A new consultation aims to lead to new laws expanding the use of the technology by more police forces. Read...

Despite widespread awareness of AI`s impact, most workers lack the skills and training needed, posing challenges as businesses embrace AI technology. Read...

REA Group and Annexa mark a decade of successful partnership, innovating finance systems and driving continuous tech advancements since 2014. Read...

The AI boom has claimed another victim: Crucial, Micron’s consumer storage brand that the company says will wind down in 2026 to focus on its enterprise businesses. Micron said that it will close Crucial in February 2026, though it will continue to support Crucial products and provide warranty support. (The company did not say for how long, however.) If this feels familiar, it should. AI hyperscalers have sucked up the available supply of many components that also feature inside the PC; two of those are DRAM and storage, both of which Micron’s Crucial business sold to consumers. Black Friday may have been literally the last chance for deals on DRAM and SSDs, as prices in DRAM are skyrocketing and SSD prices have begun to increase as well. Some PC makers are warning that they will increase prices later in December because of rising component costs. Meanwhile, many of those same components are in high demand by enterprise AI businesses. The logic is simple: Either compete to sell those same products at the lowest margin for consumers, or sell memory and storage at whatever prices well-funded enterprise businesses are willing to pay to build out their own AI deployments. “The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage,” Sumit Sadana, executive vice president and chief business officer at Micron Technology, said in a statement. “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. Thanks to a passionate community of consumers, the Crucial brand has become synonymous with technical leadership, quality and reliability of leading-edge memory and storage products. We would like to thank our millions of customers, hundreds of partners and all of the Micron team members who have supported the Crucial journey for the last 29 years.” “By concentrating on core enterprise and commercial segments, Micron aims to improve long-term business performance and create value for strategic customers as well as stakeholders,” Micron added, implying that there is more value in selling to businesses than consumers. Micron will continue to sell Micron-branded products to enterprises, it added. Micron’s decision means that there’s some small, faint hope that retailers might discount the company’s products to clear their own shelves and expand relationships with competitors, such as Kingston. Still, Micron’s decision reflects the reality of the business right now: Selling into consumer PCs simply won’t make as much money for component makers as relationships with hyperscalers will, and we’re all going to pay the price. Read...

One of the largest sunspot formations of the past several years is currently visible on the sun. The group, catalogued as AR 4294-4298, is so large that several of the dark regions exceed the Earth’s diameter. According to Newsweek, these are the largest sunspots in a decade. With binoculars or a telescope and an appropriate solar filter, the spots on the western side of the sun can be clearly identified. NASA’s solar probe Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recently documented a solar flare in this region. Possible effects on Earth The sunspots are currently pointing towards Earth. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that coronal mass ejections (CME) from the active regions have not yet hit Earth. Nevertheless, experts predict that they could turn to more favorable positions over the next week, such that activities like solar flares could also be felt on Earth. For those of us on Earth, this could mean a special visual spectacle: auroras are possible when the plasma hurled into space by the sun hits the Earth’s magnetic field. The sunspot AR 4274 already caused spectacular northern lights some time ago. After rotating around the sun’s axis, the sunspot is now back under the new designation AR 4294-4298 and it’s significantly larger than before. Historical comparison and risks SpaceWeather.com draws a comparison with the sunspot region of 1859, which triggered the so-called “Carrington Event,” which was the strongest documented solar storm to date. The current formation is around 90 percent the size of that historical one. Although the exact impact on Earth and technology is still unclear, strong solar storms can jeopardize satellites, including systems like Starlink as well as GPS-based navigation systems. According to some studies, underwater internet repeaters could be particularly vulnerable, leading to regional or even global outages. Land-based fiber optic connections are less affected, so the US is somewhat less at risk. Experts are monitoring the sunspot activity closely so that they can react in good time in the event of an emergency. Read...

One of the things that I always carry in my bag or backpack is a power bank. You never know when you’re going to have to top off your phone to get it through the day! But here’s the cool part: technology has evolved in such a way that you don’t necessarily have to buy a power bank itself — you can get a different gadget with a completely different purpose that has a built-in power bank. Win-win! From electric hand warmers to portable fans to flashlights, I found several deeply useful tech products that will be helpful in everyday situations… and extra handy when your phone’s battery starts dying on you. Charging station with removable power bank, 10,000mAh Smtcsl A desk charging station can simplify your life by allowing you to charge your smartphone, earbuds, and Apple Watch all at once. The standout feature? The magnetic wireless charger for your phone is removable, so you can easily pop it out and take it on the go. With a 10,000mAh capacity, it provides roughly two full charges for your device. This charging station has a $60 MSRP, but we’ve seen it as low as $40. Buy now at Amazon Wall charger with power bank, 15,000mAh LOVELEDI Why bother getting both a power bank and a wall charger when you can just get this Loveledi two-in-one model? The power bank features foldable pins so you can plug it directly into an outlet and you can use the built-in cables to charge your gear. When you leave, the 15,000mAh capacity will definitely be helpful. This thing has an MSRP of $29, but you can often find it available on discount. Buy now at Amazon Portable handheld fan, 9,000mAh JISULIFE When you’re out and about during hot days, you can just use this portable fan to cool yourself down. And when your phone runs out of battery, you can use it as a power bank too. Now that’s versatility! With a 9,000mAh capacity, you get a full recharge of your phone and plenty left for other gadgets or a later top-off. Need more incentive to get one? The gadget is also a flashlight, jet pan, and air pump — phew! You can often find this device for about $75. Buy now at Amazon Rorry keychain power bank, 5,000mAh Rorry One thing everyone has on their keys is a keychain. Well, this one’s a tad more special because it’s also a 5,000mAh power bank with two built-in cables and a magnetic charging pad for your Apple Watch. It’s light, it’s compact, and it’s so useful to have around. It also comes in about a million colors so you can pick your favorite. It’s only going to cost you $30 to get one, which isn’t bad at all. Buy now at Amazon Ocoopa hand warmers, 10,000mAh Ocoopa Whether you’re considering getting some hand warmers because winter is coming or just because you always have cold hands, these Ocoopa rechargeable hand warmers should definitely be on your radar. They conveniently magnetize to each other when not in use, so you don’t lose them. Each of the two is also a 5,000mAh power bank that can recharge your phone on the go if you have a USB-C cable on hand. These versatile hand warmers have a $30 MSRP, but they’re often on sale. Buy now at Amazon Loop SK05 Pro LED flashlight, 8,000mAh Loop Having a flashlight in your bag can be super helpful, especially if you often have to walk in poorly lit areas. This Loop Gear SK05 Pro LED flashlight delivers over 4K lumens, brightening up the path ahead. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s easily rechargeable, so you don’t have to waste any batteries. Oh, and it also acts as a power bank with an 8,000mAh capacity which is useful if your phone is close to dying on you. It’s a bit pricey, though, dipping just under $100 when on sale. Buy now at Amazon Mosquito repeller device, 9,000mAh PathVenture If you’re like me and unknowingly walk around as a mosquito magnet all summer long, then you could probably use one of these portable repeller devices. Whether you take this with you on walks or even in your back yard, it will come in handy, heating up the repellent mats and protecting you from bites. It also has a 9,000mAh power bank inside and acts as a flashlight in emergency situations. That’s a well-spent $30. Buy now at Amazon Vanvale tactical flashlight, 9,600mAh Vanvale Obviously, it’s easy to turn a flashlight into a powerbank, but we really couldn’t ignore this massive tactical LED flashlight from the conversation. This thing can be super useful to have in your home and to take with you while camping, featuring 5 lighting modes. There’s enough power in this thing to recharge your phone at least once completely, so if you’re ever in need you can rely on it. Buy now at Amazon Warwolf portable air compressor, 10,000mAh Warwolf One thing you need to have in your care is a portable air compressor. This Warwolf is super useful because it will easily inflate your tires to the exact target value, automatically stopping when optimal tire pressure is achieved. It can be charged via USB port and you can use those same ports to charge your phone if you’re ever in need. This one will set you back about $50 if you get it on sale. Buy now at Amazon Read...

Retailers in Australia and New Zealand must act like technology firms, using real-time data and strong security to thrive during peak shopping seasons. Read...

Its rise might yet follow the path of previous technological revolutions. Read...

The scientists on a quest to improve our predictions of global sea level rise. Read...

The just-released “pro” version of Philips Hue’s smart hub comes with a killer feature: the ability to turn your Hue lights into motion detectors. But as I noted after testing the Bridge Pro last month, Hue’s motion-sensing functionality is missing a key feature.  Specifically, Hue’s new MotionAware system is pretty good at detecting movement, but it can’t sense when a room is simply being occupied by someone.   The ability to detect presence as well as motion in a room would be the “next step” for Hue, company founder and technology chief George Yanni has acknowledged, although it’s not clear exactly when Philips Hue might actually take that next step.  “We, in theory, can sense more sophisticated things than just motion,” Yanni said in a recent interview with HomeKit Insider (via HueBlog.com). “The next step would be presence, and maybe in the future, we work out how to sense more things.”  But Yanni also sounded a word of caution, noting that Hue wouldn’t roll out a new feature like presence sensing “until we’re sure it’s reliable,” adding that “we have quite a high-quality experience bar to break.”  As it stands, the Hue’s MotionAware system enables three or more Hue lights in a room to detect movement by tracking disruptions in the Zigbee radio signals that connect the bulbs to the hub and each other.   When the Zigbee field in a user-designated motion zone is disturbed, boom: motion detected, an event that can trigger an event like enabling a lighting scene. Conversely, if MotionAware doesn’t detect motion for a set period of time, it can trigger another event, such as turning off the lights in a given room.  But while Hue’s MotionAware feature is pretty good at detecting motion, it’s not so great at presence sensing—that is, detecting that someone is present but sitting still in a motion zone. During my testing, for example, MotionAware would turn my kitchen lights on when I entered the room, but if I sat down and started eating lunch, it would eventually turn the lights off while I was still eating—not a great experience.  Presence sensing isn’t as important when it comes to security cameras and video doorbells, in which case you mainly want to know if someone’s creeping around your front yard or leaving a package at your door. But occupancy detection is key when it comes to ensuring your dining room lights don’t turn off in the middle of a meal.  To be fair, most other motion detectors have the same issue, which is why there’s a separate category of presence detectors—or devices that use a variety of methods (from passive infrared sensors and ultrasonic sensors to RGB cameras and CO2 detectors) to sense whether someone is in a room, moving or not.  From Yanni’s interview, it certainly sounds like adding presence sensing to MotionAware’s bag of tricks is a possibility, as well as a major opportunity for Hue. “Because you have lights in every room of your house…we’re the perfect category to roll out room-level presence sensing to a home,” Yanni said during the HomeKit Insider podcast.   “There’s no other real product category that can do that, right? Everything else, you have to add a dedicated sensing device,” Yanni continued. “So I think we have an exciting role to play to make technologies like MotionAware part of the sensing fabric of our homes.”  This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lights. Read...