Gadgets

Alexa devices will send all recordings of user voice commands to Amazon from March 28, 2025. The company is removing (and overriding) a user setting that stopped this happening. The change affects devices such as the voice controlled Amazon Echo. ... Until now, these devices had the capacity to recognize and understand what a user was saying using only local processing. That allowed the devices to have an optional setting to stop the recordings being sent outside of their home. Amazon says the change is a byproduct of what it's calling an improvement. Alexa is being replaced by Alexa+, a system ... (view more)

Smartwatch sales have reportedly declined for the first time, signaling potential challenges ahead for the wearable tech industry. Experts attribute this downturn primarily to slowing innovation and recent legal setbacks faced by Apple, a major ... market leader. According to Counterpoint Research, smartwatch shipments dropped 7 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, with Apple's shipments notably falling by 19 percent. Given Apple's commanding market share - approximately one-quarter of all global smartwatch sales - this decline significantly impacts the market. (Source: ... (view more)

Five gadgets are in the running for a $1.3 million prize for using tech to tackle dementia. They range from high-tech glasses to a device that looks like a landline telephone. The projects have all made the final of the global Longitude prize for ... dementia. It's part of a wider series of prizes based on an 18th century contest that rewarded scientists for finding a way for sailors to determine the longitude of their location. The five finalists will each get the equivalent of $392,000 to develop their products before competing for the overall prize. The money comes from the UK government and ... (view more)

The makers of a Barbie-branded fliphone say it could help overcome smartphone addiction in young people. If nothing else, it could be a test case of form vs function. The handset is as overwhelmingly pink as you might expect, but is closer to a late ... 90s handset than a modern smartphone. It's made from HMD, which is the company that makes Nokia branded handsets. The device has virtually no modern features and doesn't allow app installation. It supports voice calls and basic texting but has no web browser or touchscreen. It has a single game, a Barbie-themed version of Snake. A Plethora Of Pink ... (view more)

Lenovo has designed a laptop with a see-through display. But it's pretty transparently a gimmick. The company demonstrated the screen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, an annual trade show where tech companies often unveil their latest ... ideas for portable gadgets. The technology behind a transparent display isn't particularly new. Generally they work by blocking or reflecting light to create an image, rather than emitting light as happens with traditional displays that are black when not in use or showing a "blank" image. The main use of the Lenovo "Project Crystal" display is for ... (view more)

The latest Lenovo laptop takes the idea of a 2-in-1 device to new levels. It remains to be seen if anyone actually wants its offering of a combination Windows laptop and Android tablet. At first glance the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid device ... looks like an ordinary laptop, albeit with the ability to fold the screen to any angle, including completely back so the device is folded flat but with the keyboard and screen on the outside (similar to the Lenovo Yoga). That's a familiar setup to many existing devices designed for use in different scenarios such as working with the keyboard, ... (view more)

A national government is offering $219 to help people get computers and mobile phones repaired. The program in Austria is designed to help individuals and the environment. The "Repair Bonus" program is available for all electrical appliances, though ... it's most effective for people with expensive devices such as technology products. Smartphones are the most popular item being repaired. Under the program, the government will pay 50 percent of the repair, with its contribution capped at €200 (US$219). This limit applies to individual devices and there's no limit on how many devices a person ... href="/news/11344/govt-tackles-e-waste-discounts-smartphone-repairs" class="more-link">view more)

Is it possible to replace a smartphone with a 'AI pin'? One manufacturer seems to think so. The device works by using both the pin (worn on a shirt) and one's own hand to navigate menus, all the while viewing an image. Think of it like Star Trek the ... Next Generation's badge intercom, but with more features. The AI Pin from Humane is a weird device to say the least. One description uses the unlikely phrase "wearable projector," though it also includes other features commonly associated with smartphones. It looks to be about two inches square and weighs just under two ounces. It's mainly flat ... (view more)

Two researchers say voice controlled "assistant" devices could harm children's development. The claims are more of a warning than proven results at this stage. The claims come from Ananya Arora and Anmol Arora, both of the School of Clinical ... Medicine at the University of Cambridge. They were writing in the publication Archives of Diseases in Childhood. (Source: bmj.com ) The pair say they have three main fears about the uses of devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, along with Apple's Siri. In all three cases, the researchers say it appears some parents may have mistaken ... (view more)

Using the average phone a year longer would have the same environmental impact as taking 636,000 cars off the road each year according to campaigners. It's a claim that's sparked calls to end the habit of manufacturers to produce a new model every ... year. The calls come in the run-up to a major climate change conference, but remains unclear what incentive gadget-makers have to respond. The 636,000 cars figure comes from the Public Interest Research Group, whose campaigns include giving consumers a right to repair devices. It told The Register that an average of 416,000 US cellphones are ditched ... (view more)