Adidas 1 review

It took a bit of wrangling, but we managed to score a pair of Adidas 1, those new running shoes that come with the 20MHz microprocessor built-in. We knew that reviewing these shoes would require some very serious sacrifices—namely, that we remove ourselves from our chair and actually do some exercise—but we couldn't resist finding out first-hand whether having a little computational power would make any difference in our, uh, daily workout.

First off, these are quite possibly the ugliest shoes we�ve ever worn�no matter how fine they appear in the photos, know that they look far worse in person (we actually preferred the packaging to the shoes themselves). Also note that if you buy the Adidas 1 these will be the first shoes you will over own that come with an instruction manual. We have a strict policy of never even glancing at a manual until something goes wrong, but given our relative inexperience with computer shoes we decided to make an exception this time around.


Installing the batteries was a snap, and it was time to power up the kicks by pressing both the �+� and �-� buttons on the side of the shoe at the same time. There are five small amber-colored LEDs right on top of the buttons�when you turn on the shoes the middle LED should light up, and then a few seconds later it�ll switch to another LED, which indicates the current cushioning setting of the shoe. That setting will be automatically adjusted depending on what you�re doing or the kind of surface you�re walking or running on, but if you want you can adjust it to suit your own personal preference. Switching off the shoes entails holding down the �+� and �-� buttons a second time, but Adidas also anticipates your potential lethargy and so to save the battery the processor will switch off automatically after ten minutes of inactivity.


Now for some real world testing. We�re way too self-conscious to go jogging on the streets of Manhattan, so we saddled up and made our way over to the gym. (Even though they don�t look much different from regular Adidas, there�s something anxiety inducing about walking the streets of New York in $250 shoes, and we so don�t want to be one of those guys who gets robbed for their sneakers. Thankfully, we made it to the gym just fine.)


Running in the Adidas 1 was slightly anticlimactic�we weren�t able to pull off any Steve Austin-style moves�but we could definitely tell when the shoes were adjusting themselves in response to different surfaces and when we went from walking to running. It was hard to notice the effect just walking around, but when we started up on the treadmill we could definitely feel the shoes becoming more springy or cushioned. We�ll have to suck it up and perform another week or two of testing to see how the shoes hold up. We�d try and figure out how to crash the processor, but we�re not even sure how we�d be able to tell when we�d succeeded.


So are they worth the cost? You have to be a pretty serious geek/athlete/mathlete to justify spending $250 on a pair of shoes that come with embedded microprocessors. Not that these shoes are gimmicks or anything (or well, not entirely gimmicks), but you could probably easily save yourself a hundred and fifty bucks by taking a little extra time to find a pair of trainers which your feet really, really like. You won�t be able to impress anyone, but you will have enough money left over for a Nintendo DS.

[Phil @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

what size are those? i wear a 9.

their web site is horrible!

[plabBe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Why dont you sent those shoes my way... to someone who actually enjoys running.
They say you can get about 500 miles out of a good pair of running shoes. Do they seem like they are up to par with other shoes? Also... do they self correct (increase stability, provide motion control) for people that overpronate?

[crsh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

sadly, these horrid things are going to sell like crazy and countless kids are going to get mugged in schoolyards for them too..

[mveloso @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

So, can you plug the shoes into anything? Does it have USB?

Maybe they can embed a flash drive, so it'd be the coolest and most functional USB flash drive on the market.

[Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Do you think that this will be the rocket that helps them fight with Nike?

I still like asics(sp?)

dave

[Russell @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Sawweeett! I'd like to get my hands on these...did you actually go out and buy these or did Adidas send them to you?

[chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

ooh! ooh! how about a bluetooth version, with maybe a flash-drive mp3 player in there Somewhere?!? Then you could saddle up of Some bluetooth headphones, and you're rocking some jim dandy ear candy! And you could activate track / and volume adjustment by tripping over your hideously enormous shoes! yeah, that'd be sweet.

[geekmorgan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I bought these shoes when they first went on sale this friday, mostly for the geek factor and for encouragement to get to the gym. you can feel the adjustments they make, and feel the vibration of the moving gears, but this gimmic is way more than anyone needs.

these are called adidas 1.0, so we'll have to wait until version 1.5 or 2.0 for USB or bluetooth.

overall, they're fun and flashy, most comfortable shoes i've had in recent memory. they're worth it for geek factor alone.

[JChan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

You have to do a round 2 pavement and asphalt test, the treadmill is too springy and predicatable to find out what the cushioning can really do. I can run on a treadmill barefoot and still be comfortable.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

They're cool, somply because Spike Jonze did the TV ad.

Does anyone know what sizes they're available in? I'd like a pair but have pretty big feet...

[BoyWonder @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I definitely disagree with the assessment of the shoes' looks as ugly. The gold was definitely a poor choice, but when you are wearing them, they look pretty darn nice from above.

I don't know if the target market is truly the avid runner, but rather the young urbanites (myself included) who want the newest thing. You don't get'em dirty because you can only clean them by using a damp towel (no washer action); I'm not going to be wearing these for anything but show. No worse than spending money on some nice dress shoes.

[randomtruth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Can't wait to watch someone try to wear a pair of these through an airport security checkpoint!!!

[cell @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Can you overclock them to make you run faster?

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Who the hell are "we"?? How many people were there?

Can you possibly, I don't know, like, write normal and stuff? I'm going to jump to conclusion and assume you don't have multiple personalities so stop reffering to yourself as "we". It gets extremely annoying when in 3 sentences there are 5 "we"s.

Cheers.
Alex

[El Pablo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I'm waiting for the first 'Adidas 1' Hack.

[Alex's Evil Twin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Alex, It's called the "editorial we". It is a device typically used in journalism when the writer is anonymous and speaks on behalf of the publication. It's similar to the "royal we" used across the pond.

BTW - Your boorish use of the too tired salutation "cheers" tends to undermine any comment you might have about one's word choice.

[ashu mathura @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

There is a nice free mobile video game available around the shoe and brand. More information about the game can be found here:
http://mobilegames.blogs.com/mobile_games_blog/2005/03/overloaded_and_.html

The free game can be download via WAP. Point you phone at wap.adidas1game.com

Have fun!

[Eric @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

but...does it run linux?

[matthew @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Alex's Evil Twin,

The editorial We is a known tool, but anyone who reads engadget once a week at the very least will confirm that they abuse it to no end.

I'd also add that "we" is more than annoying when it appears 20 times-count them-in an *editorial* or review about an item only one person (presumably) can use at a time.

Pe?ce

[Bob the Geek @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

My friend Mitch wants some of these. he is the biggest Geek of them all. They are PERFECT for him.

BTW, I LIKED the review. A little different, but humerous. ...just like the sneakers.

BtG

[Tucker @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Sheesh, everyone needs to lighten up.. This is a gadget site, not a running site. They reviewed the shoes for the sheer geek factor just for the hell of it. It would be like them reviewing one of those crazy-ass espresso makers and ragging on the fact that they're not coffee connoisseurs.

And as to the looks not being relevant... Since when does someone buy a pair of shoes without regarding the looks? Who wants to wear a pair of butt ugly shoes?

[Bill @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Are they running XP with Service Pack 2?

If so, I'll stick with my Nike Shox...

Bill