smartphone

Tyler Skluzacek (right) helped develop a smartwatch app to help disrupt his father Patrick's nightmares. The app recently won approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

He Designed A Smartwatch App To Help Stop His Dad's Nightmares

1:47pm December 06, 2020

by Martha Ann Overland

Patrick Skluzacek suffered from PTSD-related nightmares, which were ruining his life. His son, Tyler, created a smartwatch application to disrupt them. The app recently won FDA approval.

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Stickers designed by Grebet depict a local musician (left), and a woman wearing a traditional head scarf.

The Emoji Designer Who's Bringing African Culture To Smartphone Keyboards

9:29am January 08, 2020

by Pien Huang

O'Plerou Grebet, a graphic design student from Ivory Coast, created over 360 emojis depicting different facets of African life, from the djembe drum to a henna-dyed hand.

Harssh Poddar, a senior police official, addresses a village meeting at a rural school near Malegaon, in northern Maharashtra state. He warns families to be skeptical of what they read online. Earlier this month, Poddar helped rescue five people from bein

World News

Viral WhatsApp Messages Are Triggering Mob Killings In India

2:17pm July 18, 2018

by Lauren Frayer

In recent months, about two dozen people across India have been beaten to death by mobs driven to violence by what they've read on social media and messaging apps.

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Apps that deliver birth control pills in the mail help provide a service in "contraception deserts," where the local clinic may be miles away.

Birth Control Apps Find A Big Market In 'Contraception Deserts'

2:14pm March 26, 2018

For some U.S. women who buy hormonal contraception via an app, it's all about convenience — birth control pills in the mail, without an office visit. But in Texas there's much more to it.

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Pushbuttons are one of many technology that have flown under the radar, in many ways, says guest commentator Jimena Canales.

Science

An Ode To Insignificance: Buttons, Touchscreens, And Other Dangerous Technologies

11:53am March 13, 2018

by Jimena Canales

The most successful technologies are so seductive, user-friendly, and so apparently innocuous that we hardly notice them entering our lives, says Jimena Canales. One such technology? The pushbutton.

For many people, checking their smartphone can be addicting.

Smartphone Detox: How To Power Down In A Wired World

2:36pm February 12, 2018

In an era when many kids get a first smartphone at age 10, psychologists say the devices have turned us into Pavlov's dogs — drooling for the next notification, buzz or text. Ready to dial back?

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Education

Deciding At What Age To Give A Kid A Smartphone

11:04am November 21, 2017

by Claire McInerny

It's a question most parents will wrestle with at some point — when is the right time to give my child a smartphone? Let's tick through a few other questions first.

Barbara J. King explores the use of personal technology in the classroom.

Should College Professors Give 'Tech Breaks' In Class?

1:35pm October 19, 2017

by Barbara J. King

Is it necessary coddling or just good science to give college students breaks to check their phones? Anthropologist Barbara J. King takes a look.

Psychologist Jean Twenge says smartphones have brought about dramatic shifts in behavior among the generation of children who grew up with the devices.

How Smartphones Are Making Kids Unhappy

6:50pm August 07, 2017

by Audie Cornish

Psychologist Jean Twenge has observed dramatic shifts in behavior among children who go through adolescence with smartphones. They're spending less time with friends and reporting greater anxiety.

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Scientists have developed a smartphone app to measure sperm count at home.

A Smartphone Can Accurately Test Sperm Count

2:03pm March 22, 2017

by Madeline K. Sofia

Measuring the quality of those little swimmers usually requires a trip to the doctor. Researchers have come up with a smartphone accessory that would let men do that at home in less than five seconds.