smartphones

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Seniors Who Love Their Tech Tend to Have Less Dementia

Research suggests regular use is associated with a lower risk

(Newser) - New research suggests that older adults who regularly use digital technology—think smartphones, computers, and the internet—have a lower risk of cognitive decline. A meta-analysis of 57 studies published in Nature Human Behaviour found that people over 50 who engaged with everyday digital technology had a 58% lower risk...

Ferry Hits Rock After Worker Checks Phone: Officials

He was checking the news instead of the islet off the coast of South Korea, per local coast guard

(Newser) - A moment's distraction at the helm turned a routine ferry trip off South Korea into a chaotic dash for safety this week. The New York Times reports that a passenger ferry with 267 people aboard crashed into a rocky islet off South Korea's coast on Wednesday night after...

How a Stolen iPhone Unraveled a Massive UK-China Theft Ring

Police say suspects smuggled as many as 40K phones out of Britain

(Newser) - A single iPhone's digital breadcrumb trail has led British police to what they describe as the country's biggest-ever crackdown on mobile phone theft. The Metropolitan Police say they've busted an international gang suspected of funneling as many as 40,000 stolen devices from the UK to...

Japanese City Tries to Curb Phone Use With New Law

Toyoake residents are encouraged to cap leisure use of their phones at 2 hours a day

(Newser) - Japan's Toyoake is trying to get its citizen off its screens by legislating it into reality. An ordinance that went into effect on Wednesday tasks the city's 68,000 residents with keeping recreational screen time (meaning excluding work and school use) to under two hours per day....

You Might Want to Rethink Taking Your Phone to the Toilet

Study links phone use with extra toilet time, higher odds of hemorrhoids

(Newser) - Scrolling through your phone during bathroom breaks may be a more significant health risk than you realize, according to a new study. Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that people who brought their smartphones to the toilet spent noticeably longer time there—often over five minutes—compared...

Outcry Follows Town's Proposed Phone Use Limit

Residents in Toyoake, Japan, object to 2-hour daily cap designed to address health concerns

(Newser) - In a bold bid to combat online addiction and sleepless nights, one Japanese town is urging its residents to limit leisurely smartphone use to just two hours a day. Toyoake, a city in the Aichi prefecture, is floating the proposal that would apply to everyone—kids, teens, and parents...

Students Face New Phone Rules in 17 More States

Total is now 35, up from just one in 2023

(Newser) - Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. In previous years, students often weren't paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager says....

Hardly Anyone Buys the 'Smartest' Phone

Google looks to change that as it unveils the Pixel 10

(Newser) - Details have been leaking out ahead of Wednesday's announcement of Google's new Pixel 10 smartphone, with talk of the first foldable phone with an IP68 rating, a triple camera setup with a 5x telephoto lens, and Qi2 magnetic wireless charging, per the Verge . At Android Police , longtime Samsung...

We May Be Headed Toward Post-Smartphone World
We May Be
Headed Toward
Post-Smartphone
World
in case you missed it
Aug 9, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

We May Be Headed Toward Post-Smartphone World

Mark Zuckerberg isn't the only tech bigwig who sees a future in wearable AI devices

(Newser) - Artificial intelligence is advancing so quickly that some Silicon Valley bigwigs are betting it will lead to what might seem unthinkable at the moment: a world in which people don't carry around smartphones. Instead, they might get their AI-powered know-how from their glasses, or maybe a bracelet. As Tim...

Bridgerton Actor Too Scared to Leave Home

Genevieve Chenneour 'severely agoraphobic' after February assault in London

(Newser) - An actor in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton says she's unable to leave her home as a result of severe anxiety triggered by a violent theft in London. Genevieve Chenneour, who portrays Miss Clara Livingston in Bridgerton's third season, was attacked in a cafe in February after confronting...

Sabrina Carpenter Wants to Ban Phones at Concerts

Singer says she knows it would 'piss off' her fans, but that they'd be more present sans devices

(Newser) - The Hollywood Reporter has a piece of advice for Sabrina Carpenter fans: Whip out your devices at her concerts now, while you still can, if you want to capture any surreptitious footage. That's because the 26-year-old Manchild singer is suggesting she'd be A-OK with a cellphone ban at...

Trump Promise of a US-Made Phone Has a Problem

'That is completely impossible,' says one industry expert, and he's not alone

(Newser) - When the Trump family business announced a new smartphone venture on Monday, the accompanying press release promised the $499 Android phone would be "proudly designed and built in the United States." But the assessment of tech experts is pretty much unanimous in concluding that the promise cannot be...

This Is Why You Shouldn't Let Your Kid Play With Your Phone

Kentucky boy, 8, ordered 70K lollipops from Amazon

(Newser) - Parents tempted to hand their phone over to their kid to steal a few minutes of peace, be warned: Holly LaFavers of Lexington, Kentucky, says that cases and cases of Dum-Dums lollipops showed up on her doorstep after her young son ordered them on Amazon while playing with her phone...

To Feel Better, Take the Smart Out of Smartphone
To Feel Better, Take the
Smart Out of Smartphone
NEW STUDY
Feb 25, 2025 11:55 AM CST

To Feel Better, Take the Smart Out of Smartphone

2-week break from mobile internet boosts well-being, mental health, researchers say

(Newser) - Researchers say you can improve your mental health, well-being, and attention span in just two weeks. All you have to do is get off mobile internet. Adrian Ward, a 38-year-old psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, decided to study what it would be like to return to the...

Apple Update to Stop Your iPhone's 'Hallucinations'

AI feature temporarily disabled after it began to generate fake news headlines, summaries

(Newser) - If you've seen some strange headlines emerge from your iPhone this year, it wasn't your imagination. Apple has now made a "rare admission of product failure" after its built-in AI software began generating "hallucinations" about current events and churning out false summaries of headlines to consumers,...

Migrants About to Be Detained? There's an App for That

App out of Mexico will let people warn family, consulates if detention in US seems imminent

(Newser) - Mexico is developing a cellphone app that will allow migrants to warn relatives and local consulates if they think they're about to be detained by the US immigration department, a senior official said Friday. The move is in response to President-elect Trump's threats to carry out mass deportations...

Mom Discovers Phone Rules for Child Apply to Her, Too

Slate's Molly Mulshine doesn't let her toddler use devices, but her own use was becoming an issue

(Newser) - Molly Mulshine tries hard to limit the screen time her 1-year-old baby is getting, citing various studies that indicate how bad too much time on phones, iPads, and other electronic devices are for kids and teens. But in her new essay for Slate , Mulshine reveals that she was the one...

Jason Kelce Reacts Angrily to Fan's Gay Slur Against Travis

Former Eagle slams fan's phone to ground after latter calls his brother 'f-----' for dating Taylor Swift

(Newser) - Penn State lost to Ohio State on Saturday, but one fan lost even more after a confrontation with former Eagles player Jason Kelce, who was in town in State College, Pennsylvania, for ESPN's College GameDay. Yahoo Sports reports that the fan, who was following Kelce as he walked near...

Google Unveils Next Generation of Pixel Phones

Pixel 9 phones are packed with AI features

(Newser) - Google unveiled its next generation of Pixel phones on Tuesday, providing the maker of Android software a head start on the next iPhone in the race to bring more artificial-intelligence services to devices that have become people's constant companions. The showcase held near Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters...

Virginia Moves Toward 'Cellphone-Free Education'

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issues executive order aimed at getting phones out of classrooms

(Newser) - Count Virginia among the states moving to get phones out of public school classrooms. On Tuesday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order directing the state's education department to start working toward "cellphone-free education," NBC News reports. Specifically, the Republican governor's order calls for the department...

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