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Philips Activa fitness MP3 player reminds you to move
It's the new year, so what better way for a company to prey upon your insecurities than by offering devices that accessorizes your ambition to really meet your fitness goals this time around. Philips knows this, so it'll be expanding its DirectLife wearable activity monitor to Germany this month and then to the UK a few months later while launching its new Activa personal audio player here at CES. Activa brings along a little trick called TempoMusic; a feature that analyzes your music library to later match songs to your aerobic intensity. That means that Activa can help keep you motivated by shouting out feedback on your progress in addition to words of encouragement while automatically selecting the appropriate music to match the pace of your workout or give you a boost when needed. Later, while cooling down with some cold suds and a delicious slice of warm tobacco pie you can check your progress and caloric burn rate via the bundled PC software. Activa will be available worldwide sometime in April for about $130, suggested.
Philips introduces DirectLife activity monitor / fitness program
Well, we just finished putting the Fitbit activity monitor through its paces, but it looks like Philips has now come out with a strikingly similar device of its own -- which, like the Fitbit, promises to help you get more active by monitoring you all the time. From the sound of it, however, it seems that Philip's so-called DirectLife monitor has a few more tricks up its sleeve, not the least of which is a full-fledged fitness program complete with its own online personal coaches (who contribute to the $12.50 a month cost). The activity monitor itself also seems to have a few advantages over the Fitbit, including some LED lights that show your progress at a glance, and a built-in USB plug that eschews the need for a dock. Then again, it does still make use of nothing more than a basic accelerometer to monitor your activity, which isn't always the most foolproof option. It also packs the same $99 price tag as the Fitbit, but Philips will knock that down to $79 if you order this month, and even throw in a four-month membership for good measure.
