Technology, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 21, 2012

Gender, Tone of Automated Phone Voice Affects Caller Experience

Automated voice systems are often used in place of human customer service representatives. New research suggests the gender and tone of these voices can impact a caller's user experience. In the study, participants interacted with an automated phone system, also known as an interactive voice response (IVR), that collected information...

Oct 23, 2012

Private Porn Pics Aren't Private for Long

Eighty-eight percent of homemade pornography, including videos and still images, finds its way onto porn sites, often without the owners' knowledge, a new study concluded. The study analyzed more than 12,000 sexually explicit images uploaded by young people and found that the great majority of images had been stolen and...

Nov 26, 2012

Judge Orders Sex Plaintiffs to Hand Over Cellphones, Online Accounts

A judge has ordered nearly two dozen women who are participants in a lawsuit alleging unlawful sexual harassment to hand over their cellphones, as well as login information for their email accounts, blogs and Facebook and other social-networking accounts. The order was issued so that the defense may access photos,...

Jan 15, 2013

Fujitsu: The Flip Phone Favored by Philanderers

If your spouse seems oddly devoted to an outdated cellphone, beware: Japan's philanderers have discovered that one particular flip phone, the Fujitsu F-Series phone, is the perfect choice for those who keep a little something on the side. The F-series phone, introduced in 2002, has a unique privacy setting that's...

Mar 8, 2013

Phone Scammers Fleece Retiree Out of House and Home

Nigerian email scammers have been conning unsuspecting Westerners for years. More recent forms of the advance-fee fraud have taken on the form of emails promising foreign-lottery winnings. But a poor retiree from Baltimore was fleeced out of his life savings and even his house — entirely over the telephone. It...

Apr 2, 2013

Think You're Anonymous? Cellphone Data Gives You Away

Just four points of location data from one's cellphone is enough to uniquely identify the person about 95 percent of the time, new research suggests. Sifting through 15 months of anonymous location data from 1.5 million cellphone users, researchers found that just four points of data could uniquely identify 95...

Apr 4, 2013

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Call Facebook Home

It’s not a ‘Facebook Phone,’ it’s not a Facebook operating system—it’s Facebook Home. On Thursday Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook team laid to rest the persistent ‘Facebook Phone’ rumors and unveiled its new app family for Android. The app launcher, which is essentially a Facebook overlay for select Android Jelly...

Apr 30, 2013

Budweiser and Facebook: Worst Combo Ever?

If there's anything worse than drinking lots of alcohol at a party, it's broadcasting your binge across the Internet. But Budweiser, in defiance of the equation that governs modern life online (Booze + Facebook = Regret), has now introduced the Buddy Cup, a beer-swilling device that links to your Facebook...

May 22, 2013

Drowning In Devices? Your Next Gadget May Dissolve When You're Done

Waste not thy future gadgets. That may soon become the 11th Commandment. Phones, tablets and computers continue to be introduced at a dizzying rate. With each new introduction, a previous version becomes obsolete, and electronic waste becomes more and more prevalent. The more materials that can be recycled from the...

Jun 3, 2013

Why Hands-Free Phones May Be Unsafe for Drivers

Voice-controlled texting and other hands-free tools may seem like safe options for using a cellphone while driving, but one researcher warns that the brain can't safely manage both tasks at once. New car models increasingly feature built-in hands-free technologies, but they may not cut out the risk of distracted driving;...

Aug 9, 2013

9 Odd Ways Your Tech Devices May Injure You

Intro (Image credit: Global technology image via Shutterstock)Computers and phones have made life easier for most of us, but perhaps harder for an unlucky few. Technology-related injuries, ranging from irritating neck and shoulder pain to fatal accidents, are the flip side of gadgets that are generally helpful. Some of these...

Sep 11, 2013

Phone Sensors Could Meld with Human Body

Microscopic sensors and motors in smartphones detect movement, and could one day help their cameras focus. Now scientists have devised components for these machines that are compatible with the human body, potentially making them ideal for use in medical devices such as bionic limbs and other artificial body parts, researchers...

Sep 23, 2013

Digital Parenting: More Technology Means More Work

Cellphones, tablets, video games and computers — the average youngster has logged thousands of hours on digital technologies by the time they leave home. And all these technologies have changed the way parents do their jobs. Though digital technology allows parents to entertain or keep tabs on their youngsters, for...

Oct 1, 2013

Accelerometers: What They Are & How They Work

When you use a compass app on your smartphone, it somehow knows which direction the phone is pointing. With stargazing apps, it somehow knows where in the sky you’re looking to properly display constellations. Smartphones and other mobile technology identify their orientation through the use of an accelerator, a small...

Oct 3, 2013

Smartphone-Controlled Brewbot Gets aHead with Kickstarter

A craft-beer-brewing robot that can be controlled by a smartphone has garnered about $100,000 from 195 backers on online crowdfunder Kickstarter. On its Kickstarter page, the Brewbot is described as an easy-to-use, controlled environment that is aesthetically pleasing, and frees up brewers to focus on the recipes. You don't need...