Sure, there's something to be said for turning a workout into a game, and the
Wii Fit has that in spades, but there's also perks to a system that tracks every aspect of your for-realsies workouts at all times. The THP² Personal Training System from Korea's Nury Tec combines a GPS pod, body fat scale and chest strap hear rate receiver to track your well being during and after a workout. All the gadgets transmit wirelessly to a watch controller, which in turn transmits to a PC receiver to download all your stats to an included program. It's like
Nike+ on steroids (minus the steroids... don't do drugs kids!), and with a projected price of $180 when this hits the States this year, not a bad alternative on price either.
posted May 14th 2008 3:40PM
"It's like Nike+ on steroids (minus the steroids... don't do drugs kids!)"
lol
"makes the Wii Fit seem a bit childish"
And it didn't seem like that before?
I guess giant headed Miis jumping around and doing yoga seemed fairly mature to them... but now something is out with GPS!
Also I have no idea why the Wii Fit is included in the title. I'd buy having it in the article maybe, but Wii Fit is like using an interactive/entertainment stepper (aka you don't really go anywhere) and since this device includes a GPS unit, I am going to assume it's meant for people jogging outdoors and such.
This isn't doing anything my Garmin Forerunner hasn't been doing for quite some time. Plus that one is just a watch and a strap for the heart monitor instead of 3 pieces you need to put on while going on a run.
If it really sells at $180, it'll be about half the price of the Garmin Forerunner. I've been thinking about the Garmin, but I might hold out for this if it works as advertised.
my sentiments exactly. it's new, but that doesn't mean its *good*. no GPS? no thanks, I'll pass.
You did notice the bit that said "combines a GPS pod" didn't you?
In response to all above. The Garmin Forerunner 305 (The model I have owner for about a year now) has a GPS and a heart monitor. All of it fit into something just slightly larger than a regular watch except for the heart monitor strap. A quick search on Google shows companies already selling this today for ~$185. Does "GPS Pod" mean anything different than just GPS, because that is the only way I see this thing doing something more than the Garmin one.
Suunto's been doing that (to a certain extent) for years. In fact, Lexus gave me an n6HR model at one of their media events. Despite having features such as a heart-rate monitor and MSN Direct, I pretty much used it to tell time and that's it.
It is now my "junk" watch as it's all scratchy and whatnot. And it's the only watch I've ever owned that charges via USB.
You beat me to it...! Nothing new at all.....Suunto has been doing this, and doing it good!
What has Wii Fit got to do with this? Not like this concept isn't a few years old.
This does basically the same as my Garmin Forerunner 305, apart from the fat measuring scale, and that the Garmin has the GPS built into the watch, i.e. no extra pod.
You can get the Garmin for $215 at Amazon so the price difference is not that great.
In other news, real rock instruments make Rock Band instruments seem a bit childish.
Come on, let's put it into perspective. These are games we're talking about, right? Sheesh.
I got most of that stuff already, but that price is nice, I hope the software works since, I've yet to see any physical training equipment that actually works for more than one thing at the same time...
And that Nike+ stuff sucks big time... I would pay twice the actual price if it actually was useful...
And the Wii Fit is just the scale, it doesn't come with gps and heart rate setup, you rally can compare them. It's like comparing a mustang with a Ferrari...
"...hear rate receiver",
oh c'mon engadget.
i blame the steroids!
यह मानव अपशिष्ट . नहीं किया जाना चाहिए .
I've been thinking about getting the Garmin Forerunner 405. Even thought it cost more I think its much more of an attractive package becuase the watch has the GPS built in, no need for the pod just like the previous 305.
I have read some reviews which suggest the GPS in the watch is not accurate enough for some runners. I wonder if the external pod allows it to have greater accuracy?
The food pod is a pedometer for treadmills or when no satellite reception is available. The GPS is built into the watch.
God forbid you ever see some real metrics tracking equipment for training. Go do a search for PowerTap or SRM Power and this thing will seem like a kid's toy. And for anyone that bitches about no GPS on these, Garmin makes a unit that works seamlessly with them.
"THP²" ...What is "THP" squared? ...THP x THP = ?