Hasta La Gadget!

Selfloops as well as ANT+ have come together to roll out what they call the Android ANT+ accessory, which so happens to be a smartphone charger which would allow Android connectivity to the ANT+ ecosystem that comprises of sport, fitness and health products. This particular Android ANT+ Accessory would end up as the gateway for millions of current Android devices (those that run on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and higher) to display a wide array of data including heart rate, foot speed and distance, bike speed, power and cadence from any certified ANT+ sensor, all the while linking Android applications to the millions of available ANT+ products that are manufactured by such notable brands including Garmin, Timex, and Geonaute.

Selfloops co-founder, Christian Del Rosso, said, “We’re extremely excited to now offer this innovative accessory to consumers. This is the only smartphone accessory that will enable ANT+ in Android devices with versions 2.3.4 and higher, which covers over 85% of the Android installed base. Existing solutions only cover Android 3.1 and upward (43% of the installed base) so we are thrilled to offer a device that brings ANT+ to the mass population of Android users.”

The Android ANT+ Accessory would hook up to an Android device using USB, where it also doubles up as a charger, which would extend the battery life of a connected smartphone. The accessory itself will adhere to the Android USB Accessory Protocol, hence it would also play nice with devices which so happen to miss out on USB OTG (on-the-go) capabilities. Applications that were written using the official Android ANT APIs from ANT Wireless will be 100% compatible with the Selfloops Android ANT+ Accessory. For those who are interested, Selfloops happens to have developed a couple of ANT+ Android apps (Selfloops and Selfloops Group Fitness) which can be downloaded the Google Play Store. The Selfloops Android ANT+ Accessory will burn a $115 hole in your pocket, and if you place a pre-order now, expect it to ship later this October.

Press Release
[ Selfloops announces Android ANT+ accessory copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Have you heard of FACTOR Bikes before? If you haven’t, perhaps it is time you did. FACTOR Bikes happen to be part of a visionary firm that revolutionized the aerospace industry, Formula 1 racing in addition to playing a part in shaping some of the most advanced supercars in the world. Well, this time around, they intend to take things at a slightly slower pace, by delivering the highly anticipated Vis Vires bicycle. The Vis Vires will come with electronics incorporated from the ground up, where all data will be captured in a manner that is not seen before thanks to a complete, accurate and fully integrated system that comprises of high-end monitoring devices.

In their quest for perfection with the Vis Vires, it requires flexible and reliable technology, which is why FACTOR decided to use ANT+ as their wireless sensor technology. This move would also ensure that in the blink of an eye, it would make the Vis Vires compatible with the millions of ANT+ devices that happen to dominate the cycling market today. There will be a couple of models on sale, with the Vis Vires Ultegra Di2 burning a £7,999/$10,441 hole in your pocket as it arrives with Factor Power Cranks, while those who are on a tighter budget, you can settle for the Ultegra cranks at £5,999/$7,830 a pop. As for the other model, it would arrive in the form of the Vis Vires Dura-Ace Di2, where you have to fork out top dollar for it – to the tune of £9,999/$13,051, to be exact. Those who have placed their faith in the Dura-Ace model will be able to ride on this coming August, while those who want the Ultegra model, it will only be available in January 2014.

The Vis Vires is able to capture data accurately, efficiently and easily, thanks to a full system of ANT+ compatible electronics that has been incorporated seamlessly into the bike frame. Your cycling sessions will never be the same again, this I promise you, and so too, will your bank account be a whole lot poorer.

Press Release
[ Vis Vires bicycle is unlike any other you have seen before copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

So, you’ve been monitoring virtually every aspect of your athletic performance and tweeting it to the world, but not your heartrate or other basic performance factors? Apparently that just won’t do, sport-o, so 4iiii has announced the chest-worn Viiiiva monitor. That’ll let you add those indicators to sportwatches like those from Garmin or Timex through the ANT+ interface, or iPhones and iPods using Bluetooth. To lighten your training load, you can record the data with the Viiiiva alone, then sync it up later and record, plot and analyze your stats with a clutch of iOS fitness apps like Strava or Training Peaks. You’ll be able to pick one up soon for $79 on at 4iiii’s site (see coverage) and select retailers, so head to the PR after the break and feel the burn.

Continue reading 4iiii unveils Viiiiva heart rate monitor that wirelessly links to your iPhone or smartwatch

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables

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There may be a few more years remaining before a forced retirement, but there’s no question that dedicated automotive GPS units are on the way out. Integrated products, apps and the aviation sector will keep companies like Garmin afloat, but now’s as good a time as any to focus on other markets — and where better to slap that global positioning goodness than on our wrists. Watches seems to be a growing focus for the guidance giant, following last month’s GPS-less Garmin Swim introduction. That device has a relatively narrow target (namely, swimmers willing to invest $150 in the sport), but the company is back with a more versatile wearable, complete with an altimeter, barometer, compass, an optional external ANT temperature sensor and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also a GPS receiver, which can be used not only to calibrate the time and sensors, but also to track a route, direct you towards waypoints and guide you back to your starting point with TracBack.

The Fenix, as the full-featured watch is being called, is expected to retail for $400 when it hits stores at the end of August. Four bills hardly qualifies it for the luxury wristwatch category, but as digital wearables go, that’s certainly approaching the top end. We had an opportunity to try out the device in an office setting (not exactly an ideal environment for a rugged GPS watch, but that’s the best we could do in the middle of NYC), and the Fenix had quite a bit of heft to it — it’ll surely look out of place on smaller wrists, and probably won’t score you any points among fashion-conscious friends. Inner geeks should be appeased, however — the enclosure definitely seems an adequate size for housing all of those instruments. It also functions quite nicely as a watch — in default mode, it displays the time and date in large characters on the backlit LCD, with a nifty ring around the digits to indicate seconds. The Garmin Fenix is on track for a late-August ship date, but you can scroll through the gallery below or dive into the PR after the break to get your fix in the meantime.

Continue reading Garmin unveils Fenix, its first GPS watch for deep-pocketed outdoorsy types (hands-on)

Garmin unveils Fenix, its first GPS watch for deep-pocketed outdoorsy types (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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