or editing experience create the songs of their dreams. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-app-ai-enable-musical-mashups.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 31 May 2023 14:04:18 EDT news604760655 In a new study, participants showed more empathy for an online anthropomorphic artificial intelligence (AI) agent when it seemed to disclose personal information about itself while chatting with the participants. Takahiro Tsumura of The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI in Tokyo, Japan, and Seiji Yamada of the National Institute of Informatics, also in Tokyo, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on May 10, 2023. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-ai-disclose-personal-users-empathize.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 10 May 2023 14:00:04 EDT news602935329 A team of biomedical and mechanical engineers at City University of Hong Kong, working with a pair of colleagues from Beihang University and one from Shandong University, has developed two versions of a system designed to convey olfactory stimuli in virtual reality. Their results are published in Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-devices-conveying-olfactory-stimuli-virtual.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 10 May 2023 09:18:44 EDT news602929111 Generative AI tools—artificial intelligence models that can create images, texts, videos, or other content in short periods of time—have recently become increasingly popular, especially after the public release of ChatGPT. ChatGPT, the popular chatbot by OpenAI, is now being used by countless users worldwide to source information and even produce creative texts or academic essays. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-generative-ai-personalized-feedback-english.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 09 May 2023 09:30:01 EDT news602761437 Most kids know it's wrong to yell or hit someone, even if they don't always keep their hands to themselves. But what about if that someone's name is Alexa? https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-kids-alexa-smarter-roomba-kindness.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 10 Apr 2023 15:09:34 EDT news600358164 It's a sure bet that Chat GPT will usher in an extraordinary new era of progress. But if you want AI to tackle tasks involving gambling, all bets are off. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-dont-chatgpt-rational.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 10 Apr 2023 13:40:01 EDT news600348698 Mixed reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies merge the real world with computer-generated elements, allowing users to interact with their surroundings in more engaging ways. In recent years, these technologies have enhanced education and specialized training in numerous fields, helping trainees to test their skills or make better sense of abstract concepts and data. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-augments-reality-visualizations-smartphones-tablets.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 03 Apr 2023 09:30:01 EDT news599732537 The problem with mobile phones is that people look at them too much. At least, that's according to the man who invented them 50 years ago. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-03-eyes-mobile-inventor-years.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 30 Mar 2023 04:20:21 EDT news599368811 Smartphone spyware apps that allow people to spy on each other are not only hard to notice and detect, they also will easily leak the sensitive personal information they collect, says a team of computer scientists from New York and San Diego. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-03-spying.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:20:37 EDT news598008031 Pet and animal-related apps are creating cybersecurity risks to their owners, new research has shown. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-pets-leaking.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 27 Feb 2023 19:00:02 EST news596734526 On average, 39% of time currently spent on unpaid domestic work could be automated within the next decade, suggest AI experts from the UK and Japan. The findings are published in PLOS ONE by a team led by Ekaterina Hertog at the University Oxford, UK, and colleagues in Japan. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-ai-experts-spent-chores-automated.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 22 Feb 2023 14:00:05 EST news596285989 Natural gas furnaces not only heat your home, they also produce a lot of pollution. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-add-on-device-home-furnaces-cleaner.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 15 Feb 2023 15:34:32 EST news595697667 A group of computer scientists, two from the University of Edinburgh, and a third from Trinity College, has found that phones purchased by customers in China are riddled with software that continuously sends user data to third parties without the permission or even knowledge of the phone's users. Haoyu Liu, Douglas Leith and Paul Patras have summarized their findings in a paper posted on the arXiv preprint server. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-android-sold-customers-china-apps.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:10:05 EST news595163131 Engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder are tapping into advances in artificial intelligence to develop a new kind of walking stick for people who are blind or visually impaired. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-smart-visually-impaired-groceries-seat.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 19 Jan 2023 16:41:03 EST news593368861 Is the metaverse closer than we think? It depends on who you ask at CES, where companies are showing off innovations that could immerse us deeper into virtual reality, otherwise known as VR. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-ces-center-stage-metaverse.html Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 08 Jan 2023 14:51:18 EST news592411822 Immersive technologies that can better lives, whether helping people treat dementia or learn to pilot fighter jets, is the future of the metaverse, virtual reality startups say. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-metaverse-roses-virtual-world-display.html Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 08 Jan 2023 06:11:51 EST news592380707 Tech companies showed off their latest products this week at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-ces-color-changing-bmw-boba-tea.html Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 08 Jan 2023 06:10:12 EST news592380604 Tech companies showed off their latest products this week at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, with new developments in video as well as lifestyle enhancements with beverage and makeup gadgets. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-ces-high-tech-eyebrows-boba-tea.html Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 07 Jan 2023 06:02:26 EST news592293740 At the CES tech megashow in Las Vegas, it is unusual to see an entrepreneur hold up a plant and present it as the latest breakthrough in consumer technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-green-tech-limelight-ces-gadget.html Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 07 Jan 2023 06:00:04 EST news592293599 Tech companies of all sizes are showing off their latest products at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics show. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-ces-electric-skates-pet-tech.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 04 Jan 2023 04:27:03 EST news592028816 The latest leaps in artificial intelligence in everything from cars, robots to appliances will be on full display at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opening Thursday in Las Vegas. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-ai-infused-ces-gadget-extravaganza.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 02 Jan 2023 07:17:37 EST news591866251 A team of researchers from Brown University's School of Public Health, Brown's School of Engineering and Silent Spring Institute found that simple air filtration devices called Corsi-Rosenthal boxes are effective at reducing indoor air pollutants. https://techxplore.com/news/2022-12-simple-diy-air-filter-effective.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 23 Dec 2022 10:42:13 EST news591014526 It's a scenario many of us are familiar with: You sit down on the couch after a long day at work and turn on Netflix. A trailer for a show you've never heard of automatically starts playing on your home screen, and you notice it has the red "top 10" sticker over it. You think to yourself, "I'll give it one episode, and then I'll go to bed." But before you know it, the next episode is being queued to play, and you can't stop it quick enough. Now that the opening scene has started, you decide one more episode won't hurt. https://techxplore.com/news/2022-12-netflix-chill-free-scientists.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 21 Dec 2022 12:20:02 EST news590847514