Adam Savage returns to Discovery Channel with ‘Mythbusters Jr.’

The original Mythbusters may have gone off air after its 14th season in 2016, but the science-based show has lost any influence since then. A reboot came to the Science channel last November, with new hosts taking on the DIY-ethos and wow factor of the source show. Now, co-creator and original co-host Adam Savage is setting his sights on a younger generation with a new spin-off titled Mythbusters Jr.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Google Assisstant finally works on Pixel C tablets

Google Assistant has been available on Pixel phones from the get-go and has spread to virtually every device that’s even vaguely capable of handling it, but there has been a glaring exception: the Pixel C. Yes, while other Android tablets have had the AI helper for a while, Google’s own slate has gone without. That glaring omission might not exist for much longer: Pixel C owners have reported that their devices now have Assistant access. Google Lens isn’t accessible (unsurprising when it only just started reaching non-Pixel handsets), but you can use Assistant in landscape where other tablets require portrait mode.

Google confirmed to Engadget that the deployment started today.

It’s not certain why it took so long for the Pixel C to get Assistant, but it’s certainly not the widest audience available. The tablet is relatively old, having launched in 2015. And while Google didn’t provide sales data during the tablet’s two-year sales run, it’s safe to say it didn’t sell in huge numbers. Google wants to make Assistant as widely available as possible, and that means targeting the largest user bases first.

Source: 9to5Google

High-tech ‘best before’ label aims to ensure you never get food poisoning

The “best before” date on food is a quick and easy way to know at a glance whether the food is safe to eat or if it needs to be tossed in the trash. Researchers from Canada’s McMaster University may have come up with a superior high-tech update, however — in the form of a transparent patch, capable of actually sensing contamination in food. Printed using harmless molecules, the smart label could be incorporated directly into food packaging, and would monitor for pathogens including E. coli and salmonella.

“We developed a method to modify the surface of plastic packing material plastic so that it becomes fluorescent when a specific bacteria in the food comes in contact with that surface,” Tohid Didar, one of the researchers on the project, told Digital Trends. “The key to this method was the creation of a smart ink that can be printed onto the internal parts of the packaging for food. The ink is essentially made of DNA, which has a sequence that provides it with the ability to recognize and signal the presence of a specific bacteria. The current application centers on packaged meat, but we can see the same ink being printed in containers containing liquids, such as milk or being printed in surfaces in hospitals to signal the presence of harmful bacteria.”

The World Health Organization claims that foodborne pathogens result in around 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths each year. Thirty percent of these cases involve kids under the age of five.

“Our goal is to develop new inks for different bacteria that are relevant for problems in multiple aspects of our daily lives that present a threat to human health,” Carlos Filipe, the other senior author on the study, said. These could potentially include water contamination or even creating special surfaces which are used to prepare foods in places like restaurants and hospitals. To get to this point, though, the researchers will need to secure a commercial partner and gain the necessary regulatory approvals.

“The potential is very vast,” Filipe continued. “Our focus is on research and on generating creative solutions. We believe that industrial partners will be the ones that truly have the capability to bring this technology to the market. Moving forward, this could be potentially applied in other healthcare settings such as wound dressing, biomaterials, and hospitals. We are excited just with our work having the potential to contribute towards protecting people’s health.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal ACS Nano.

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Verizon agrees, ransomware is the most popular form of malware

It seems lately that nobody’s safe from malware attacks, and from our private data being hacked and made available to nefarious parties. One of the worst forms of malware is ransomware, which locks down a user’s data and holds it hostage for cash or Bitcoin. According to Verizon, ransomware is one of the fastest-growing forms of malware, a finding that confirms other similar reports.

Each year, Verizon looks at real-world incidents, assesses trends, and provides some insight into the kinds of attacks being experienced by a variety of different kinds of users. This year’s Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) looked at more than 53,000 incidents and 2,216 confirmed data breach cases in coming up with its conclusions.

According to the data, the majority of attacks — 76 percent, in fact — were conducted by cybercriminals with the intent of making money. That includes stealing data and using it to access banking and credit card accounts, selling the data on the open market, and conducting ransomware campaigns that generate cash directly. While nearly 73 percent of all attacks were made by individuals and groups outside of organizations, including 12 percent that was perpetrated by those with ties to nation-states, 28 percent of attacks originated from the inside.

Of all attacks, ransomware represented 39 percent of those where malware was implicated. The reason why ransomware is so prevalent is that it’s effective and relatively easy to implement. Tools exist that anyone can use to carry out a ransomware attack, and so a lack of technical expertise and resources isn’t the impediment that it is for other forms of attack. And, payment is direct and immediate, without the need to conduct secondary processes like selling stolen data.

Even so, roughly 17 percent of all data breaches were due to simple mistakes, such as incorrectly addressed emails, information that’s not shredded as it should be, and poorly configured web servers. In addition, up to four percent of all phishing targets — where an email will link to a bogus site that downloads malware or gathers personal information — click on phishing campaign email, which is still a significant number when such campaigns can target millions of potential victims.

Verizon recommends the same tactics as always. Its report focuses on organizations and so making sure users are educated, systems are patched, and adequate security systems are in place are the most important steps to take. For individuals, constant vigilance, good backups, and common sense remain good advice.

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Instagram’s new feature gives you portrait mode without a dual camera

Smartphone cameras are getting smarter. While there was once a time when achieving a decent portrait mode meant using two camera sensors, Google changed all that with machine learning in the Google Pixel 2. Now, Instagram is jumping on that bandwagon. According to a report from TechCrunch it has launched a new portrait mode that works on a huge range of phones, and can be applied not only to photos, but also to videos.

The new feature is called Focus, and like other portrait modes it basically blurs out the background of the image, placing an emphasis on the person or object in the foreground, somewhat imitating the effect you can achieve with a wider aperture.

Focus can be found in the Instagram app next to other features like Boomerang and Superzoom. It can be used on both the front-facing and rear-facing camera, and is currently rolling out to the iPhone 6S or later, along with select Android phones. Like some third-party apps, the feature basically uses machine learning and facial recognition to tell where to blur the background. Of course, because it’s software-based, the feature can sometimes look a little strange — but it’s better than some other software-based portrait mode apps, like Magic Portrait Mode or FabFocus.

The feature also gives users a reason to go with Instagram over Snapchat, and could entice users to shoot through the Instagram app instead of the Snapchat app. It’s likely we’ll see more software-based portrait modes like this in apps such as Snapchat as time goes on, but for now Instagram seems to be the winner.

Focus isn’t the only new feature to come to Instagram. As noted in the TechCrunch story, the company is also rolling out Mentions stickers that allow users to more easily tag friends in a Story. The feature has been in the works for a while now, but it only just started rolling out to all iOS users. Instagram is also testing its answer to Snapchat’s Snapcodes. The feature is called Nametags, and basically lets users create a custom tag using emoji, to be shared with people who could scan the code and add you as a friend.

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Facebook will offer you $40,000 to find the next Cambridge Analytica

After Facebook revealed that 87 million users may have had their data compromised as a result of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it is now unveiling the next step in its plan to regain the trust of its members. Ahead of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony today, Facebook introduced the Data Abuse Bounty Program.

The Data Abuse Bounty Program will reward users who report any app or service connected to Facebook that misuse data. “This program will reward people with first-hand knowledge and proof of cases where a Facebook platform app collects and transfers people’s data to another party to be sold, stolen or used for scams or political influence,” Facebook Head of Product Security Collin Greene wrote in a blog post on the company’s news portal.

The company has not set a maximum reward amount, but high impact discoveries can earn as much as $40,000. Although the program’s nature is similar to bug bounty programs that are widely seen across the tech industry, Facebook notes that the Data Abuse Bounty program is the first of its kind.

“If we confirm data abuse, we will shut down the offending app and take legal action against the company selling or buying the data, if necessary,” Greene added. “We’ll pay the person who reported the issue, and we’ll also alert those we believe to be affected.”

After news of the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, Facebook’s publicly traded stocks spiraled, with some high profile tech celebrities, including Apple’s former co-founder Steve Wozniak, asking users to quit the social network. Facebook had to implement a number of changes to assure members that it values privacy, including making privacy tools easier to access, restricting third-party apps from accessing Facebook data, labeling political ads on its site, and conducting an investigation on how the social network was used in influencing elections.

“It’s clear now that we didn’t do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well,” Zuckerberg wrote in a prepared statement ahead of his testimony in front of Congress. “That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy.”

In his statement, Zuckerberg also apologized for Facebook’s failure to be a steward of consumer data: “It was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here.”

U.S. legislatures will want to know why the company took so long to reveal the data breach, and Zuckerberg will likely have to answer tough questions on the actions that Facebook is taking to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. In addition to the data breach, Facebook may have played an unwitting role in 2016 with Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election. The company revealed that 126 million users may have been exposed to Russian-backed accounts, and lawmakers may want to know how Facebook will prevent this in the future.

To find out if you were affected by the Cambridge Analytica data breach, be sure to read our guide.

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Innit and Chef’d merge meal planning, shopping, and prep in a single app

We’re very close to getting a one-stop-shop when it comes to cooking meals, thanks to a powerful new partnerships between Innit (the popular app that helps you plan personalized meals and gives you video instructions for not screwing them up) and Chef’d (the meal kit and ingredient store that offers more options than Blue Apron or Hello Fresh).

Here’s how it works: Let’s say you have a jones for some tasty steak au poivre with roasted rosemary potatoes and green beans after seeing the recipe pop up on your Innit app. Poke a button, choose a delivery date, and checkout with Apple Pay or a credit card, and Chef’d will wrap up a New York strip steak, some peppercorns, fingerling potatoes, and assorted garnishes, and ship them right to your door.

Once the ingredients arrive, foodies can simply scan a QR code right on the package to bring up Innit’s “Culinary GPS” video guidance to help them make their sweet steak dinner. The system is designed to put the cooking process in the most efficient model so all the meal portions are ready at the same time. It’s not exactly cheap — that fancy steak dinner will set you back $32 for couple’s night or $62 for a family dinner — but it’s still far more economical than eating out, plus the app helps save on prep time by providing premeasured ingredients.

“We’re excited to be pioneering the next evolution of the meal kit industry through our partnership with Chef’d,” said Eugenio Minvielle, founder and president of Innit. “Our personalized, customizable meal content and guided cooking system are a perfect fit with Chef’d’s high-quality meal solutions. We’re looking forward to bringing a new level of confidence and simplicity to the kitchen.”

It’s a pretty big deal for two meal-based innovations that have been growing like wildfire. Chef’d was only launched in April 2015, and has already set up profitable partnerships with the likes of Coca-Cola, Hershey’s, and Campbell’s, and is starting to roll out its offerings in retail stores. Innit was founded in 2013 and has already raised nearly $50 million in venture capital, as well as lucrative integrations with smart home manufacturers including GE smart appliances, Bosch smart ovens, and Philips kitchen appliances.

Along with the launch of the Chef’d partnership, Innit has also launched a comprehensive update to its meal planning experience. Chef’d meals are available immediately for Innit on iOS, and will be available within the month on Android. The app also makes use of location-based preferences to help customers plan their meals, shop at local markets, and prepare more complex meals. Innit is also highly customizable and can be personalized for different members of a household based on diet, allergies and dislikes. Chef’d, meanwhile, can be ordered on the fly with Amazon Alexa as well.

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Look at them go! The best Rube Goldberg Machines on the internet

There isn’t anyone on the planet who can deny the pleasure of watching a good Rube Goldberg machine. For those of you who don’t know, Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist, often referred to as the “father of invention” for his series of comics depicting what we call Rube Goldberg machines: Complicated, deliberately over-engineered contraptions that ultimately perform a very simple task. Ironically, they’re rarely (if ever) built by rubes. One step triggers the next in a chain reaction until the final task is complete. Once it starts, it’s practically impossible to peel yourself away from the anticipation of what’s coming next.

From Japan to the United States, Goldberg contraptions have flooded cultures around the world in commercials, contests, movies, and TV shows. We’ve put together a collection of some of the best Rube Goldberg machines, apparatuses, inventions, and devices that will blow your freakin’ mind — one domino at a time. If you like these, check out our picks for the coolest Lego machines or a collection of useful 3D print ideas.

DREWuhPicture — The Pizza Machine

When hunger strikes in the dead of night, you have a few options. You could order a pizza from your local chain, or you could build an elaborate, multiple room-spanning machine that will prepare your pizza and probably annoy any roomates you might have. YouTube user DREWuhPicture posted a video of this impressive machine, which dumps sauce and cheese onto a pizza, throws it in a toaster-oven, and then proceeds to distract you with a bunch of cool tricks while the pizza cooks. The Pizza Machine is notable not just for its utility, but for its inventive design, making use of various household objects including a toy train, pool balls, VHS cases, and even what appears to be a Hannah Montana CD. The machine loses a few points for burning the pizza in the video, but given the lack of pepperoni, it was destined to be an underwhelming meal anyway.

jackofallspades98 — The Bet-Losing Machine

YouTube user jackofallspades98 has made a number of great machines, but his magnum opus may be the “Bet-losing Machine,” which he made after losing a bet. His punishment was to make a machine that spans two-tables. The machine took four months to make, according to the maker, and involved 297 failed attempts. The final result is astounding, however: A machine of incredible complexity. The two tables are crammed with a dense collection of objects, with numerous mechanisms criss crossing each other, yet every step in the chain flows perfectly. While the machine doesn’t seem to have any theme to it, its technical virtuosity suffices.

Scandiweb — Christmas Tree Lightswitch

If you want to see every element in detail, you may need to slow this video down a bit. Even sped up, it lasts for more than four and a half minutes, which seems insane until you notice that the video was uploaded by Guinness as the World’s Largest Rube Goldberg Machine! Crafted by Latvian e-commerce company Scandiweb as a treat for the citizens of Riga (and, of course, for some sweet PR), the machine is unfathomably large, featuring dozens of unique twists and several sections where multiple paths diverge only to come together once more in ridiculous fashion. Other entries on our list may feature more unique themes or ideas, but none are quite as mind-bottlingly detailed.

HEYHEYHEY — Melvin the Magical Mixed Media Machine

Design studio HEYHEYHEY created Melvin the Machine for the 2010 Dutch Design Week at the MU art space. The contraption uses cameras and videos to record the audience’s reaction while in motion. These photos and videos are then uploaded to Melvin’s social media accounts. This Rube Goldberg machine also creates original works of art during the performance. Melvin’s Twitter has been silent for a few years now, though, the official website did specify that the Magical Mixed Media Machine would be taking an indefinite break from Twittering, Facebooking, and partying.

HEYHEYHEY — Melvin the Mini Machine

The same design studio behind Melvin the Magical Mixed Media Machine, HEYHEYHEY, also created the newer and much smaller Melvin the Mini Machine. After the success of the original Rube Goldberg machine, the studio was bombarded with requests to take their wonderfully inefficient show on the road. However, the massive unit was simply too big and expensive to rebuild routinely. HEYHEYHEY then decided to create a more travel-friendly version of their original Rube Goldberg machine. This unit is designed to fit within the confines of a pair of suitcases, which work in tandem as part of a larger, more portable performance.

2D House — Isaac Newton vs. Rube Goldberg

Though some of the machines on this list are painfully detailed and long-winded affairs, Toronto-based 2D House kept it short and sweet with this contraption. Gravity has met its match here, as the first half of the process is made to look like your average, run-of-the-mill Rube Goldberg machine (if there even is such a thing) — except it’s being filmed upside down. Once you see the odd flight path taken by the marbles at around the 15-second mark, your brain starts to realize how ridiculous this thing actually is. Instead of the burdensome complexity we’ve come to expect from these videos, Newton vs. Goldberg makes you want to go back and watch it again to try and figure out exactly what’s going on.

Honda — Cog

Six hundred and six takes later, this Honda commercial titled “Cog” first aired in the U.K. in 2003. Hoping to boost car sales, Honda got a team of engineers, car designers, and even a sculptor to design the machine — made up parts from two disassembled Honda Accord cars. The two minute commercial, which only aired on TV a handful of times, cost over $1 million and seven months to film. That said, it proved to be money well spent. The commercial’s popularity skyrocketed in the United Kingdom, hitting the highest web traffic records for the Honda U.K. domain in its history the day after the commercial aired. “Cog” has also nabbed the most awards of any commercial in history to date. No graphics or digital tricks were used in the making of the commercial, despite what YouTube commenters would have you believe.

OK Go — This Too Shall Pass

The Chicago band OK Go became an overnight sensation after the release of the music video for Here We Go Again, which featured a treadmill-based dance routine. Since then, the band has become famous for its elaborate videos. To break ground in the music industry for a second time in 2010, the band needed the help of an elaborate Goldberg contraption. The video, cleverly titled This Too Shall Pass raked over 50 million views on YouTube and took over four months to shoot. The enormous contraption flows over two stories of an LA warehouse, making the video’s single, unbroken camera shot quite impressive. The beat and lyrics of the song perfectly synch with each step of the contraption from a falling piano to swinging pledge hammers and everything in between. The team even got the help of NASA scientists for the video that induces some serious gasp-heavy moments.

MythBusters — Rube Goldberg Christmas

The idea of a creating a Goldberg contraption was so tempting for the famous MythBusters duo, they didn’t even need a myth to build it. Hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hynema do it big and this Christmas inspired machine is no exception. Fire, an oversized nutcracker, a Mentos explosion, and the remaining 31 working parts make for a must watch MythBusters moment. If you want more MythBusters/Goldberg, the boys came out with a series called “Unchained Reaction” in 2012, pitting two teams against each other to build Goldberg-like machines. But for now, enjoy the OG of MythBusters’ Goldberg creations.

3M commercial

Who could have predicted that your everyday Post-it notes and Scotch tape could make such an eye-catching machine? The people at 3M collected over 25,000 Post-it notes, 300 feet of reflective sheet, 200 pounds of steel, 75 rolls of Scotch tape, and a whole lot more to create this intricate machine made entirely of its own products. It took over 1,400 hours and required input from experts in scientific disciplines like physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics to complete. “The Brand Machine” (as 3M refers to it), like most Goldberg machines, illustrates a larger point: that we might overlook the small things like a Post-it Note that simplify our lives. So after watching this 3M Goldberg machine, you better appreciate your Post-its.

Beneful — Dog Goldberg machine

Humans aren’t the only talent behind Goldberg machines. Puppies can do it, too. In this Beneful commercial, the contraption is 100-percent dog-powered, making it irresistible to watch. Beneful CEO Ian Schafer collected over half a dozen dogs of all ages and sizes to complete the canine-themed contraption, saying, “I’ll put it this way, it wasn’t easy. It was a very long day.” No matter how many takes it required on their end, all we see is an overload of cuteness and some ridiculously well-trained doggos and puppers.

Red Bull Kluge — The athlete machine

Red Bull is the king of epic content. To kick off its Goldberg invention, then, a skydiver decked out in Red Bull gear is dropped from a cargo bay helicopter. This human chain reaction, called “Kluge,” is powered by a star studded athlete cast including Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones, BMX rider Danny MacAskill, and pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler. Pros or not, the athletes couldn’t do it alone, as the undertaking required over 45 GoPro cameras, a 75 person crew, 12 different machines, and 3,433 man hours to complete. The man behind the video, Adam Sadowsky founder of Syyn Labs, said “It’s like watching a NASCAR wreck in slow motion … it’s physics in action.”

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure — The breakfast machine

The breakfast machine in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure is just as awesome today as it was back then. Pee-Wee starts his day by releasing his retraceable sheets before stepping into his bunny slippers, then sliding down his fireman pole and finally lighting a candle triggering one of the most memorable creations on the big screen, the breakfast machine. We can all assume Rube Goldberg would have been a huge fan of the 1985 movie along with that breakfast that looks so darn good before Pee-Wee pours Mr.T cereal all over it.

NatGeo TV — The Nat Geo contraption

“Entertain your brain” is the slogan behind this promotional video by National Geographic and that it does. In hopes to pry people away from their smartphones and back to watching TV, the British Nat Geo team built a four ton Goldberg machine. Using a human loop-the-loop and the entire solar system makes this apparatus the most massive Goldberg on our list. We’re not exactly sure what this has to do with either nature or geography, but it’s awesome anyway.

A-Trak & Tommy Trash — Tuna Melt

Another music inspired Goldberg machine was designed this time for A-Trak and Tommy Trash’s techno tune “Tuna Melt.” The video is among one of the more elaborate Goldberg creations with thousands of small working parts. The video is rumored to have been helped with hyperrealistic 3D effects, but who cares about authenticity when it’s so cool and such a catchy tune. The exploding apparatuses were created by Lunatic Rex, AKA “Kinetic King,” a Guinness World Record holder for his stick bomb configurations. Every eagerly awaited step comes together to make, you guessed it, a tuna melt.

2D House — 2D photography Rube Goldberg machine

2D House, making its second appearance on our list, is a photography company that’s becoming well known for its Goldberg photo-themed contraptions. After eight months of grueling work, the photo team debuted this one complete with camera bags, camera, umbrella’s tripods, caps, and lens. 2D also offers a back stage “How it’s made” video in combination with the photo finish.

Joseph’s Machines — The Dresser

Do you have trouble getting up in the morning? You could try a fancy alarm clock, but maybe a better solution would be an elaborate mechanism that will prep your clothes and make a disaster of your apartment. The YouTube channel Joseph’s Machines features a number of quirky, clever devices, and one of the most charming is the Dresser, a relatively simple machine that is nevertheless entertaining. The video is essentially a skit in which the protagonist wakes up to the sound of his alarm, dumps his clock in a cup of water, and kicks off a sequence designed to help him get ready for work. The piece is notable both for its slapstick, Chaplin-esque humor and for the fact that it appears to consist of a single take. Creator Joseph Herscher spent a year working on the Dresser, and the effort shows.

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Garmin Forerunner 645 Music review

Research Center:

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music

If you own a fitness tracker, shouldn’t you be able to leave your phone behind when you work out? Yes, but many fitness trackers still need to be tethered to phones for features like GPS and music. Not this one. Garmin’s Forerunner 645 Music, is a lightweight yet powerful smartwatch designed to cut you free from a phone entirely.

Featuring built-in GPS, active heart-rate monitoring, contactless payments, and native music compatibility (a Garmin first), the Forerunner 645 Music looks every bit the part of a dynamic fitness tracker on paper. We decided to put the wearable through its paces to see just how well it performs in practice – and if it’s a true competitor to Fitbit and Apple.

What’s in the box?

Like most fitness trackers, Garmin’s Forerunner 645 Music comes packaged with only the wearable itself, a charging cable, and an instruction manual. With a partial charge, our watch took roughly 30 minutes to fully charge out of the box, and typically only required an hour to charge it up when it drained all the way.

A comfortable blend of function and style

With a stainless-steel bezel encasing a chemically strengthened glass crystal, the Forerunner has a classic look that remains sporty and tough. You probably wouldn’t wear it with a suit, but it’s classy enough to sport daily without concern. The watch is even compatible with a healthy selection of interchangeable, quick release bands, making it easy to swap for different colored silicone or leather bands, further increasing its versatility – the standard watch itself comes with either a black or red strap.

Upon putting the watch on for the first time, we were immediately pleased with how comfortable and lightweight it felt on our wrist. At just under one and a half ounces, the Forerunner weighs less than even the lightest Apple Watch. When we worked up a sweat during a workout in the gym or while riding our bike, it never became uncomfortable or cumbersome.

With plenty of notches running nearly the entire length of the strap, even someone with a small wrist wouldn’t have a hard time finding a good fit, and its 1.2-inch diameter watch face is just large enough for big or small wrists. The clear 240-by-240-pixel display is easy to read with or without the built-in backlight – though you’ll want it at night or in dark rooms.

We were immediately pleased with how comfortable and light it felt on our wrist.

While both Fitbit and Apple have embraced touchscreens, Garmin sticks with five tried and true buttons on the Forerunner. Start/Stop and Back are located on the right side of the watch face while Light, Up, and Down are located on the left. Though the names are self-explanatory, a few carry secondary shortcuts, as well.

For instance, holding the Light button down longer than a simple press brings up a quick menu giving access to features such as Do Not Disturb, the Garmin Wallet, a stopwatch and timer, the Find My Phone feature, and the watch’s digital power switch. Holding the Up key brings up a quick menu where you can change the watch face and alarm clock, or sync Bluetooth headphones. Holding Down activates the built-in music player.

Unlike the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro or Fitbit’s Ionic and Blaze, the Forerunner 645 Music doesn’t require an extremely tight fit to actively register heart rate. Even when we set it comfortably loose, it still appeared to log an accurate heart-rate reading.

Packed with sensors

With GPS and its Russian cousin GLONASS, a real-time compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, barometric altimeter, and the Garmin Elevate wrist heart-rate monitor, there’s not a lot the Forerunner 645 Music watch can’t do. Many of these sensors are standard at this point, but the quickly accessible compass and thermometer both stand out. Readings from the latter seemed a bit wonky at times, though, likely from cinching it a bit too tight.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

While many current fitness trackers and smartwatches feature similar sets of sensors, the Forerunner proved they could be useful during testing. We always knew how close to our daily step count or workout goals we were, what our resting heart rate was between sets at the gym, and whether or not we were maintaining an 8-minute mile while running. It didn’t matter if we were running or biking, spending time at the gym, or even just sitting at our desk for work, it continued to offer dynamic feedback that kept us invested in our fitness plan. From monitoring our suggested resting periods between workouts to prodding us to up our weekly run mileage, we never felt as though we were just throwing fitness data into a void.

Comprehensive smart features

Modern smartwatches try to cram in as many features as possible — and Garmin’s Forerunner 645 Music is no different. In addition to the bevy of fitness features, it provides text message notifications, calendar access, weather information, and – its claim to fame – music storage. You can even pair it with one of Garmin’s Virb action cameras and use it as an on-wrist remote.

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music Compared To

Mondaine Smart Helvetica

Nixon Regulus

Alpina AlpinerX

Apple Watch Series 3

Samsung Gear S3

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

LG Watch Sport

Huawei Fit

Samsung Gear S2

Apple Watch Series 2

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

LG G Watch R

Martian Notifier Watch

Phosphor Touch Time

All these features are shockingly easy to access with just a few pushes of the up and down buttons. After setting up the watch for the first time, we found we could tap them to scroll through a quick snapshot of our heart rate over the last four hours, how our weekly fitness goals were looking, our daily steps, stored music, our daily calendar, text message notifications, as well as a compass and thermometer.

Fit for an active lifestyle

Garmin has been making fitness trackers since before the days of the iPhone, and it shows up in all the little details.  For instance, while cycling or running, the watch’s built-in GPS knew when we stopped moving and automatically paused, so that it didn’t mess up average speed readings. If you pause for longer, it will automatically show your heart rate as you stand huffing on the side of the road.

This watch is a runner’s dream. You get the usual speed and distance, but also stride length, cadence, vertical ratio, ground contact time, and balance.

This watch is a runner’s dream. You get the usual speed and distance, but also stride length, cadence, vertical ratio, ground contact time, and balance. All those numbers could be overwhelming, but the Garmin Connect app helps make sense of them. It will log and store each run, send out training status updates that automatically compare workouts, and even inform you whether you’re overworking yourself, or training effectively. At the conclusion of each workout, it spits out quick readings on the aerobic and anaerobic effects, as well as how must rest is recommended before training again.

A new strength-training feature lets gym rats get in on the tracking, too, if they’re willing to invest the effort. We admittedly had a hard time remembering to start and stop the rep counter. The watch also has a hard time tracking some specific arm movements, and probably hit about 80 percent accuracy for us. You can manually input rep counts and weight if you want perfect precision. We essentially used it to keep track of our average and maximum heart rate, the amount of active and rest time we accrued, calories burned, and total number of reps.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

In the pool, it’s capable of actively tracking laps, distance, stroke count, and lap pace. Like with bike rides and runs, the Connect app offers a more in-depth view to see larger trends. Garmin rates the Forerunner 645 as waterproof to 50 meters, and we never encountered any hiccups with it after getting out of the pool.

Pump up the jams

Onboard music means the days of toting along a smartphone for a workout or run is a thing of the past. You can listen through downloaded apps (currently only iHeart Radio is available) or upload songs directly through the Garmin Express desktop app, if you still have an MP3 collection. It only takes a matter of seconds to upload an album’s worth of music, and the watch has room for 500 songs. That’s enough to work out several times a week before hearing the same song twice, and playlists let you curate your own workout jams. It even supports native syncing of Bluetooth headphones – though it’s a feature that seems obvious, its execution is seamless. Between built-in GPS and built-in music, there’s simply no need to drag a phone along anymore.

Garmin Connect

Though the Forerunner 645 Music amasses loads of data, the Garmin Connect app is what makes it useful. The home screen offers quick glances at current heart rate, steps taken, number of intense minutes logged that day, stress levels, and calories burned. Expanding on any of these sections offers a more detailed look at the data, even allowing for it to be compared over hours, days, weeks, or months.

To take the experience even further, the app also offers a Challenge tab, which allows you to create weekly step challenges with any friends, a calendar function that neatly organizes your daily activity and workouts, as well as a News Feed that allows you to connect with friends and compare activity data.

Nearly a week’s worth of battery life

Over the course of our three weeks with the device, we only stuck in on the charger four or five times. It routinely showed strong battery life, even when we opted to use its fitness-tracking functions, active GPS, and music playback. Garmins claims it offers seven-day battery life when used as a smartwatch, or five days with music and GPS active, and we found those estimates to be spot on. Considering there are so many devices which require daily charging, it was refreshing to not have to find yet another outlet to plug our Forerunner 645 Music into.

Warranty information

Garmin backs its products with a one-year warranty from the date of purchase which covers any defects in materials or workmanship.

Our Take

The biggest draw of the Forerunner 645 Music lies in the name: It’s Garmin’s first wearable capable of storing music. That means musical motivation for days without the hassle of carrying a bulky smartphone. Meanwhile, Garmin’s strong heritage shines through in the thorough activity tracking, heart-rate monitor, built-in GPS, and extensive performance feedback.

With Garmin Pay and a slew of smartphone connected features like text, email, and app notifications, local weather support, calendar access, and social-media updates, it’s also a capable smartwatch. But the $450 may give some buyers pause. At that price, a $329 Apple Watch looks cheap in comparison. Fitness buffs and Garmin lovers will pay up, but there are cheaper alternatives for those who won’t necessarily take advantage of the Forerunner 645 Music’s extensive list of features.

Is there a better alternative?

Garmin’s Forerunner 645 is for serious fitness junkies. While it’s worth the money for aspiring athletes who need every spec and stat, there are several alternatives suitable for casual athletes who just want extra motivation. Fitbit’s $200 Versa, for instance, also does phone-free music and activity tracking, but you’ll need your phone connected if you want GPS. It does slightly resemble the Apple Watch but our review found it to be much more than just a simple lookalike.

Then there’s the latest Apple Watch. Priced at $329, it’s still a whopping $120 cheaper than the Forerunner 645 Music, though it is much more of a smartwatch than fitness tracker. With rep tracking in the gym, rest and recovery feedback, and training effect data, the Forerunner 645 Music goes much deeper than the Apple Watch – which does offer its own progress feedback but it’s not nearly as comprehensive. Apple’s recently put more effort into expanding its health and fitness benefits, so while it’s catching up, it’s still very much behind the likes of Garmin in that space – and Fitbit, for that matter. For much more of the casual fitness buff, the Apple Watch is a stylish option that’s heavy on smartwatch capabilities – especially for those who already use other Apple products.

How long will it last? 

In three weeks of testing, the only wear we noticed on the Forerunner 645 Music was some light rubbing on the bottom clasp. Its silicone rubber strap is durable, and would take some serious force to rip or tear. We even got it caught on a piece of gym equipment and it just quickly slipped off before any damage could be done. The buttons also felt incredibly durable, and never once stuck, so no part of this watch feels flimsy.

Should you buy it?

If you consider yourself an extremely active individual who runs, bikes, swims, or hikes, Garmin’s Forerunner 645 is the fitness tracker for you. If you’d only use its extensive fitness features sparingly, then perhaps you’d be better off saving some money and going with an alternative like Fitbit’s Versa.

A stamp-sized piece of this nanofilm can store more data than 200 DVDs

Northeast Normal University

Ninety percent of the world’s data has been created in the last two years, with a massive 2.5 quintillion bytes generated every single day. As you might suspect, this causes some challenges when it comes to storage. While one option is to gradually turn every square inch of free land into giant data centers, researchers from China may have come up with a more elegant solution.

In a potential breakthrough, they have developed a new nanofilm — 80 times thinner than a human hair — that is able to store large amounts of data holographically. A single 10-by-10 cm piece of this film could archive more than 1,000 times the amount of data found on a DVD. By our count, that means around 8.5 TB of data. This data can also be retrieved incredibly quickly, at speeds of up to 1GB per second: The equivalent of 20 times the reading speed of modern flash memory.

In the journal Optical Materials Express, the researchers detail the fabrication process of the new film. This involves using a laser to write information onto silver nanoparticles on a titanium dioxide (titania) semiconductor film. This stores the data in the form of 3D holograms, thereby allowing it to be compressed into smaller spaces than regular optical systems.

That’s exciting enough, but what really makes the work promising is the fact that the data is stored in a way that is stable. Previous attempts at creating films for holographic data storage have proven less resilient than alternate storage methods since they can be wiped by exposure to ultraviolet light. That makes them less-than-viable options for long-term information storage. The creators of this new film, however, have shown that it has a high stability even in the presence of such light. This environmental stability means that the device could be used outside — or even conceivably in harsher radiation conditions like outer space.

Going forward, the researchers aim to test their new film by putting it through its paces outdoors. Should all go according to plan, it won’t be too long before this is available on the market. We might be willing to throw down a few bucks on Kickstarter for a piece!

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