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New Version of Swiss Army Knife Will Lack One Big Thing
New Version of Swiss Army
Knife Will Lack One Big Thing
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

New Version of Swiss Army Knife Will Lack One Big Thing

There will be no blade, as company tries to adhere to ever-stricter knife regulations around the world

(Newser) - A Swiss Army Knife without the knife? That's what's coming down the pike, per Victorinox, the company that makes the iconic multitool gadget. Victorinox CEO Carl Elsener told a local newspaper on Monday that a new version of the Swiss Army Knife is being designed sans blade, instead...

'Goldilocks Zone' Exists for Teens' Screen Time
'Goldilocks Zone' Exists
for Teens' Screen Time
NEW STUDY

'Goldilocks Zone' Exists for Teens' Screen Time

New study finds there's a window of time spent on gadgets that can be beneficial

(Newser) - Tapping away on computers, smartphones, and other devices a few hours a day can have beneficial effects on children, a new study found. Despite hand-wringing among experts that kids are spending too much time in a virtual world, the latest research out of Oxford concludes that "moderate engagement …...

Bracelet Promises to Shock Your Bad Habits Away

The human version of a dog shock collar has yet to be studied for long-term effects

(Newser) - Some people will try just about anything to break a bad habit—and that now includes a gadget that promises to help people retrain their behaviors using mild vibrations and painful zaps. Named after the Russian physiologist who introduced the world to Pavlovian classical conditioning and its subset aversion therapy,...

Some Notable Gizmos at This Year's CES Show
 Some Notable Gizmos 
 at This Year's CES 
the rundown

Some Notable Gizmos at This Year's CES

In the market for a folding electric scooter?

(Newser) - The tech world's big day has arrived with the official start of the annual CES forum in Las Vegas. Some of the gadgets getting attention:
  • Fancy a folding electric scooter? Wired says the Xcooter is intriguing, with a 15-mile range and a speed of up to 17mph. Preorders for
...

Why You Shouldn't Buy a Smartwatch—Yet

They're about to get way better: Christopher Mims

(Newser) - We all know the frustration of spending heavily on a gadget only to see it become obsolete within what seems like minutes. And you might want to keep that in mind with the arrival of the Apple Watch this month, writes Christopher Mims in the Wall Street Journal . "Anyone...

Japanese Buying More Flip-Phones, Fewer Smart Ones

Owning a smartphone is pricey in the country

(Newser) - Remember the golden days of yore, when your phone was a lot smaller, used primarily for calling people, and opened with a satisfying flip? Well, it seems those days haven't died in Japan, where last year, the number of flip-phone shipments actually increased, a first in seven years, Reuters...

New 'Lost Generation' Has No Clue How to Fix Things

Engineering advocate wants us to repurpose broken devices, not just get new ones

(Newser) - If your smartphone suddenly dies, you may be tempted to toss it and get another one, but Danielle George is aiming to change that. The University of Manchester engineering professor uses household hacks like sending wireless messages via barbecue and surfing the Internet with a torch, the Telegraph notes, and...

Sony Most Successful at ... Selling Insurance

Its devices are a money-losing operation

(Newser) - Walkman, Trinitron, PlayStation: In the US, we know Sony as a longtime player in the electronics world. But its electronics arm has lost $8.5 billion over the past decade, the New York Times reports. In fact, the driver of its current success is its insurance business, which doesn't...

Google Glass Is Just Too Dorky

 Google Glass Is Just Too Dorky 
OPINION

Google Glass Is Just Too Dorky

Marcus Wohlsen thinks it's a product of out-of-touch tech guys

(Newser) - Looking through the images on the White Men Wearing Google Glass Tumblr has convinced Marcus Wohlsen that the much-touted glasses have a lot in common with Segways, Bluetooth headsets, and pocket protectors. "They're all too dorky to live," Wohlsen writes in Wired . In theory, all these products...

Tomorrow: National Day of Unplugging

Time to turn off the smartphones—and everything else

(Newser) - Feeling the stress of being plugged in and available 24 hours a day, every day? Tomorrow is an opportunity to take a break from all that. Starting at sundown today—in accordance with the Jewish Sabbath—thousands of Americans are set to shut down their gadgets (yes, all of them)...

New Google Project: Touchscreen Laptops

Chrome-based devices to arrive this year

(Newser) - Google is at work on a new kind of Chromebook: one with touchscreen capabilities, the Wall Street Journal reports. The laptops should be out later this year, though the exact date is still unclear, as is the identity of the company handling the hardware. While sales of existing Chromebooks are...

Public Gets Look at 'Google Glass'

And its first chance to be part of a limited beta test

(Newser) - Google gave the public its first taste of how it would feel to strap on its much-anticipated digital glasses , releasing photos and a video showing off the system's capabilities and user interface. Users are shown taking video and photos, performing searches, and overlaying directions, weather, and flight info over...

CNET Reporter Quits Over Meddling CBS

Network forced review site to switch top gadget choice

(Newser) - A CNET reporter has left the tech review site after owner CBS stepped in to alter a story. When the CNET team picked a Dish Network product as the best home theater and audio item at the Consumer Electronics Show, CBS rejected the choice. That's because CBS is in...

Here's Samsung's 'Ultra HD' TV for ... $20K

It's a 'statement piece,' says company

(Newser) - Samsung has revealed a TV to make your HDTV look old-hat. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the tech giant is displaying its 85-inch Ultra HD TV, which analysts expect will run you a mere $20,000 when it ships later this year. Ultra HD—likely the future...

New TV Remote: Blinking Your Eyes

The Eye Control TV reacts to your eyeballs

(Newser) - Too lazy to push a button on your remote? An innovative new device may be up your alley. The Eye Control TV, produced by a Chinese manufacturer, can change channels, adjust volume, and power down by sensing blinks, reports the Daily Mail . Now in its prototype form, the gadget requires...

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