Micron Technology is winding down its consumer-facing Crucial brand to focus on providing RAM and other components to the AI industry, The Wall Street Journal reports. The company plans to continue shipping Crucial RAM and storage through February 2026, and will honor warranty service and support for its existing Crucial products even after it stops selling directly to consumers.
"The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments," Sumit Sadana, Micron Technology's EVP and Chief Business Officer said in an announcement to investors. Micron Technology didn't share how many jobs could be impacted by shuttering Crucial, but did note that it hoped to soften the blow via "redeployment opportunities into existing open positions within the company."
The majority of generative AI products used today are supported by a growing network of data centers that train and host large language models. The rapid buildout of servers at these data centers has been a boon to PC parts makers like NVIDIA, who provide the GPUs used to power them, but also companies like Micron, who build the memory components these computers need to run. It's not surprising the company would want to focus on where growing demand is, but it does put considerable strain on the remaining companies who continue to service both businesses and hobbyist PC-builders.
There were next to no true deals on memory or pre-built PCs for Black Friday due to how costly RAM has become now that AI companies are buying it in bulk. PC maker CyberPowerPC even went as far to say that "global memory (RAM) prices have surged by 500 percent and SSD prices have risen by 100 percent," forcing it to raise prices on its products. Losing another source of RAM like Crucial likely won't make things any better.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/crucial-is-a-casualty-of-ais-hunger-for-ram-185910113.html?src=rss
India will no longer require smartphone makers to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi "security" app. After blowback from Apple, Samsung and opposition leaders, the Modi government issued a statement saying it "has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers." The app is still available as a voluntary download.
India's Ministry of Communications framed the U-turn as a result of strong voluntary adoption. The nation said 14 million users (around 1 percent of the nation’s population) have downloaded the app. "The number of users has been increasing rapidly, and the mandate to install the app was meant to accelerate this process and make the app available to less aware citizens easily," the statement read.
In a statement sent to Engadget, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) celebrated India’s reversal. "This was a terrible and dangerous idea by the Indian government that lasted 24 hours longer than it ever should have," EFF Civil Liberties Director David Greene wrote. "We thank our colleague organizations in India, such as SFLC.in and Internet Freedom Foundation, for promptly opposing it."
The Indian government had previously given smartphone makers 90 days to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi app on all new phones. They were also required to deliver it to existing devices via software updates. India claims its app exists solely for cybersecurity purposes. It includes tools allowing users to report and lock lost or stolen devices.
But privacy advocates warned that it could be used as a government backdoor for mass surveillance. According to the BBC, the app’s privacy policy allows it to make and manage calls and send messages. It can access call and message histories, files, photos and the camera.
Reutersreports that industry experts cited Russia as the only known precedent for such a requirement. In August, Vladimir Putin's regime ordered the messenger app MAX to be preinstalled on all mobile devices in the country. Like with India's example, experts warned that it could be used for surveillance.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Apple would not comply with India's order, citing privacy and security concerns. Samsung reportedly followed. Opposition leaders in the Indian government also joined the fray. Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala called on the Modi government to clarify its legal authority for "mandating a non-removable app." Despite India's framing, it seems likely that the two companies' stances, along with domestic political pressure, played no small role in the reversal.
Update, December 3, 2025, 2:50 PM ET: This story has been updated to add a statement from the EFF.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/india-will-no-longer-require-smartphone-makers-to-preinstall-its-state-run-cybersecurity-app-171500923.html?src=rss
Sony is bringing another of its long-running game franchises to iOS and Android in the shape of MLB The Show Mobile. This is a free-to-play “standalone experience built from the ground up to deliver realistic baseball gameplay on mobile devices.” San Diego Studio, the developer of every MLB The Show game since the series debuted in 2006, is behind this mobile game as well.
MLB The Show Mobile, which was spotted by Gematsu, doesn’t feature crossplay with console games. For now, it’s only available in the Philippines and it went live there on Wednesday. Sony says it doesn’t have a timeline in place for expanding availability to more territories, but it certainly plans to do that. It’s not uncommon for mobile games to have a soft launch in select regions before they’re made available elsewhere. Sony is doing the same thing with a Ratchet and Clank multiplayer game.
Sony is optimizing MLB The Show Mobile for more recent mobile devices. On the iOS side, that means “iPhone 16 or comparable” devices. As for Android, you’ll get the best experience on Samsung Galaxy S25, Sony Xperia V or a comparable device, according to the game’s website.
MLB The Show Mobile features solo and player-vs-player modes. There are more than 1,100 cards representing baseball players in the game. You’ll be able to build out an all-star roster of MLB players past and present, and upgrade their cards. San Diego Studio appears to be tapping into the Ultimate Team modes of EA Sports games, as you’ll be able to buy and sell cards with other players in a marketplace. Sony also notes that in-game purchases can include random items.
Each of these player cards has a momentum cost. These are stat points you can use strategically to better your chances of winning. The gameplay is skill-based. You’ll need to get the timing right to throw a great pitch or hit the ball out of the park. You’ll have real-time control of runners as well, so you can try to steal bases.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-is-bringing-mlb-the-show-to-ios-and-android-163300468.html?src=rss
Video used to be an afterthought for Nikon, but since the company purchased RED last year, content creators are now high on its priority list. A perfect example of that is Nikon’s new $2,200 ZR: a full-frame mirrorless model that stands up against dedicated cinema cameras for a fraction of the price.
It’s the first consumer camera to capture video using RED’s 12-bit RAW format, but unlike RED’s Hollywood cameras, it has a fast and accurate autofocus system. It also comes with a huge display, pro video monitoring tools, in-body stabilization and 32-bit float internal audio recording. After shooting a short film that tested its capabilities, I can confirm that the Nikon ZR offers incredible video quality at this price.
Body and handling
While a bit lighter than Nikon’s Z6 III, the 1.19-pound (540-gram) ZR feels solid. It has a boxy design like Sony’s FX2 but a much smaller grip because it’s designed to be rigged up for cinema shooting with cages and handles. However, unlike the FX2 which has multiple 1/4-inch mounting threads to do such rigging, the ZR unfortunately has only one of those on the bottom.
The ZR also lacks an electronic viewfinder like the FX2, but it more than makes up for that with its huge 4-inch display — the largest I’ve ever seen on a mirrorless camera. At 1,000 nits, it’s bright enough to shoot on sunny days, extremely sharp (3.07 million dots) and flips out for vloggers. All of that makes it a perfect primary display for checking the image and controlling the camera.
Nikon has nailed the ZR’s handling, too. While it’s not covered with buttons and dials like some models, it does have two shooting dials to control exposure and a joystick for autofocus. There’s also a camera/video switch, two record buttons, a power switch and five customizable buttons. Many of Nikon’s lenses come with control rings as well, so extra manual control is available.
The menu button is unusual: you press once for the quick menu and hold to see the full menu. Given the large number of settings, I would advise anyone buying this camera to learn all the important adjustments, then customize the controls to avoid wading through dense menus while shooting.
Another unique feature is in the battery compartment. There’s a single fast CFexpress slot to handle RAW video, plus a microSD slot for proxies. The lack of a second CFexpress slot or fast SD card slot for backup isn’t ideal for a professional camera, though.
Finally, the ZR runs on the same N‑EL15c batteries as other Nikon mirrorless cameras. They allow 90 minutes of HD shooting on a charge, or 390 photos per CIPA standards. That’s mediocre, so if you’re planning long shoots, stock up on batteries.
Video
Steve Dent for Engadget
The Nikon ZR has the largest selection of RAW video settings I’ve seen. The centerpiece is RED’s RAW R3D NE light codec (designed by RED for Nikon) with RED’s Log3G10 log format. It also supports Nikon’s N-RAW, ProRes/ProRes RAW and H.265 with resolution that ranges from 6K at up to 60 fps to 4K 120 fps and 1080p at 240 fps. Despite the smallish body, it can capture 6K RAW video continuously for 125 minutes without overheating.
The 24MP sensor uses a dual ISO system with native 800 and 6,400 ISOs, providing a nice range for indoor and outdoor shooting. The company claims 15+ stops of dynamic range, which is more than just about any other mirrorless camera. Other key video features include five-axis in-body stabilization with seven stops of shake reduction, waveform and vectorscope monitoring and a false color display for manual focus.
To test the camera’s features and video quality, I shot a short film in a mix of indoor low light, outdoor daytime and a mix between the two. I also shot handheld (including running with it) to test the stabilization. I primarily captured in R3D RAW, as well as Nikon’s N-RAW at the native 800 and 6,400 ISOs to maximize dynamic range. (You can take 24MP photos with this camera, but I’m focusing on video as it’s mainly designed for that.)
In order to not see a flat log profile when shooting, you’ll need to apply a look-up table (LUT) designed for RED cameras, like "Achromic," "Bleach" or "Caustic." Those are only for in-camera previews and not baked into the video, but you can apply those LUTs later in Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve to get the same look.
Steve Dent for Engadget
With such a high native ISO, I was able to shoot inside with a single studio light. Video quality was outstanding with little noise in shadow regions, even after boosting black levels in post. Meanwhile, the RED R3D codec and Log3G10 gave me extra latitude to reveal shadow detail and dial down highlights when I shot the subject against a bright window.
When you use the R3D codec, exposure is strictly manual with no ability to set auto shutter speed (shutter angle) or f-stop. So, for a scene with varying light, I used Nikon’s N-RAW to see if it would give me the correct exposure at the beginning and end of the scene. It did a good job, with no noticeable jumps during the shot.
Video in sunlight at ISO 800 was also sharp with accurate colors after downscaling to 4K from 6K in DaVinci Resolve. ISO 800 is a relatively high native setting, though, and the ZR doesn’t have a built-in ND filter to reduce exposure. That means you’ll need to buy ND filters for outside shooting or the high shutter speeds will result in choppy video.
Cinema cameras from Blackmagic Design, Arri or RED are manual-focus only. But the ZR is a Nikon camera, and it has the best AF system I’ve seen on any of the company’s models, consistently nailing focus even with moving subjects. You can also automatically track vehicles, birds and other animals. At the same time, the ZR handles manual focus well. That’s thanks to a built-in display that’s big enough to check focus accurately and Nikon’s focus peaking setting with three levels of sensitivity.
Steve Dent for Engadget
In-body stabilization on the ZR wasn’t up to par with Panasonic’s S1 II, however. Video was smooth for handheld shooting if I panned the camera gently, but all my running and walking shots showed noticeable camera shake. That said, the ZR at least has in-body stabilization, unlike most cinema cameras, and most filmmakers will use a gimbal for running shots, regardless of which camera they use. (Note that the rattling you hear when the ZR is turned off is the sensor, which floats by design.)
Finally, I was able to capture good audio quality via an external microphone without any clipping worries thanks to the Nikon ZR’s 32-bit float internal audio capture. The company also touts directional capture using its built-in mics, but as with any such system, audio quality isn’t high enough for production use.
Wrap-up
With the ZR, Nikon has shown that it’s finally catching up to and even surpassing its rivals for content creation. Whether you’re doing social media, YouTube, documentaries or even film production, this camera is versatile and powerful with few compromises. Video quality and ease of use even beats models that are double or triple the price.
The ZR’s primary competition is in the low-end cinema cameras, particularly Sony’s $2,998 FX2 and the $3,899 Canon R5C. While more expensive, both come with an electronic viewfinder that the ZR lacks, and the R5C can shoot up to 8K video. Another option is Blackmagic Design’s Pyxis 6K camera, but it only offers basic autofocus capabilities and lacks in-body stabilization.
Compared to those options, Nikon’s ZR delivers better dynamic range thanks to the inclusion of RED’s R3D RAW codec. It also comes with an excellent autofocus system and decent in-body stabilization. If you’re a creator looking to get the best video quality for the money without losing those niceties, I’d highly recommend the ZR.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/nikon-zr-review-a-highly-capable-cinema-camera-at-a-reasonable-price-152634311.html?src=rss
Superhuman, the AI-powered mail app, is heading in a more agentic direction with its latest update. Its "write with AI" feature, which you could previously activate when drafting an email, now works across your inbox, calendar, and the web. This means it can now pull in information from other emails or research a topic online. The AI will think for as long as it needs before responding to a prompt and will open its Ask AI tool if it needs clarification.
Ask AI now lives in a left sidebar when you’re on desktop, so it’s always accessible should you need to draft a note, ask a question or quickly schedule a meeting without digging around in your emails. You can also now check your Ask AI history on iOS and desktop for previous conversations. Write with AI is also now available on Android, which will soon gain the other new features too.
Superhuman
Superhuman was acquired by Grammarly earlier this year, with the latter recently rebranding so all of its AI apps now sit under the Superhuman umbrella. The mail service is seemingly primarily targeted at business rather than consumers, with its most advanced version of Write with AI and Ask AI being included in Business and Enterprise plans. The more basic standard version of Write with AI is rolled into the Starter plan for desktop and mobile.
Superhuman is promising further agentic updates in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/superhuman-formerly-grammarly-has-some-ai-updates-for-its-superhuman-mail-app-140017716.html?src=rss
One of the iPhone’s many accessibility features is something Apple calls "Magnifier," which uses the smartphone's cameras to magnify and identify objects in the world around you. For Global Accessibility Awareness Day in May this year, Apple brought Magnifier to the Mac, opening up even more places the assistive tool can be used, like classroom or work environments where you might already have a MacBook pulled out.
Magnifier requires macOS 26 Tahoe and can work with a built-in webcam, a connected third-party camera or an iPhone via Apple's Continuity feature. Provided your MacBook can run Apple’s latest software update, it’s a natural fit for zooming in on a whiteboard at the back of a large lecture hall or getting a closer look at documents on a desk in front of you. You can use the app to both capture an individual image you want to refer to later, or to analyze text in a live video feed. But where to begin? Here’s how to set up and use Magnifier on your Mac.
How to use Magnifier to identify and display text
A MacBook using Magnifier and a connected iPhone to identify and format text from a book.
Apple
Magnifier's most powerful feature uses the MacBook's machine learning capabilities to identify, display and format text that your camera captures. This works with text your camera can see in the room around you, and things it captures via macOS' Desk View feature. For example, to view documents on your desk:
Open Magnifier.
Click on the Camera section in Magnifier's menu bar and then select your Desk View camera from the dropdown menu.
Click on the Reader icon (a simple illustration of a document) near the top-right of your Magnifier window.
Click on the sidebar menu icon to access settings to format text.
Apple gives you options to change the color, font and background of text Magnifier identifies, among other customization options. If you'd prefer to capture faraway text, you can position a webcam or iPhone camera facing away from you and swap to it via the Camera section in Magnifier's menu bar.
You can also listen to any text Magnifier has identified by clicking on the Play button in the top-right corner of Magnifier's reader mode. Clicking the Pause button will pause playback, clicking the Skip Forward or Skip Backward buttons skip through lines of text, and if you want to adjust playback speed, you can click on the 1x button and pick a speed from the dropdown menu.
How to use Magnifier to zoom in on yourself
Magnifier can identify text, but it also works as a way to get a zoomed in view of your own face.
Ian Carlos Campbell for Engadget
By default, Magnifier uses your MacBook's built-in webcam, which means you'll see a view of yourself and whatever's behind you if you don't have another camera selected. This might not be usual for seeing faraway text, but it is handy if you're applying makeup, putting in contacts or doing anything else where you need a detailed view of your face.
In my tests, using Magnifier worked the best with my MacBook's built-in webcam or an iPhone. When I tried using a third-party webcam from Logitech, my live camera feed was noticeably laggy. Your mileage may vary, but if you experience any issues with your own webcam, it's worth trying your built-in webcam to see if that helps. You can swap between cameras and zoom in to your camera feed inside the Magnifier app:
Open Magnifier.
In the top menu bar, select Camera and then click on the camera you'd like to use in the dropdown menu.
Use the slider in the top center of the Magnifier window to zoom in on yourself.
You can see a live feed of your zoomed in view in Magnifier's main window. If you click on the Camera button in the bottom-left corner of the app, you can also snap a photo to review later. Any photos you capture will appear in Magnifier's left sidebar menu. Clicking on them lets you view them, zoom in on them and adjust their visual appearance (Brightness, Contrast and other visual settings) via the Image section in Magnifier's menu bar.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/how-to-use-magnifier-on-a-macbook-to-zoom-in-on-faraway-text-080100677.html?src=rss
ExpressVPN, one of the best VPNs, is launching two brand-new features that sound confusingly like things it already does. Users on Android, Mac and iOS (but apparently not Windows, Linux or smart TVs) can now use Fastest Location to automatically pick the VPN server with the fastest download speed and lowest latency. Mac users are also getting an overhauled ExpressVPN app designed to work natively with MacOS.
If you've used ExpressVPN before, your first reaction probably went something like "Wait, didn't it already have a Fastest Location button and a Mac app?" You're not wrong, but there's still a meaningful difference with these new features. In the past, ExpressVPN didn't technically pick the fastestlocation, but the Smart Location, which picks the best available server using "metrics such as download speed, latency, and distance" (emphasis mine). Those are the same metrics as the new feature, but the such as makes me think there are, or were, other ingredients in the "smart location" algorithm.
My guess is that ExpressVPN is rebranding "smart" to "fastest" in response to customer complaints that "smart" was picking sub-optimal server locations. That's not a behavior I noticed when I last reviewed ExpressVPN — the smart location was always plenty fast for me — but I'm just one user. Only testing can show whether they actually changed the algorithm or just the name.
The new Mac app is a more straightforward upgrade. While ExpressVPN has always had a client for Mac, it's thus far been a port of an app originally developed for iPad. This makes its otherwise-excellent interface feel a bit like, well, a phone app you use on your desktop. In contrast, the new app was built using Project Catalyst, which lets Mac developers turn their iOS apps into desktop-native software. The new interface looks a lot richer, using the screen space a lot like Proton VPN does. And being more like Proton VPN is rarely a bad thing.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/expressvpn-adds-a-fastest-location-button-and-launches-a-new-native-mac-app-205837728.html?src=rss
Raspberry Pi is raising prices on many single-board computers, with increases going into effect immediately. The Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 modules are shooting up by $5 to $25, depending on the model and the included amount of RAM. The 16GB memory variants of the Compute Module 5 are going up by $20 and now start at $140.
This is a bummer and we know who to thank. It's the ultimate memory hog of all time, the AI industry.
"The current pressure on memory prices, driven by competition from the AI infrastructure roll-out, is painful but ultimately temporary," CEO Eben Upton wrote in a blog post. He also said that the company looks forward to "unwinding these price increases once it abates." Once a price shoots up it doesn't typically go down again, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Raspberry Pi
There is a spot of good news here. The company also announced a new 1GB variant of the Raspberry Pi 5 that costs just $45. This one includes a quad-core 2.4GHz Arm Cortex-A76 processor, dual-band Wi-Fi and a PCI Express slot.
AI companies hoover up RAM like a vacuum over kitty litter and Raspberry Pi is just the latest organization to face consequences. The skyrocketing price of RAM has impacted businesses like CyberPower PC, which recently announced that there would be no holiday sales on memory products.
Of course, AI companies also gobble up GPUs, which has placed a strain on the entire industry. But can you really put a price on an AI-created video of Pikachu getting cooked in a stew or a fake livestream? This is serious stuff that requires every iota of our water, electricity, attention and money.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/raspberry-pi-raises-prices-thanks-to-ai-190618469.html?src=rss
Android 16 first came out in June but, in a change from its usual yearly update schedule, a second iteration is now on the way. Android has announced new features ranging from AI-powered notification summaries to built-in parental controls. As usual, the update will roll out to eligible Pixel devices first.
Anyone who has used Apple Intelligence, will find some of these Android 16 features familiar. Such is the case for new notification tools, like AI-powered message summaries and a notification organizer. Other updates also align with existing Apple tools like built-in parental controls, for things like screen time and app usage.
Android 16's second release has additional new features, including custom icon shapes, themed icons and an expanded dark theme. The company claims the latter should improve battery life.
Outside of Android 16's second go around, the company is also rolling out a series of general updates. There's Circle To Search, which uses an AI Overview to find out if a message is likely to be spam — and gives advice on next steps. Similarly, Google Messages will now send an alert any time an unknown number sends a group invite. It will offer a one-tap option to leave, block and report.
In what could be helpful or get annoying really fast, Android is beta testing something titled Call Reason. It allows Android users to mark their call as "urgent" when calling a saved contact. It will not only show as urgent on the call screen, but keeps the note if they miss the call. Pinned Tabs are also now available on Chrome for Android, staying saved and upfront, just like in Chrome on desktop. Plus, a feature called Expressive Captions is coming that should shine a light on a person's emotion in a video, despite the sound being turned off.
These Expressive Captions are also coming to YouTube as part of Android's new accessibility updates. Additional features include Fast Pair for hearing aids and Guided Frame with Gemini, which gives a description of what's in view on the Pixel camera app. Learn more about all of Android's accessibility updates here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/android-16-updates-include-ai-powered-notification-summaries-and-built-in-parental-controls-190057208.html?src=rss
Google has announced a slew of new accessibility features coming to Android ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday. Advanced voice dictation, expanded support for an external mouse and improved expressive captions are just some of the features aiming to make Android a more accessible mobile experience.
A more advanced dark theme is now available for devices running Android 16 that will automatically darken most apps even when those apps lack their own native dark modes. Exclusive to Android 16, users can now select between "Standard" and "Expanded" when setting up Dark theme.
For those using a connected mouse with an Android device but who might find the action of clicking difficult, AutoClick now has an improved dwell cursor experience. This feature means the cursor will automatically click after it has paused over something for a certain amount of time, as set by the user. The type of click itself can also be customized, with a user's choice of left-click, right-click, double-click, long press, scroll or drag.
Hands-free use is a cornerstone of accessibility for mobile devices, and now Gemini-powered voice dictation within TalkBack will enable typing and text editing using natural commands. Users can start dictating in Gboard with a two-finger double-tap, after which Smart Dictation with Gemini empowers users to say things like "replace Monday with Tuesday" to fix a mistake or even ask Gemini to make their message shorter. Google says TalkBack is "launching soon."
Google has also added new functionality to Guided Frame, which helps blind or low-vision users take photos in the Pixel camera app. The tool can now describe the scene to the user as well as let them know when there's a face in frame.
Voice Access has also been made easier to use in a totally hands-free way. Instead of having to physically tap the phone's screen to start using the feature, users can now say "Hey Google, start Voice Access" to gain hands-free control. The feature does need to be enabled first for this to work.
Android devices can now pair to Bluetooth LE Audio-enabled hearing aids with a single tap. This expanded use of Fast Pair is compatible with Demant hearing aids and support for Starkey products is coming in early 2026.
Finally, Google is also building on expressive captions, the AI powered tool released last year that tries to imbue more feeling into captions. On Android, expressive captions can now "detect and display the emotional tone of speech" from the audio playing on your device. Captions will be tagged with emotions like joy or sadness. The feature is also coming to YouTube where captions will now convey the intensity of speech by using all caps, and writing out sounds like sighs and gasps. This will be live for all videos in English uploaded after October.
With the exception of TalkBack, which is launching soon, these new accessibility features are live now. As with most Google updates, it may take some time for the updates to hit every device.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-is-getting-a-slew-of-new-accessibility-features-190016358.html?src=rss
