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Liteboxer is Peloton, but for boxing
A Peloton for boxing? We're interested.
Nothing says Happy Valentine's Day like a 'Black Mirror' dating app
So, it's Valentine's Day, and what better time to check on the potential end date of your romantic relationship? It's easy to do over at coach.dating, a fun little web app based on the dating AI, Coach, that manages dating relationships in the Black Mirror episode, "Hang the DJ."
Pay pros for lessons on sucking less at video games
Losing to a 12-year-old in Super Smash Bros. can be a real downer, but there are a few ways to prevent that. You can challenge kids who aren't as good, practice and improve on your own, or, if you have a few bucks to spend, get a video game tutor from Japanese company GameLesson.
National Express coaches are getting on-board entertainment
Long-haul flights have offered seat-back TVs to distract weary passengers for some time, and it's looking like it won't be too long before every transport option has its own form of on-board entertainment. Following the arrival of Virgin Trains' entertainment app earlier this year, National Express has announced a similar service called VUER -- short for View, Unwind, Enjoy and Relax (sigh) -- for its coaches. Launching at the end of November, the VUER app for Android and iOS will give passengers complimentary access to TV shows, magazines, news and weather via free on-board WiFi.
Shot Tracker's wearable basketball coach launches today
If you love nothing more than dunking slams and rolling fingers, then you may be wondering where the consumer-level basketball technology is. Sure, there's some high-falutin' coaching setups and a connected Nerf ball, but for everyone else? Step forward Shot Tracker, which is launching a wearable platform that'll turn your smartphone into the only coach you'll ever need. The system comprises a sensor that you clip to the net and a wristband or compression sleeve that monitors your shooting motion. Disregarding other movements like dribbling, passing and pirouetting, the gear can identify errors in your game and show you how to fix 'em. If you're interested in tracking your stats, goals, workouts and getting the whole coaching experience, then you can grab Shot Tracker for $149.99 from right now - although we don't know if your Android or iOS device will give you a hug if you miss that lay up in the 2nd.
Nike+ Running for iPhone now keeps you motivated with a coaching mode
Let's face it: Many people will need some motivation to shed those holiday pounds. Thankfully, an update to the Nike+ Running app for iOS is here to get folks moving. The fitness tool now includes a Nike+ Coach mode that delivers training programs based on both ambition and skill level; athletes can gently work up to a 5K or go all-out with marathon training. Should they start slacking, the app can also send run reminders and offer tips. We can't promise that Nike's coaching will make up for any turkey overdoses this year, but hey, the app is free -- it won't hurt to give the new feature a spin.
The Summoner's Guidebook: Divorcing skill from teaching skills in League of Legends
League of Legends is a game where skill takes many forms. Knowledge is a skill, as is mechanical execution, adaptability, decision-making, and prediction. In LoL, the emphasis is mostly on decision-making and knowledge. This doesn't mean that the other skills aren't necessary to become a great player, but being a good player mostly requires those skills. I've said it once and I'll say it again: I'm not a great player. If I were, I'd probably be trying to get on a pro team (or I'd already be on one). Even "good" is debatable. I am kind of emotional when I play, and it messes me up. I tend to surrender vote early, which sometimes brings my team down. I am not a team player. I tend to rely on my superior mechanics. Even my mechanics are bad compared to great players. I tend to think of myself as OK at best and that most people are just awful. However, I also think I'm pretty good at teaching people how to play. LoL has a lot of games-within-a-game to play, and I'm not too bad at explaining how those things work over time. I'd like to think I'm good at giving commentary (both positive and negative) to a player trying to learn. I could be a coach, and I sort of am -- I get to coach all of you guys, after all.
The Summoner's Guidebook: Getting friends to enjoy League of Legends
I find the mainstream success of League of Legends to be extremely baffling. If you break down the skills you need to be an effective player in the MOBA genre, they are daunting. The mechanical skill cap to be acceptable is unacceptably high, and the knowledge burden is enormous. Other MOBAs have dozens of characters and hundreds or thousands of matchups. League of Legends' character pool is so unbelievably large that even professionals cannot grasp the entirety of its design space. While I can't fathom how normal people find a game this hard fun, I can simply accept it. That makes it quite possible to get our friends and significant others hooked. However, because League is a hard game, it is probably best that we be careful when we try to teach our friends. It's pretty easy to scare them with the enormous difficulty in the game.
Adidas miCoach out now on European Xbox 360s and PS3s, connects to cameras and own hardware
Those looking to hone their own olympian body in preparation for this year's Games can grab Adidas' miCoach title for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Tapping into both consoles' respective motion-sensing cameras (and Adidas' own sensors and units), there are six sports to dabble in, with over 400 different exercises that can be synced with existing miCoach accounts. There's also a raft of Adidas-emblazoned athletes to take you through those motions. The games are priced up at £21 (around $32) a piece in the UK, but American indoor athletes can expect their version to arrive around July 24.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to use iPads as playbooks, not PlayBooks
With the NFL season just a few days away, players and coaches have been busy lifting weights, doing interviews and counting their money. Sometimes, they even get the chance to study their playbooks -- or, in the case of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their iPads. This year, the franchise has distributed a fresh batch of iPad 2's to all of its 90 players, as part of a new initiative from coach Raheem Morris. With the tablets, the Bucs can spend their free time reviewing their downloaded plays, while analyzing video footage from practices, games and opposing teams. In related tech news, the Detroit Lions just discovered fire.
China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video)
Seriously, this is the future that China's envisioning: huge friggin' buses engulfing smaller cars on the road. Despite the silly picture and the eccentric "3D Express Coach" branding, this cunning project by Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment actually makes sense. The idea is to make use of the space between regular-size cars and bridges, thus saving construction costs as well as minimizing congestion impact by allowing cars to drive underneath these jumbo buses. Fancy hitching a ride? You better start planning your move to Beijing's Mentougou district, which is where Huashi will commence building its first 186km of track at year's end. For now, enjoy the Chinese demo video after the break (translation text at source link).
Air New Zealand 'revolutionizes' coach cabins: power, USB, iPod support and Skycouches
When the so-called "friendly skies" are mentioned, a few airlines in particular come to mind: Virgin America, Singapore Airlines and Qantas, for starters. Starting today, you can safely include Air New Zealand in that discussion. In a bid to turn long-haul international travel on its head, the outfit has today revealed a freshly outfitted Boeing 777 with a coach cabin that easily puts every coach cabin found in the US to shame. Designed by Recaro, the world-class coach area includes 11 rows of Skycouches that can actually fold flat in order to create (admittedly short) beds for two. The best part? The "third seat" in the row will only cost a couple 50 percent of what it normally would, making it somewhat more affordable to buy a bed without springing for first class. You'll also find power sockets, USB ports and iPod connectors in every single coach seat, leaving the plane a Gogo-module away from being absolutely perfect. Pop those source links below for a hands-on at the Auckland unveiling by our good pals at Gadling.
DS Daily: Fluent yet?
A few months have passed since the last language trainer, My Japanese Coach, debuted on the DS, so now seems like an apt time to ask: if you bought one of the DS's numerous language titles, are you still returning each day to learn new lessons? Has the DS made you feel confident enough to converse with real people on the streets of Paris/Tokyo/Madrid?Oh, and as this is sort of related, did anybody ever pick up the hilariously inappropriate Spanish for Everyone?%Gallery-28607%
DS Daily: I think I'm learning Japanese, I really think so
My Japanese Coach is probably one of the most anticipated games hitting the DS. After our week with My French Coach, we can say that piece of software was effective. So, how many of you are looking to pick this up to learn Japanese?Any of you learn another language through the aid of software before? Did you pick up any of the other language coach games? Or are you not excited by My Japanese Coach at all?%Gallery-28607%
Nike+ coming to iPhone and iPod touch
Multiple sources are repeating Stuff.tv's report that Apple is planning to bring the Nike+ system to the iPhone and iPod touch. Nike+ is of course a special kit, originally made for iPod nano, that will record the distance and length of a walk or run -- you stick the little sensor in your shoe, and it works as a timer and pedometer to record personal workout stats.Stuff also reports that in addition to bringing along the sensor system, the new Nike+ system may also be able to take advantage of the iPhone's and touch's wifi by sending stats from the sensor directly to Nike's online database,where a new "Coach" system will help you schedule runs and activities.Sounds pretty amazing. Of course, this is only the beginning of the kind of "life management" software that we'll see coming out of the SDK. Stuff suggests that your iPhone will help you know when go to out and for how long, but of course we know that by the time June comes around it'll be able to do a lot more than that.
Ubisoft plans to slim us down
Ubisoft's series of training games have been some of the best on the DS: Brain Challenge managed to compete with Nintendo's own Brain Age in quality, and their language training games have been the only ones on DS that are worth a damn.That's why when we see an announcement (or pseudo-announcement) of a new Coach game, we actually pay attention. This time, according to an OFLC rating, Ubisoft's going to help us lose a few pounds with My Health Coach: Weight Management. They're already taking a less direct approach to getting us to exercise with Quick Yoga Training, but we expect My Health Coach to have more of a nutritional focus. It could be an interesting product for blogger-shaped people who can get over the initial embarrassment of being told what to eat by a DS game.[Via Siliconera]
MIT builds robotic weight loss coach
In an attempt to understand how humans react to having a robotic weight loss coach in their home versus simply using the software that the machine is loaded with, the imaginative folks at MIT have constructed a sociable robot that wants to see you reach your ideal weight. The robot uses internal cameras and face-tracking software to maintain eye contact with you while you attempt to fib about exactly how much exercise you've had, and the external touchscreen allows you to input data such as food / calorie consumption and duration of exercise. The creature is slated to hit the homes of select Bostonians as the designers begin to test its long-term effectiveness, but those looking for a glimpse of it in action should check out the video provided in the read link.[Via TechDigest]
Ubisoft on Ubiports: 'We made mistakes'
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, speaking to Spiegel magazine, candidly (yet indirectly) revealed that he believed that some of his company's Wii releases were less than perfect. No, not Red Steel. Guillemot was referring to the spate of ports that Ubisoft released to fill out their lineup.Regarding the hasty ports (games such as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, Far Cry: Vengeance, and Monster 4x4 World Circuit), Guillemot said that "We made mistakes." Ubisoft admitting to overporting? Between this and weird releases like My Word Coach, Ubi seems like a whole new company!
Wii Warm Up: NMS excitement
Fresh from the Nintendo Media Summit, we've quite a few impressions of games coming out in the immediate future. Among them: Mario Party 8 Super Mario Strikers: Charged Big Brain Academy Pokemon Battle Revolution The Bigs Boogie My Word Coach Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2 We're most jazzed for Strikers, especially after reading such effulgent impressions from Penny Arcade. But which game shown at NMS excited you the most? If you were stuck on an island and could only have one game ... you know, assuming you had a Wii and a couple Wiimotes, and a nice TV ... maybe some nunchuks, oh, and the sensor bar, and I guess you'd need a standard 120 W outlet somewhere in the sand ... and a decent supply of food and water, or you wouldn't spend your time playing the Wii ... you know what, never mind.
Ubisoft to assist in the learning of glorious languages
Bonjour! Gamefly is really letting us know what's coming down the pipeline lately. Siliconera reports that they spotted "games" My Spanish Coach and My French Coach for the Nintendo DS on the site with an October release. We're going to guess that the Ubisoft published games are meant to assist the average unilingual American in picking up another language -- although French wouldn't be all that helpful on the North American continent unless you got lost in the wilderness of Quebec.Ubisoft will also release My Word Coach, which would seem like a vocabulary enhancement tool. Wii cüd rly uz dat. We'd like to think that these "games" would be used in schools to teach kids, but dagnabbit, this is America and nobody should speak anything but American. And drink Budweiser, eat Kraft cheese, drive a GM truck ... etc., etc. Can't we just bypass the whole "learning" thing and just get a universal translator up and running already?
