Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Safety Net Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Mashable @Home In My Bag Versus Trending Now Creator Playbook Mashable Selects Getting Technical with Mashable All Series Boost their reach with these gear upgrades. Previously, she was the site's Executive Editor and its very first Shopping Editor. Nicole is also Mashable's resident gifting expert and gets a thrill out of helping readers find the perfect present. She received a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an MFA in fiction writing from The New School. She lives in Maine with her husband, their three young children, and a backyard full of flowers .

Look Up Versus Trending Now Safety Net Say More Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Creator Playbook Mashable Selects Getting Technical with Mashable Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List In My Bag Mashable @Home All Series Is your smart TV listening to you? Probably. But, this may be a step too far. Matt Binder joined Mashable's tech vertical in 2018, where he covers social media, tech policy, cybersecurity, online scams, cryptocurrency, AI, creator news, weird tech, and other related tech beats. Samsung TVs allegedly scans third-party devices with microphones to listen to consumers, according to a cybersecurity researcher. If you own a Samsung TV without a built-in microphone, it might still be listening to you, according to a researcher who shared his findings this week.

Safety Net Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Creator Playbook Trending Now Mashable Selects Look Up Getting Technical with Mashable Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus In My Bag Mashable @Home All Series The mid-tier wireless mic space just got way more interesting. Soumya is a deals writer who covers consumer tech, shopping deals, and the products people use every day. With experience writing about everything from AI tools and software to smartphones and home gadgets, she enjoys breaking down product research into clear, useful recommendations. When she's not tracking deals, she's usually comparing products, digging through reviews, and figuring out what actually makes a purchase worth it. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.

The Dell Laptop Buying Guide UK: Which Dell Laptop Should You Buy? When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The Obsbot Meet Flip weighs just 1.34 ounces and folds away for easy transport, all while delivering sharp 4K footage and fast autofocus performance. The Obsbot Meet Flip is an impressive travel camera for laptops and the workplace. The foldable housing protects the lens, while the integrated stand eliminates the need for a separate monitor mount.

Meet Mori, a Cute Robot Mushroom That Doesn't Really Say (or Do) Anything Step one in convincing people to live with robots with cameras on their faces? You've had a long day. You finally get home, fling the door open, plonk on the couch, and let out a big sigh. In the corner of your eye, you notice your mushroom lamp perk up. Its microphone must have heard you come in.

Of course, the most straightforward way to eliminate any eavesdropping Alexa concerns is to simply mute your device's microphone. For most Alexa devices made by Amazon (the Echo lineup), the button to do so is located on the top of the device and looks like a microphone with a slash through it. Once you press it, you'll know the microphone is muted by the red light displayed on the Echo device. It's a bit antithetical to how the device is designed to be used, but if you don't mind manually turning the microphone on and off each time you want to ask Alexa something, it's an easy fix for privacy concerns. If you still want to be able to call out to Alexa without fiddling with a button each time, you can adjust your recording settings for extra data protection.

Apple just announced a brand new Apple TV 4K streaming box that was designed to accommodate Siri AI. This looks like a nifty bit of kit, but not everyone has 300 to spend on an updated streaming device. Luckily, the company also revealed that Siri AI would work with several older Apple TV 4K models, which is a nice surprise. Siri AI will be available as beta software in units going all the way back to the second-gen Apple TV 4K, which was released in 2021. It'll be part of tvOS 27.2, which arrives this fall.

Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable @Home Trending Now Mashable Selects Say More Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook In My Bag AI at School Safety Net All Series Based in New York City, Miller Kern is the Deputy Editor of Shopping and Reviews at Mashable, where she writes and edits reviews, roundups, deals, and news stories about tech products, including headphones, skincare devices, laptops, sex toys, e-readers, robot vacuums, and more. She's been covering all things shopping and tech, including shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, for Mashable since 2019. Miller can tell you which products are actually worth your money. She also explores trends in the shopping sphere, such as dupes and viral TikTok moments . All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This trick also improves day-to-day PC use, too. Malware can gain access to more than just documents and apps on your PC. Get infected with a certain kind of virus, and your camera and microphone are fair game, too. You can minimize part of the headache by disabling unused microphones.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Hackers say they've stolen sensitive data for thousands of FBI employees--including the results of blood and urine samples. But I've avidly followed the news that ShinyHunters, a prolific hacking group, allegedly broke into the FBI's personnel records. The high profile nature of this hack makes me wonder how well the agency's employees will weather any data theft--and what lessons we ordinary folk can take away from such a situation. Our employee records hold sensitive data, starting with our physical address, birth date, and social security number.