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Wahoo Fitness BlueSC cycling sensor preview
It wasn't all that long ago that Wahoo Fitness unveiled it's iPhone 4S friendly BlueHR heart monitor to let you track your workouts. Well, it turns out that Wahoo's been working on something new, and at a Bluetooth 4.0 event today in SF, we got a sneak peek at the company's next device, the BlueSC. It's a gadget aimed at would-be Alberto Contadors that wirelessly tracks the speed and pedaling cadence of cyclists via Wahoo's existing app. It's a three piece affair with a main hub that straps to your bike frame, one magnet that goes on your wheel, and a second that's placed on the pedal crank. The hub gets rotational info from each magnet as it swings past and then shoots your stats to your phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to track your performance as you chug up the Alpe d'Huez. (OK, maybe just around the neighborhood.) What you see above is a working prototype device, but Wahoo's being coy about further hardware details, pricing and availability -- though we can say that it's quite lightweight and can't weigh more than few grams. In the meantime, you can get a better look at your next training tool in the gallery below.
Jawbone Up review
Back in July, Jawbone did something surprising. The company, best known for its Bluetooth headsets, announced it was cooking up a wristband called "Up" -- a wearable device that would track the wearer's sleeping, eating and exercise habits. At the time, we didn't know much more than that, but given the company's expertise in wearable tech, we assumed it would at least have a Bluetooth radio, tying it together with all the other products Jawbone sells. As it turns out, the wristband doesn't sync your vitals wirelessly and for better or worse, it doesn't work quite the way we thought it would. To use the wristband, you'll need an iOS device -- no other platform is supported, and there isn't even a mobile website to which you can upload all your data. Then again, it does things other fitness trackers don't: it monitors when you're in deep or light sleep, so that it can wake you when you're just dozing. And because it's waterproof up to one meter and promises up to 10 days of battery life, it's low-maintenance enough that you can wear it every day, which could be key to making some healthy lifestyle changes. So how did Jawbone do, stepping so far outside its comfort zone? And should you consider this over identically priced fitness trackers such as the new Fitbit Ultra? Let's see. %Gallery-141101%
KiFit tells you how many calories you're not burning, other sad details of your unhealthy existence
Do we really need another gadget to tell us we're fat and we sleep badly? Yes, we do. The KiFit armband's packing some medically developed tech which measures your body temperature, how much you're sweating, and how much you're moving. From that info, it calculates your calorie burn rate and how peacefully you're sleeping. If you're like us, you're undoubtedly already aware that your slumber is like a nightly replay of the "Enter Sandman" video, but still, it's great to see gadgets that encourage a healthier lifestyle, right? The KiFit is available for $300 plus a $20 monthly subscription price -- and while it's a pretty neat little gizmo -- we'd suggest you might be better off paying for a gym membership you're never going to use.
TUAW Tips: Send Mac audio to your iPhone for cheap
Earlier this month, I wrote about connecting my old Mac mini to my television . My mini offers a great Apple TV-style lifestyle with none of the Apple TV limitations. It's a real Mac running real Snow Leopard, albeit on an older, admittedly limited mini. I have Front Row, EyeTV, QuickTime, and more, all ready to entertain me on demand, as well as standard system access to mail, web browsing, etc. The sound in my living room is powered by a couple of speakers that shipped with an ancient computer monitor. Their audio works fine for close-up TV watching and Wii playing. Move across the room and those speakers prove how limited they are. Add in a treadmill with its motor noises, and the sound decreases to virtually nothing. So how can one listen to those great shows that are playing back on that lovely large screen across the room, especially when walking or jogging on the treadmill? I messed around with several solutions until I stumbled across one that really worked well for me. Using my home's 802.11g Wi-Fi network, I could call my iPhone from my Mac using Skype. With only the most minimal of lags, I was able to transmit live audio and watch my favorite shows on the Mac while listening on the iPhone from my treadmill. Read on to learn how I accomplished this...
Bluetrek unveils twistable ST1 Bluetooth headphones
It looks like Bluetrek is hopping into the Bluetooth headphone game, and while it faces some stiff competition, the ST1 sports a design entirely more pleasing to the eye than Etymotic's ety8 or Koss' Cobalt. Expected to make a showing at CES, these Korean-bound headphones feature a slim, bendable frame made to fit the heads of runners / commuters without gangly adornments cramping your style. It also boasts a trendy black / snow white color motif, Bluetooth v1.2 support, USB connectivity, operates "about nine hours" before its Li-ion needs recharging, and can supposedly last 400 hours in standby mode. Additionally, the play / pause, track direction, and volume controls are handily included on the earpieces, so you can control your playlists (on supported devices) without ever looking down. While we're not sure how much Bluetrek plans on charging for these snazzy wraparounds, we'll hopefully be getting a listen of our own before too long.[Via Engadget Chinese]
