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Amazon's AR try-ons can show how shoes look, but not how they fit
Amazon's app now includes a Virtual Try-On for Shoes feature that lets you see how casual shoes would look on your feet.
Nike's new 'League of Legends' range includes special Jordans
Nike is back with a new line of apparel celebrating professional League of Legends. The range includes four new jerseys that will be worn by the teams representing China at the World Championship later this month: Top Esports, JD Gaming, Suning and LGD. Nike took a similar approach last year, giving eventual World Champion FunPlus Phoenix, Royal Never Give Up and Invictus Gaming new uniforms to compete in at the 2019 tournament.
Adidas' smart insoles use Google tech to improve your 'FIFA Mobile' scores
Just a few days ago Google and Adidas teased a smart insole designed to work with FIFA Mobile -- now we know exactly what it looks like. The Adidas GMR slips into your sneakers to monitor your performance during real-world soccer play, measuring your kicks and ball control and connecting to FIFA Mobile to give you challenges to improve your overall performance.
A smart running shoe insole detects your gait to offer coaching advice
There have been smart insoles before, but Nurvv is betting that its shoe companions could be particularly helpful if you're a runner. Its Nurvv Run insoles pack 32 sensors that, along with mobile apps and included GPS trackers, provide coaching both during and after runs. You can get updates on standard stats like cadence, step length and overall pace while you're mid stride thanks to audiovisual and haptic feedback. However, you can also venture into the app post-run to look at minutiae like your pronation (foot roll) and foot strike (how much of the forefoot hits the ground). You'll know whether a change in technique leads to practical gains.
Puma’s first ‘active gaming footwear’ is a sock
Sports and fashion have gone hand in hand for decades, so it's no surprise that esports is slowly but surely making a similar impact. Nike has launched esports jerseys, Adidas has signed Ninja, and now Puma is getting in on the action with the launch of its "active gaming footwear." Or, more specifically, "gaming socks."
How to buy sneakers for the hypebeast in your life
It's hard enough to find gifts for your loved ones during the holidays, but hypebeasts in particular are a picky bunch. They only want the most hyped products and the rarest sneakers, which can be a complicated world to navigate as a shopper if you're not familiar with it. But we're here to help. Thankfully, there are many ways to find something hypebeasts might like online -- even if you have to spend more money and time than you had hoped for. Here's how you can buy sneakers, apparel and even fanny packs (they call them waist bags) for the hypebeasts in your life.
Nike will drop exclusive, limited-edition sneakers inside ‘NBA 2K20’
Those of you who are into NBA 2K know that, for years, you've been able to buy sneakers from different brands for your virtual player in the game. But now, thanks to a new partnership between Nike and software publisher 2K Sports, you'll have a chance to get real sneakers for yourself as you're playing NBA 2K20. And they won't just be any kind of shoes -- they're going to be limited edition and exclusive to the popular basketball title. Nike says it will drop 10 "Gamer Exclusives" through NBA 2K20, starting on October 29th, when players will have the opportunity to purchase them by completing in-game challenges.
Nike puts an accessibility twist on its iconic Air Jordan 1
The Air Jordan 1, which NBA legend Michael Jordan debuted in 1985, continues to be one of Nike's most popular sneakers to this day. Throughout the years, the company has launched hundreds of different iterations of its iconic model, and now it's putting another twist on it that has the potential to help athletes and other people with disabilities. The AJI High FlyEase features Nike's FlyEase technology, one that was introduced in 2015 and is designed to make it easy for anyone to get their sneakers on and off quickly and easily.
Foot Locker wants to reinvent itself with a dedicated app for streetwear
Whenever you think of Foot Locker, what probably comes to mind are its thousands of brick-and-mortar stores, because chances are you've visited at least one in your lifetime. But, as important as physical retail locations are to the company's business, Foot Locker is also having to quickly adapt to the new ways people are shopping for sneakers, apparel and other types of gear. That's why back in February it invested $100 million in GOAT, one of the most popular apps for buying shoes on the resale market. And now, it is creating its own incubator called Greenhouse, which has just launched an app that Foot Locker says will feature carefully curated partnerships that are going to "contribute to [its] modern resurgence."
Adidas made a Snapchat game to drop limited, 8-bit-themed baseball cleats
Adidas is teaming up with Snapchat on a unique way to launch a product. The sportswear giant has created an 8-bit game you can play in Snapchat, called Baseball's Next Level, where you'll have the chance to buy its new 8-bit-themed baseball cleats. Produced in partnership with developer AvatarLabs, Baseball's Next Level is a home run derby, old-school style title that will let you play as some of Adidas' Major League Baseball athletes. That includes Aaron Judge (Yankees), Carlos Correa (Astros), Alex Bregman (Astros), Justin Turner (Dodgers) and Kiké Hernandez (Dodgers), all of whom have their own Adizero or Icon V cleats in the Adidas 8-bit collection, which you can buy directly from the game.
Nike’s Adapt Huarache are self-lacing sneakers you’ll actually want to wear
This probably isn't shocking to anyone who knows me, but I love sneakers perhaps too much for my own good. So when Nike introduced the Adapt BB with power laces earlier this year, I was pretty intrigued: It brought two of my favorite worlds together, sneakers and technology. But for me, the problem with the Adapt BBs is that they're designed to be a performance basketball shoe, meaning they're bulky and not something I could wear every day. Now Nike has created the Adapt Huarache, a reimagined version of a classic lifestyle sneaker from 1991, which also features its FitAdapt self-lacing technology.
StockX confirms it was hacked (updated)
StockX's warning of "suspicious activity" appears to have stemmed from a serious data breach. TechCrunch has learned through a black market data seller that a hacker stole 6.8 million records from the shoe trading site in May, including names, email addresses and (thankfully hashed) passwords. The data also included less vital info like shoe sizes, trading currencies and device version profiles.
Nike's Joyride shoes use tiny beads to make your runs more comfortable
Nike has developed a new shoe technology for both casual and every-day runners. Today, the sportswear giant is taking the wraps off of Joyride, a responsive cushioning system designed to adapt to individual foot strikes and offer high levels of impact absorption as your feet hit whatever surface you're running on. Nike says the idea with Joyride is to "make running easy" and give you more personalized comfort, which is made possible by thousands of tiny, energy-packed beads that form the shoe's midsole. You can get a great look at them in the Joyride Run Flyknit pictured above, the first Nike sneakers to feature the visible and colorful beads.
Nike uses AR to help you find the right fit for your sneakers
Nike has been experimenting heavily with augmented reality for a few years now, and the company is continuing to work on new experiences powered by the technology. The sportswear giant is now introducing Nike Fit, a feature that uses a combination of computer vision, scientific data, artificial intelligence and recommendation algorithms to scan your feet and find the right shoe fit for you. And you can do it all in augmented reality, using the Nike app on your smartphone. Nike says that, according to industry research, over 60 percent of people wear the wrong size shoes. With Nike Fit, the company is hoping to solve that problem.
Adidas made a running shoe that's fully recyclable
As part of its recent pledge to only use recycled plastics by 2024, Adidas has revealed a new running shoe that is made from 100 percent recyclable materials. The Futurecraft Loop was designed using nothing but thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a plastic material that dons the entire sneaker, including the tongue, laces, upper and the midsole with Boost cushioning technology. Adidas says it has been working on this project for the past six years, and the goal with it is to do its part in generating less plastic waste.
The best apps for buying sneakers
I can't even remember how many times I've had to get in line at a FootLocker to buy the latest pair of Air Jordans. But that was years ago, long before websites and apps became the main way I shop for sneakers. Nowadays, if I do end up at a FootLocker, it's because I won a raffle through its app and just have to go pick up a pair of shoes -- no waiting on long lines necessary. With the rise of smartphones and the internet as a whole, retailers along with brands like Nike and Adidas have turned to technology to sell sneakers, especially limited-edition ones that have the potential to cause physical fights. If I want a pair of Jordans in 2019, I just use Nike's SNKRS app, and I don't have to worry about someone jumping me for them as I leave a store.
Nike's self-lacing Adapt BB shoes aren't playing well with Android phones
How do you know you're living in the future? When your shoes have technical problems. Owners on Google Play and CNET report that Nike's Android companion app for the self-lacing Adapt BB has some teething troubles, most notably a buggy firmware update process. In some cases, the updates have bricked people's shoes -- yes, that's something we just said. You can still wear the shoes and force-restart them, but that's not really something you should worry about with a $350 pair of kicks.
Unboxing Nike's self-lacing Adapt BB sneakers is like opening a smartphone
It was exactly a month ago that Nike took the wraps off of Adapt BB, its latest pair of shoes with power laces, and now the company is finally ready to bring them to the masses. The Adapt BB will launch globally on February 17th, although some lucky people have already been able to get them through Nike's SNKRS app. Unlike the HyperAdapt 1.0 from 2017, which were more of a concept project, the Adapt BBs are intended to be performance shoes for basketball players. They're also smarter than the HyperAdapts, thanks to a mobile app that pairs with the shoes via Bluetooth and lets users adjust how the laces fit. You can also use the Adapt application, available for iOS and Android, to change the two LED colors on the shoes.
Nike turns its SNKRS app into a pop-up shop for sneakerheads
With Super Bowl 53 getting ready to kick off in Atlanta, brands are seeing dollar signs. And you know Nike, given its status as a sportswear giant, has to go all out for the event. That's why the company opened a pop-up shop in Atlanta, designed to cater exclusively to users of its SNKRS app. The temporary store, which will be open through the end of March, is the sportswear giant's latest effort to seamlessly merge its digital and physical shopping experiences.
Under Armour's HOVR connected shoes aim to make you a smarter runner
Under Armour has been making a major push into smart running shoes for a couple of years now, and in 2019 the company is taking those efforts even further. This year, it plans to launch a suite of connected sneakers (five, to be exact), starting with the HOVR Infinite. Pictured above, the Infinite is a $120 running shoe that can be paired to Under Armour's MapMyRun app via Bluetooth, letting you keep track of your stats right on your smartphone.
