Big dogs need a lot of exercise — far more than most of us humans can give them. What do they expect us to do? Run? Throw a ball? There are just too many things we need to be watching on Netflix. But what if they could get their exercise while giving us a fun ride at the same time? Enter the Dog Powered Scooter.
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If you take your smartphone-assisted exercise seriously, you’ll probably want both ANT+ sensor support and a power pack to offset the increased battery drain that follows. It’s a good thing that Selfloops is tackling both needs at once with its new Android ANT+ Accessory, then. The USB add-on isn’t tiny, but it can grab data like cadence and heart rate from a nearby ANT+ device while keeping a phone topped up through its 2,000mAh battery. The peripheral is also one of the few to bring ANT+ to Android 2.3 — if you’re still using an older handset, you’ve found an ideal fitness companion. Just be prepared to wait for it. While Selfloops is currently taking pre-orders for the $115 Android ANT+ Accessory, it’s not starting shipments until October.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals
Source: Selfloops
Under Armour has always prided itself on the science and technology that goes into its sports apparel. But, let’s be honest, the company could spend four times as much on R&D for a shirt as HTC did on the One, and it would still never generate the same fanfare. Sure, a heart rate monitor and app still aren’t going to set the tech blog world on fire, but it could be the move that earns the company the respect it deserves. The Armour39 system combines a small Bluetooth LE-enabled pod with a distinctive chest strap and an app that tracks your level of exertion, awarding you WILLpower points. What the system isn’t, however, is a “lifestyle” product or an “activity tracker.” Under Armour is clearly going after those who fancy themselves athletes. Obviously, the question is whether or not the sportswear company has anything valuable to offer in the space. Does its new training platform actually encourage you to push yourself harder and is it really anything more than a FuelBand with an extra dose of testosterone? The answers are exactly where you’d expect them: after the break.
Gallery: UnderArmour Armour39 review
Exercise apps are a dime a dozen and the fitness training video market is even more saturated. New comer FitStar sees an opportunity to blend the two forms with an application platform that’s part video CMS, with a special twist. The first app being offered, FitStar: Tony Gonzalez, creates a customized workout routine on your iPad, pieced together from 80 different exercises that the star tight end guides you through. The end product isn’t terribly dissimilar from your average workout DVD, but the route it takes to get there is dramatically different. When you first launch the app you’ll be asked to create an account and fill out some basic information about yourself including your level of fitness. A brief assessment program helps establish a baseline, then a routine is generated dynamically just for you using special algorithms. In fact, every time you fire it up, a new routine is created to keep you from getting bored with a repetitive workout plan.
Gallery: FitStar: Tony Gonzalez
Filed under: Software
Withings introduced its Smart Activity Tracker at CES with many details regarding how it worked, but few hints of just when it would reach our belts and wrists. Courtesy of an FCC approval, we now know that it’s relatively close. The exercise and sleep sensor has gone through US testing with no real surprises in hardware, but a much simpler branding strategy: the manual suggests the tracker will just be called the Pulse, which could help in a market full of one-word rivals. About all that’s left is for Withings to say exactly where and when we can get its new wearable.
Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables
Source: FCC
Although more than a few runners track their progress through apps like RunKeeper, it’s doubtful that many of them like reaching for their smartphones just to check their pace. Thanks to an updated RunKeeper app, they’ll only have to look at the Pebble smartwatch on their wrist. Both Android and iOS users can now glance at the Bluetooth timepiece for vital stats, such as pacing, or start and stop their runs. Only a handful of us will have the needed combination of app and wristwear to justify the update at the source links, but don’t despair if you’re not part of the Pebble flock. RunKeeper’s staff say they “look forward” to supporting wearable technology as a whole, which should let many more athletes keep their eyes on the path ahead, and their hands out of their pockets.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile
Source: App Store, Google Play
During any form of physical exertion, most people don’t think about breath until they’re gasping for it. The most advanced exercisers among us are conscious of trying to breathe lower, into their bellies. But there’s an even better way, and making this simple switch will get more oxygen into your blood, faster. More »
Dragging yourself to the gym in the wee hours of the morning already takes a heaping helping of dedication, but fitness equipment manufacturer Precor is betting that it can provide additional motivation with its new iOS app: Preva Mobile. By wielding the software, users can monitor and set goals for calories burned, distance and duration, and even log their actions outside the gym for activities ranging from rollerblading to skiing. What’s more is that the application acts as an extension of the firm’s Preva fitness tracking console built into its 880 line of cardio equipment, and keeps data synced between devices and exercise machines through the cloud.
In addition to helping folks keep tabs on their activity, the digital logbook rewards users with points and badges, which they can brag about share on Twitter and Facebook. There’s no sign of an Android version just yet, but we doubt your personal trainer will buy that as an excuse to stray from your workout regimen.
Source: Preva (iTunes)
Where’s the fun in owning an exercise tracker like the Nike+ FuelBand if you can’t lord your healthiness over others? Nike must have wondered the same thing, as it just updated the FuelBand’s iOS app to add Nike+ Friends. Wearers can now learn where their step count places them relative to their peers and share the results for all to see. Should there be any doubters, owners can attach photos, locations and mentions of nearby friends to back up their boasting. Yes, it’s an upgrade that’s primarily focused on oneupmanship, but it’s good in our book if it makes us walk just a bit further each day.
Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables
Source: App Store
Professional race drivers spend hours in a car battling excessive G-forces, and so require just as much training and physical fitness as an athlete running up and down a field. But their needs are specialized, which is why Ferrari F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa use this racecar-shaped workout machine from Technogym. More »
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