Hasta La Gadget!

If you don’t fancy buying a wearable or investing in a phone with a fancy motion chip, then Moves might be for you. The activity tracking app sits in the background and learns your daily routine, presenting your movements as a timeline for later study. While it’s already been downloaded 2.5 million times on iOS, it’s launching on Android devices running 4.0 or above from today. It’s available for the princely sum of nothing from Google Play, so there’s really very little excuse not to at least give it a go.

Filed under: GPS, Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: Moves

We’ve tested our fair share of activity trackers and Polar is now adding one more to the fray. That’s not a Nike+ FuelBand you see, it’s the Polar Loop: a wearable for your wrist that keep tabs on activity, exercise and sleep patterns. Touting the “first waterproof” gadget of this sort, the company says the device can discern between activity levels, with alerts and motivational feedback along the way. The Loop syncs to Apple smartphones via Bluetooth with its companion app, Polar Flow. Similar to Nike’s wearable, Polar’s offering displays goal info, calories burned, steps taken and the time on an LED display. If you’re also after a heart rate monitor, the Loop can be combined with Polar’s H6 or H7 heart rate sensors for that purpose when it arrives next month in black with a pink version set for release in 2014.

Filed under: Wearables

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Many running watches aren’t very interesting to… well, watch. You can’t say that for Garmin’s new Forerunner 220 and 620, both of which carry one-inch color screens that provide clearer visual cues and new run / walk alerts. Either device will sync data to a PC or phone through Bluetooth, and the 620 (pictured at left) can connect through WiFi. The 620 is also keenly aware of its wearer’s abilities. It can gauge peak oxygen volumes, and estimates race times based on likely endurance; an optional companion for the 620, the HRM-Run, measures gait with an accelerometer and suggests days off based on heart rate history. Interested athletes can pick up the Forerunner 220 and 620 this fall at respective prices of $250 and $400. They can also spend $50 more to bundle a heart rate monitor with the 220, or the HRM-Run with the 620.

Filed under: GPS, Wearables

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Source: Garmin

While Apple was explaining the iPhone 5s’ new M7 motion coprocessor, it mentioned a Nike+ Move tracking app that left us wondering about the FuelBand’s fate — is it redundant? In a word, no. Nike tells us that Move is simply an “introductory experience” that generates a Nike Fuel score based on day-to-day movements. Those serious about activity tracking will want to continue using a FuelBand or the Nike+ Running app, the company says. While that news may prove disappointing for some fitness gurus, we wouldn’t be too worried at this stage — there are likely to be at least a few apps that combine M7 support with advanced features.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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The first time you see an ElliptiGO coming at you down the street you will be wondering just what is coming at you. Is it a bicycle? No. Is it a skateboarder? No. What the . . . ? Then you get close enough to see that it is an elliptical machine on wheels. What an awesome idea! At least this was the process in my mind the first time I saw one.