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Wearable Technology Explained
A plain-language tour of the main kinds of wearable devices, what each one senses, how they connect, and what to keep in mind about accuracy and privacy.
Emerging Technology
Wearables and Smart Tech
Sensors, wearables and connected gadgets in daily life.
Augmented Reality Compared With Virtual Reality
Augmented reality adds digital overlays to the real world, while virtual reality replaces it. Learn how the two differ in hardware, uses and limits.
How Bluetooth Connects Nearby Devices
Learn how Bluetooth pairing works, why it is limited to short range, how Bluetooth Low Energy saves power, and the common reasons connections fail.
How Fitness Trackers Measure Steps and Heart Rate
See how accelerometers estimate steps and how light-based sensors estimate heart rate in fitness bands and watches, and why the numbers are never exact.
How Smartwatches Work
A look inside a smartwatch: the processor, sensors, display and battery, the software that runs apps, and how the watch stays linked with your phone.
Near Field Communication and Tap to Pay Basics
Understand how NFC works over a few centimeters, how it powers tap-to-pay, transit passes and tags, and what protects a contactless payment.
Smart Home Security Cameras and Privacy
How connected home cameras capture, store and send video, what features like motion alerts rely on, and the privacy and security questions to consider.
What Sensors Do in Modern Devices
Accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, light and proximity sensors and more: what each part measures in phones and gadgets and how software uses it.
What the Smart City Idea Means
A plain explanation of the smart city idea: connected sensors for traffic, lighting, water and services, the benefits cities hope for, and the privacy concerns.
Why Smart Devices Become Unsupported
Why connected gadgets lose updates and features, how firmware and cloud services age, and what to check before buying and when a device reaches end of support.
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