Hasta La Gadget!

The folks at Callaway just announced the Upro mx, a followup to the device they so humbly referred to as the “iPhone of golf GPS technology.” PNDs for golfers aren’t exactly rare, but the new Upro claims to be the only one packing “hi-resolution actual aerial photography” of 25,000 different courses. It also boasts a multi-gesture touchscreen and optical finger navigation, as well a slew of viewing modes: Virtual Green offers exact putting distances, Smart View displays the best angle for each shot, and ProMode features video flyovers. Who knows, if they could land a Bill Murray tie-in we might actually be enticed to pick up a club and … Oh, who are we kidding? The Upro mx hits stores in May at $199, and you can check out a video of the device in action after the jump — that is, if you swing that way.

Continue reading Callaway Upro mx offers touchscreen GPS to golfers, we long for a Caddyshack edition (video)

Callaway Upro mx offers touchscreen GPS to golfers, we long for a Caddyshack edition (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a novel concept–a virtual world that gives kids all manner of online rewards for actually going outside and being active. The site is called FunGoPlay. It’s a “Virtual Sports Theme Park.” Kids rack up points by playing with a series of real-world sports products.

The real-world gear tracks kids’ play periods and lots them points, medals, power-ups, and the like. The site will be launching in the coming year under a freemium subscription model. In the meantime, there’s a static place holder and a promise of future updates over at Fungoplay.com.

The National Hockey League was looking to drum up some interest, so naturally it did what any major league sporting body would–it contacted Stan “The Man” Lee. The X-Men/Spider-man/Fantastic Four/Hulk/Iron Man creator helped dream up the Guardian Project, an odd team of heroes based loosely upon different NHL teams.

The 30 characters will “come to life” during the NHL All-Star game this weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina. The league will be showing of a computer animated short featuring the characters, which will offer “fans a glimpse of their individual powers and collective force.”

The adventures will continue over at the Guardian Website–and, of course, merchandizing in the form of cards, posters, t-shirts, pins, pucks, and a graphic novel.

Silly promotion? Sure. But heck, we’re writing about the NHL this morning, and how often does that happen?

LAS VEGAS — TomTom and Nike have teamed up to make the Nike+ SportWatch GPS, a smart-looking wrist-mounted running computer that also doubles as a watch.

The SportWatch has built in GPS, of course, which offers much better distance accuracy than a pedometer (although it will also pair with a shoe-based Nike+ Sensor) and also lets you see your routes later after uploading to the Nike+ site. As you run, you can choose between various customizable data views. The high-contrast display will show time, distance, pace, and calories burned. You can also access a history of your previous runs, import your personal records from Nike+ and even hook up a heart monitor.

When you plug the SportWatch into a Mac or PC (via USB) it will automatically upload your data and you have access to the new TomTom-powered maps, showing elevation details as well as the route and distance. The watch also has a few rather odd “motivational” features that could prove more annoying than inspiring. For intance, there is “recognition (or “Attaboys”) for personal records”, and “Post-run acknowledgement and encouragement”. The thought of a watch giving me a virtual pat-on-the back is embarrassing more than anything.

The SportWatch will go on sale April 1st, price to be decided.

Nike and TomTom Unveil Game-Changing Nike+ Sportwatch GPS [Nike]

See Also:

• Nike+
• Nike+ App Ditches Dongle, Gains GPS
• Nike+ Heart-Rate Monitor On Sale June 1st
• Swimsense Stroke-Counter is Like a Nike+ for Swimmers
• Nike+ Mashup: Mario Kart Ghost Racers on Real Streets
• Nike+ Hacked to Open Cars From Afar

First announced back in August, the Finis Swimsense performance monitor is now available. This wrist device is worn while swimming, and will automatically detect the type of stroke you’re doing, then record the number of laps swum, your total distance, and the number of calories burned. It will also compute your lap time, pace, and stroke count. It’s the first performance monitor that can differentiate between the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.

Besides showing your information on the Swimsense monitor, it also works with the company’s free analysis and training log software. The program can store an unlimited history so you can track your progress, and lets you create short term and long term goals. The monitor lists for $199.