‘Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle’ tempers insanity with charm

When I first stumbled across the rumor that Nintendo and Ubisoft had teamed up to make a Super Mario Bros. and Raving Rabbids cross-over, I chose to live in denial. It just wasn’t something I wanted to be real. The very idea of allowing the banal, annoying humor that defined Ubisoft’s screaming mascots into the Mushroom Kingdom just felt wrong to me. I told myself it had to be a joke, because if it wasn’t, I was either going to have to play a Rabbids game — something I’d avoided for over a decade — or skip the first original Mario title to release on the Nintendo Switch. I was wrong. It’s real. And you know what’s weird? Not only is Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle actually pretty good, but the mascots I primed myself to reject, completely steal the show.

I may be here to eat my words, but I stand by my initial apprehension. The Raving Rabbids are the virtual embodiment of all of my least favorite comedic tropes: inane slapstick, body, toilet and underwear humor, juvenile antics and — more than anything — the screaming. The Rabbids’ iconic screaming “bwah” feels like the most overused joke in video games, and I didn’t see how a repetitive annoying noise could improve Mario’s world in any way. When I resigned myself to my fate and actually played the game, however, almost everything I’d grown to dislike about the Rabbids simply wasn’t there — or rather, what was there had been tempered by the Mushroom Kingdom in a way that brought Ubisoft’s sense of humor in balance with the world of Nintendo.

The game’s opening cutscene starts out with pure Rabbid chaos — complete with toilet humor, physical slapstick, and even a brief iconic scream — but it doesn’t linger on this havoc, instead it uses it as a vehicle for the game’s barebones story. Traveling in a combination washing machine/time machine, the Rabbids stumble upon the workshop of a young inventor who has created a device that can combine any two objects into a single hybrid object. They then accidentally use it to merge themselves with all the Super Mario Bros. memorabilia in her room.

It’s an opening that embraces everything about the Rabbids that drives me crazy, but as soon as Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle settles into its narrative, everything kind of balances out — largely because the Rabbids we follow in the game aren’t part of a chorus of generic and insane mascots, but four wholly unique characters dressed up as slightly twisted versions of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Yoshi.

Despite donning the Nintendo character’s iconic threads, each Rabbid has its own personality distinct from the character they’re dressed as. Unlike the Princess, Rabbid Peach is sassy and hilariously vain. Similarly, Rabbid Mario isn’t a joyful beaming hero, but instead a reckless, gruff macho man. These new personas help Ubisoft’s characters get away from the tired body humor gags and aggravating screams — and instead allows them to far more interesting character driven humor.

The flipside to this, however, is it makes Nintendo’s classic characters seem almost dull in comparison. The Nintendo-ified Rabbids burst with personality and life — they’re constantly stealing the show with gags and over-the-top reactions. Mario and friends, on the other hand, play their traditional roles with strict rigidity. There’s nothing wrong with that, but in the shadow of a burly over-confident Rabbid in a red hat, the squeaky clean corporate image of Super Mario seems just a little less colorful.

The exception to this contrast, fortunately, is Princess Peach. She spends the first few sections of the game dutifully filling out her stereotypical role as a helpless monarch before crashing the narrative at a key moment to save Mario’s bacon. Peach enters the story as a complete badass that somehow retains all the poise and grace of her traditional damsel persona, and it’s glorious. It’s been too long since we’ve seen the leader of the Mushroom Kingdom play the heroine.

How she plays that role may be the most unconventional thing about it. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a game unlike either of the series that inspired it. It’s not a minigame collection, a platformer or even “comedy adventure.” Like Rabbids Go Home — it’s a turn-based tactical RPG. At E3, the game drew comparisons to titles like XCOM and Fire Emblem. That comparison isn’t wrong, but it feels a bit inaccurate. Like both of those games, Mario + Rabbids puts your team on grid with enemy troops and destructible cover, but the battle system is a lot less hardcore. Distance doesn’t play a role in the player’s chance to hit an enemy. For instance — if an enemy is in unobstructed view, they have a 100 percent success rate. Shooting at an opponent who is hiding behind cover? Drop that down to 50 percent — and only take it to zero if they’re fully behind a wall.

Mario + Rabbid’s statistics game is simplified, but that doesn’t mean the battle system doesn’t have its own complexities. The game encourages players to create chain and combo moves from the character’s array of skills. One could activate Peach’s “Royal Gaze” move, for instance, to automatically attack an enemy who moves within his line of sight… and then use Rabbid Mario’s Magnet Dance attack to force enemies to activate the attack. It’s still very much a basic tactical battle game, but it’s still robust and challenging enough to keep the attention of seasoned players.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for the game’s overworld. When the player isn’t in battle, they’ll be exploring the Mushroom Kingdom on foot. This mostly amounts to walking from battlefield to battlefield, but the game breaks things up from time to time with an overworld puzzle. For the most part, these are simple, dull box-pushing puzzles. It might be a suitable challenge for younger gamers, but for adults, these puzzles get old fast. At least the overworld is filled with humor and fun to explore — there’s usually at least one set of Rabbids performing a gag in-between each battlefield. They’re often legitimately funny, too.

I still can’t believe Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle exists. Despite both fitting into the family friendly category, Nintendo and Ubisoft’s brands just aren’t two I ever saw working together — but I’m happy to be wrong. Kingdom Battle isn’t just a legitimately fun tactical game, it’s one that bleeds with a passion for Nintendo’s mascot. It’s a game that feels like it’s fun to play because someone had fun making it. It has some glitches, rough edges and a few woefully boring puzzles, but if you can’t wait for Super Mario Odyssey and want a completely different kind of Mario game, consider checking it out. It’s surprising, fun and a bit of an odyssey in its own right.

Samsung hints that another 360-degree camera is in the works

The Gear 360 camera only reached shelves a few months ago, but that might not stop Samsung from readying a quick follow-up. The tech giant has quietly applied for a trademark on “360 Round,” hinting at the possibility of another VR camera in the works. There aren’t any obvious clues about the hardware’s features, but its familiar-sounding RM-R260 model number (the 360 is the RM-R210) suggests that it’s very much a sibling to the Gear 360. The “Round” badging also hints it might be a more compact, strictly spherical device versus the Gear 360’s eyestalk shape, but it’s hard to say for sure.

The bigger question: assuming the 360 Round is a tangible product, when does it arrive? This week’s IFA trade show would make sense for a debut, since it’s where Samsung is expected to unveil mobile-friendly accessories like a new Gear smartwatch and the Gear Fit 2 Pro. However, that’s assuming that Samsung is filing for a trademark with the camera basically ready to ship. Companies sometimes file for trademarks months in advance, so it’s possible that you might not see the 360 Round until 2018 — if it shows up in the first place.

Via: LetsGoDigital, Forbes

Source: TMDN.org

The hits and misses of Gamescom 2017

We’ve just wrapped up another games show, and found plenty to keep us busy in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom might not have the flagship reveals of E3, but all the major games makers are here — and they usually have plenty to show off. Whether it was VR tasters, indie hits of the future or adding drama to the beautiful game, there’s likely something for everyone. Here’s what wowed — and what underwhelmed — the Engadget team.

And don’t forget: You can check out the rest of our coverage right here.

Nick Summers
Associate Editor, Engadget UK

The best:

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine has been on my radar for a while now. Back in 2015, Engadget’s own Jess Conditt wrote a wonderful feature about its intriguing and melancholic music. Finally, at Gamescom 2017, I was able to play a slice of the game for myself. It’s a hard title to describe, but here goes; part visual novel, part open-world RPG, your goal is travel across America and collect “stories” from its inhabitants. These extraordinary tales can then be told to other people, who might share more of their own life story in return. The idea is to collect so many that you can weave your own, epic yarn about the American dream.

Notably, all of the individual stories have been written by different people, including Cara Ellison (Dishonored 2), Austin Walker (Waypoint), Leigh Alexander (The Guardian) and Anne Toole (The Witcher). It comes together as a kind of anthology piece, exploring different nooks and crannies of American culture. The overworld is like a JRPG, the camera positioned up high as you push a skeletal figure towards stamp-sized towns and houses. It’s painted in beautiful, pastel colors, with sharp line work that gives it an almost cel-shaded feel. Couple that with some stunning, picture book-esque story sequences, and you have a game oozing with style.

Where the Water tastes like Wine

There’s a supernatural element to the story (you’re a walking skeleton, after all) which blends well with the folklore theme. The stories you find and share with other people take on a life of their own, developer Johnnemann Nordhagen tells me, morphing and evolving like a game of “Pass It On.” As you walk across America, you’ll encounter a world with a “psychedelic, surreal and creepy tinge” too, no doubt commentating on humanity, society and the different shades of morality through the ages. There’s no release date just yet, but I’m keen to see how Where the Water Tastes Like Wine turns out.

The worst:

I love Little Witch Academia. The Japanese anime produced by Trigger is a light-hearted, comical series about Atsuko “Akko” Kagari and her studies at the Luna Nova Magical Academy. The franchise has had a rocky journey; it started as a 26-minute short in 2013, before a second, slightly longer feature was funded through Kickstarter. The property’s rising popularity then gave birth to a 12-episode season that just finished airing in Japan and on Netflix worldwide. Now, it’s getting a video game called Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time.

For the most part, the visual style gels with the series, and Trigger has apparently contributed some original cutscenes. Your task is to solve a time paradox mystery which is causing everyone inside the castle to live the same moments over and over again. Every time you complete a story section, you’ll be warped into a side-scrolling dungeon-crawler with a bewildering number of magic bars and spell prompts on screen. It all looks messy and convoluted, and the stiff, beat-em-up action is a far cry from the show’s gorgeous animation. In short, it all looks rather cheap.

Of course, I hope I’m wrong. The game is supposed to come out in “early 2018,” but the fact it wasn’t playable at Gamescom — Bandai Namco only showed a brief, hands-off demo — is telling. Little Witch Academia deserves the same sort of treatment as Naruto, with its excellent Ultimate Ninja Storm series, and Dragon Ball, which is being celebrated with the gorgeous FighterZ. I want a game that captures the narrative charm and humour of the series, as well as the fascinating world Trigger has begun to explore. Anything but another rushed, probably underfunded, tie-in game.

Devindra Hardawar
Senior Editor

The best:

Of the many titles I played at Gamescom last week, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider stands as my favorite. That’s not entirely surprising, though. I’ve been a fan of the series since the first entry, which I appreciated much more than the overhyped Bioshock Infinite. The new game is a short standalone entry, not a full-fledged sequel or DLC for Dishonored 2, but that doesn’t mean Arkane Studios held back. There are plenty of new powers and mechanics that make Death of the Outsider feel completely refreshing, while at the same time filling the Dishonored-shaped hole in my heart.

Beyond that, I had a blast playing Duck Season on the HTC Vive, which we first saw back at E3. It does a fine job of evoking NES nostalgia, while also bringing in completely new VR gameplay mechanics. You’re still shooting down fowl like in the original Duck Hunt, but you also have to hold the Vive’s controllers like a hunting rifle, which takes a bit of practice. There’s no targeting reticule, so you actually have to look down your gun’s sights to aim properly. While it took some getting used to, it wasn’t long before I was taking down ducks (and shooting that annoying dog) with skill.

And while I technically saw it before Gamescom, I’m happy to report that Cuphead lived up to all my of expectations. Like many, I’ve been eager to experience its hand-drawn 2D world since I caught my first glimpse of it in 2014. It’s rare to see games relying on traditional animation these days, and we’ve certainly never seen a game like Cuphead, which evokes classic 1930’s-era cartoon. Somehow, it’s even more beautiful than I imagined in person. But since it’s meant to evoke thumb-numbing side-scrollers like Contra, expect to die a lot.

The worst:

As for the worst of Gamescom, I’d have to point to most of what I saw from Microsoft. The Xbox One X was a big deal at E3, and I’m sure it’ll appeal to many hardcore gamers. But it was disappointing to see that Microsoft still hasn’t given us many reasons to get excited for it. Sure, it’s powerful, and it’ll push your games beyond 1080p. But where are the amazing, must-have games? Why is it $500, when the PS4 Pro offered many of the same upgrades for $400 last year? And what the heck is up with its VR support?! As I said at E3, I’m sure the Xbox One X will mature into a great console next year. But I’m surprised Microsoft isn’t doing a better job of selling it right now.

Mat Smith
Bureau Chief, UK

The best:

I had a great Gamescom. Not only did I get to needle the director of Final Fantasy XV about all his free camping gear, I got to try out some indie games that I’ll definitely be adding to my games collection. Ruiner and Swords of Ditto couldn’t be more different visually, but Devolver was brought both to the Gamescom crowds. Ruiner is a brutal game, both in its difficulty and its gory delivery. It’s also punchy, addictive and just so very grimey. Conversely, Swords of Ditto was adorable, bright but just as intriguing. Paying credit to Zelda games of the past, SoD will combine a bunch of ridiculous weapons with cooperative play. I was also intrigued by The Talos Principle VR, a virtual take on the original. The physical puzzler is having its second attempt at VR, and is still smart, relaxing, and not nearly as tiring as many early VR demos can. (I’ll come back to that…)

Bethesda

I also might have been bitten by the survival horror bug again. The Evil Within 2 is trying to combine the brutal set pieces and psychological horror of the original with a more substantial open world. More crafting, more exploration and more optional quests made the demo deliver an experience that wasn’t as heavy as the first game. Does The Last of Us count in the same genre? Because that may have been the last game I’ve played that made me jump. The Evil Within 2 might make for some future sleepless nights.

The worst:

Gamescom VR fatigue came in two types. First is the (already!) well-worn sinister psychological experiment VR trope. If it wasn’t PSVR’s Inpatient, then it was Ubisoft’s Transference. Inpatient came from the team that made Until Dawn, while Transference was wrapped in so much mystery (apparently under 100 people have played the demo so far) that I was pretty excited to play it.

Unfortunately, these games play to the same jump-scares in order to make the player respond. Transference also hadn’t quite finessed the view, and it made me a little motion sick — don’t show VR demos if they’re going to make early players feel queasy. At this still early stage of VR, these are the things that will put us all off.

Other disappointments? Efforts to shoehorn major gaming franchises into underwhelming VR experiences. Bethesda is taking three of its major games to VR, and Skyrim VR on the PS4 was just not all that good. A stripped-down demo (and ageing visuals), did nothing to persuade me that I was now missing out because I hadn’t bought into PlayStation VR yet. And while I’ll pretty much play anything with Final Fantasy slapped on it, I draw the line at VR fishing.

App detects pancreatic cancer from the whites of your eyes

Pancreatic cancer has a very low survival rate, with just nine percent of patients surviving past five years. A major contributor to this rate is the fact that once those with pancreatic cancer start to show symptoms, the disease is usually already quite advanced. But researchers at the University of Washington have come up with a simple and incredibly accurate way to test for the cancer that people can administer themselves.

The team developed an app called BiliScreen and with a smartphone’s camera, it uses computer vision algorithms to detect levels of the chemical bilirubin in the whites of a person’s eyes. With pancreatic cancer, bilirubin levels start to increase and eventually, it turns the whites of the eye yellow, which is also the case for hepatitis. However, when that yellowing becomes noticeable, the cancer is already very developed. BiliScreen is able to detect very low levels of bilirubin and provide users with an assessment of whether their levels are high enough to indicate possible disease. This is easier and cheaper than a blood test, which is the traditional test for the cancer, and can be done before any symptoms start to show.

“Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease with no effective screening right now,” Jim Taylor, a researcher on the project, said in a statement. “Our goal is to have more people who are unfortunate enough to get pancreatic cancer to be fortunate enough to catch it in time to have surgery that gives them a better chance of survival.”

In order to take lighting into account, the app can be used with either a special box that blocks out ambient light or paper glasses with colored squares around the edges that the app is calibrated to. With the box, BiliScreen was around 90 percent as accurate as a blood test in identifying concerning levels of bilirubin in a small, 70-person clinical study.

The researchers are now working to make the app useful without accessories and are presenting their work at Ubicomp 2017 next month.

Images: Dennis Wise / University of Washington

Source: University of Washington

NVIDIA’s Shield 2 prototype shows up in a Canadian pawn shop

Back in 2013, NVIDIA released the Shield, a handheld gaming unit that looked like a heftier Xbox controller paired with a fold-up screen. Powered by the company’s then-current Tegra 4 chips, it ran on Android as a small powerhouse. The company renamed it the Shield Portable but never followed up with another officially-released handheld, instead moving on to a pair of tablet gaming machines. But a supposed prototype for the next version of the NVIDIA Shield Portable somehow wound up in a Canadian pawnshop.

Redditor FwrigginRwootbeer posted their find to the NVIDIA subreddit about a suspiciously different version of the Shield Portable. Android Police independently confirmed that the unit in question was a test kit for game developers to tinker with and was never intended to reach the public. As the site points out, FwrigginRwootbeer’s photos of the model match pics in documents filed to the FCC last year which described a second Shield Portable device that has yet to get publicly released — if it ever will.

The Redditor included photos of the device’s specs, which also align with those included in the documents. The dev unit has an ARM Cortex-A57 CPU at 1.91 GHz (which matches Tegra’s X1 chip), 3GB of RAM and a 5.9-inch, 1440 x 810 pixel resolution screen. It’s very unlikely that we’ll ever see a finished version of a second Shield Portable released to consumers, though NVIDIA is keeping the brand name alive with its Shield TV line.

Via: Liliputing

Source: NVIDIA (Reddit)

‘Game of Thrones’ season seven gets a behind-the-scenes series

It’s been a long 24 hours since Game of Thrones finished its seventh season with last night’s finale, but the long wait until the final episodes will be worse. To nurse your longing for Westeros’ dysfunctional band of enemies and frenemies, HBO is airing a whole new behind-the-scenes series. The Game Revealed will give the premium network’s viewers a seven-episode look at the season that just ended, but HBO has uploaded the first on Facebook and YouTube for all to watch.

If you’ve watched the behind-the-scenes content HBO airs after each episode, you might see some of the same footage. But while those were five-minute quick looks, The Game Revealed will venture far longer, with the first one (embedded above) spending over 13 minutes exploring season seven’s premiere episode. While there’s still probably a lot of footage reserved for Blu-Ray bonus features, they’re still content morsels fans can chew on while they wait for the final season, which still doesn’t have a release date. The behind-the-scenes miniseries will be available on HBO Now, HBO Go, HBO On Demand and partner affiliates.

Via: Deadline

Source: ‘The Game Revealed: Episode One’ (YouTube)

Mobile Pwn2Own Contest Offering Up to $100,000 Reward for iOS Vulnerabilities

Japanese cybersecurity company Trend Micro today announced its sixth annual Mobile Pwn2Own competition will be held at this year’s PacSec security conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, November 1 and Thursday, November 2.

The competition is part of Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative, a program for rewarding security researchers for responsibly disclosing vulnerabilities to companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, and Huawei.

This year, targeted devices include the iPhone 7, Samsung’s Galaxy S8, Google’s Pixel, and Huawei’s Mate 9 Pro, each of which will be running the latest version of iOS or Android respectively with up-to-date security fixes.

Trend Micro is making more than $500,000 available to be won, with the cash prizes available varying by type of exploit. Mobile Safari exploits, for example, are worth up to $40,000, while an SMS-based vulnerability could net $60,000.

In addition to the standard categories and prizes, there are add-on bonuses of between $20,000 and $50,000 for executing code with kernel privileges and having a smartphone operating system’s payload persist after a reboot.

Apple representatives have attended Pwn2Own competitions in the past, with all vulnerabilities made aware to them. Apple will have 90 days to produce patches for any iOS-related bugs before they are disclosed.

Earlier this year, at the 10th anniversary Pwn2Own competition, security researchers uncovered macOS Sierra vulnerabilities, including a Safari exploit which allowed them to scroll a message on a MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.

Tag: Pwn2Own
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Witti BEDDI Glow Smart Alarm Clock review

Like it or not, the school year is breathing down your neck. Before you know it you’ll be waking up nice and early and rushing around the house. With fall looming on the horizon the temperatures will begin to get cooler and it will be tougher to crawl out from under the blankets. Fast forward a few months and it will be pitch black and darn near impossible to start the day.

If you’ve ever found yourself waking up with an almost panic-like sensation from an alarm, you know how jarring things can get. Nothing is worse than be jolted out of a nice, deep sleep with a ringing bell or alarm clock.

This year, do yourself a favor and pick up an alarm clock that slowly wakes you from your slumber. There’s so much to be said about a gradual awakening that pulls you out of sleep over, say, a half hour.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been using the BEDDI Glow, the latest smart alarm clock from WITTI (Witti). As it turns out, this is one of those types of clocks which can help you rise more relaxed and ready to face the day. And, not only that, it’s got a whole bunch of other tricks it can do, too.

Paired to your smartphone via Bluetooth, the Beddi Glow lets users customize the alarm clock experience. Want to go to bed listening to Spotify or white noises? Like to wake up with a weather forecast and quick glance of local traffic? Interested in a glowing lamp that pulses to your music? This clock does all of that, and more.

A lot of us like to charge our phone up at night; really, most of us have become accustomed to using the phone as the alarm clock. The Beddi Glow has a pair of USB charging ports on the back so you can plug the handset in and charge while sleeping. Use the other one for your wearable, tablet, or other gadget.

Once connected to the clock there is a host of options available to users. Accessible through a centralized dashboard, it’s here where you set alarms, adjust the lamp, snooze, pull up radio stations, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Because it has Bluetooth connectivity, the Beddi can be used to play audio through a built-in speaker. Mind you, it’s not overly powerful or rich in sound, but it’s better than what you’ll find in most alarm clocks. For someone who wants to watch YouTube in bed, or listen to the radio, it’s more than adequate.

As my son (13 years old) is heading into high school, he has been waking up early for cross-country training a few days a week, we appreciate that he can set variable alarms. It isn’t every day that he has to wake up for a 7 AM run; other days he can sleep in. He’s loved using the custom alarms and wake times.

I’ve been using a Philips Wake-up Light alarm clock that slowly brightens the room, simulating a sunrise. I now often find myself waking up prior to the alarm clock going off. My son tells me that he’s already getting into a habit of waking up just ahead of the chimes with the Beddi Glow.

Setup and control is very intuitive, taking but a few moments in all. In fact, the longest part of the process was having it scan for (FM antenna included) radio stations. Most nights I find that he’s putting on some combination of white noise (Wind, Fan, Rain, Ocean, and Forest), Google Play Music, glowing lights, or reading under a white light.

Speaking of the glowing light, there’s a seemingly endless set of colors to choose from. Additionally, you can customize whether it pulses to music, fades in and out, or cycles through a rainbow. The color is rich and vibrant and deserves to be seen.

We also appreciate the “Smart” button that comes with the alarm clock. You can go into the app and program how it reacts when pressed a different number of times. This is convenient if you’d like to locate your phone (when in range), turn on a specific radio station, and more.

Priced around $80, you can purchase the Beddi Glow directly from Witti’s website. Look around, though, and you may find it a little cheaper. Amazon has listed it for $69.99 at the time of publication.

We have no reservations about recommending this to someone who is looking for a true alarm clock replacement. Because of its multiple charging ports, FM radio, speaker, light, app interface, and full customization, it’s a great all-in-one solution.

4D quantum encryption packs messages onto photons for sending through the air

Why it matters to you

4D quantum encryption will help keep our communications secure by densely packing them onto photons to send through the air.

In an age of large scale hacks, security experts think that 4D quantum encryption may be the best way to keep communications safe from prying eyes — by literally beaming it through the air as a stream of photons. To make this even more secure, they’ve devised something called 4D or “high-dimensional” quantum encryption, in which twice the data of “regular” 2D quantum encryption can be squeezed onto each photon. Rather than each photon just representing a 1 or 0, as is the case with 2D quantum encryption, in 4D encryption each photon encodes two bits of information, which provides the four possibilities of 01, 10, 00, or 11.

So far, so good, right? The problem is that — until now — this technique hadn’t been demonstrated in the real world. As neat a solution as it is in the lab, the problem in applying it to the real world is air turbulence, which can distort the optical signal. That may not be the case any more, however, because an international team of researchers has demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to use this form of communication in even the crowded noisy environment of a modern city.

For their test, the researchers transported their laboratory optical kit to two different rooftops at the University of Ottawa, covered in wooden boxes to help protect them. They then demonstrated the efficacy of their 4D quantum encryption across two buildings 0.3 kilometers apart. The transmissions carried an error rate of 11 percent, which is below the level required to maintain a secure connection. Compared to 2D encryption, they were able to transmit 1.6 times more information per photon — making it both more secure and more efficient.

Next up, the researchers want to implement their approach on a three link network, with each link being 5.6 kilometers apart, using more than four dimensions. They will also continue to develop their special optics technology that is able to smartly compensate for any turbulence. Eventually, the goal is connect the network to an existing network in Ottawa.

Right now, the research is still at proof of concept stage, but it’s definitely exciting if you’ve got any kind of interest whatsoever in keeping your communication secure.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Optics.

Fitbit sprints into the world of workout audio with new Fitbit Flyer headphones

Why it matters to you

Fitbit’s first wireless headphones will bring the company’s acclaimed wearable tech to the world of audio.

Leading global wearable brand Fitbit is stepping into the world of audio, announcing the launch of the Fitbit Flyer, the company’s first wireless headphones. The new in-ear device coincides with the announcement of the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch, which allows on-wrist storage of music, with the two new devices combining to allow you to listen to your favorite music during strenuous workouts without a smartphone in tow.

The new headphones feature a sweatproof design and customizable fit, via a series of interchangeable tips and sport fins. They also offer two sound profiles for a personalized listening experience — one with boosted bass called Power Boost, and a flatter profile called Signature. Beyond music playback, the Flyer will offer audio coaching via the Fitbit Coach app, helping listeners increase endurance, speed, and stamina without looking at a screen.

“As we launch our first smartwatch with on-device music, providing quality wireless headphones to better help users reach their goals is a natural extension of our product offerings,” Fitbit co-founder and CEO James Park said in a press release about the new headphones.

“Coupled with research that shows 64 percent of fitness tracker owners are interested in purchasing wireless headphones, it makes sense for us to bring our unparalleled health and fitness expertise to this space to deliver what our consumers are looking for most: Great fit they can count on all day and for any workout, along with high-quality sound to keep them motivated.”

Fans of the wearable brand will likely jump at the opportunity to integrate their entire workout experience under one brand, especially given the built-in compatibility between the new Ionic smartwatch and the new wireless in-ear headphones.

The Flyer feature six hours of playback time, with a 15-minute quick-charge feature that provides an hour of juice in a jiffy. They also offer multidevice connectivity, which means you can connect the new headphones to your watch and phone at the same time. In addition, a two microphone setup helps phone calls come through with increased clarity.

The Fitbit Flyer is currently available for pre-order on Fitbit’s website, and will hit retail stores for the first time this October. They will retail for $130.