Electronic Gadgets

A wise man once said, "There's a time to iron and a time to steam." OK, maybe no prophet said it, but it's true. Certain fabrics perform better when steamed rather than ironed.

By Chris Opfer

If you dismiss a digital scale as just the machine that weighs you, you're missing out. Peer into the heart of this common measuring device and you'll find something wondrous: a set of physical laws ingeniously harnessed to one very handy tool.

By Nicholas Gerbis

Sat phones can be your only line of communication in remote areas, but it's a costly way to reach out and touch someone. How do sat phones keep a signal when nothing else can, and why are they sometimes dangerous?

By Nathan Chandler

Apple's mobile assistant is the source of much comedy -- and frustration -- among users. How did Siri come to be, and how useful is it, really?

By Bernadette Johnson

What if you had a fitness garment that could nudge you into proper alignment? Move isn't just about geeking out your spandex. It's about improving and accelerating your overall physical performance and preventing injuries.

By Nathan Chandler

When deceased rapper Tupac appeared alongside Snoop Dogg at Coachella, the Internet lit up with talk of holograms. But there was no hologram. How did computer animation and a 19th-century theatrical trick create the illusion?

By Jacob Clifton

Cell phones can do just about anything –- except survive in water. A few drops of liquid can destroy a mobile device. Will that always be the case?

By Dave Roos

TVs seem to be getting thinner and thinner and their pictures clearer and clearer. But now they're see-through, too? How's that possible?

By Patrick J. Kiger

If you've ever lamented how overstuffed your wallet is or how it's putting a crick in your back, fear not: its digital doppelganger is here to save the day. Well, maybe. We weigh the pros and cons of e-wallets in this article.

By Nathan Chandler

It can decode an entire human genome quickly and cheaply. Could this sequencer be the one that pushes DNA sequencers beyond labs and into hospitals?

By Eric Seeger

Remember the bygone days when you were forced to watch television in real-time as it aired? Streaming boxes and other tech renders that a distant memory, and now, Roku is shrinking the game.

By Bernadette Johnson

Watches come in all shapes, sizes and designs. While some of them are fancier than others, the Harry Winston Opus Eleven brings something more to the table.

By John Kelly

Have you ever imagined yourself walking around your town like a sci-fi hero, with a heads-up display showing you details of the world around you? Google Glass aims to make that possible for all of us.

By Jonathan Strickland

Imagine if readings of your heart rate, temperature and other vital signs could be collected, processed and analyzed by medical professionals, without any need to bother or even wake you. LOBIN wants to make that vision a reality.

By Jacob Clifton

It resembles a sporty looking contact case, and it just may save your life if you find yourself in trouble in the wilderness. Curious yet?

By Robert Lamb

Wristwatches are starting to go the way of the VHS tape, but sales revenue has actually gone up in recent years, thanks to meticulously crafted -- and ridiculously expensive-- timepieces like the C1 QuantumGravity watch.

By Ed Grabianowski

Although the idea of "thinking" underwear might make you snicker, the U.S. military isn't joking around. Find out how smart underwear could help monitor soldiers' vitals -- and more.

By Shanna Freeman

Looking rather like a fridge for fabrics, the Styler is a clothes manager that's designed to freshen up your duds. How does it work?

By Nathan Chandler

Sure, we're all obsessed with our phones, but does everyone think that strapping a timepiece to the wrist is redundant?

By Nicholas Gerbis

Although we love our mobile gadgetry, all those charging cords are annoying to keep up with and carry around. Wireless chargers eliminate the need for extra cables, but how do they power up your gear?

By Jonathan Strickland

Living with a nerve disorder can be extremely challenging, but there may be a new hope on the horizon. Can a garment called the Electrodress change the lives of patients forever?

By Maria Trimarchi

In September 2011, CERN announced that researchers had measured a particle moving faster than the speed of light. How did those initial findings hold up under further scrutiny?

By Wesley Fenlon

When you start talking about potentially shooting particles around faster than the speed of light, it's natural for people to wonder how on earth you can time such tests. So what does CERN do to make sure their instruments all have the same time?

By Wesley Fenlon

You may have heard about quartz and liquid crystal in reference to wristwatches, but do you know how the two materials make the time tick by?

By Jeff Harder

If you left your house at all in the last couple of years or so, you've seen QR codes all over the place. Scan one with your smartphone and you can check in with friends, buy a new shirt or even brag about the sex you just had.

By Linda C. Brinson