jogging
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Get motivated to get moving with Movn
Movn: Simple Pedometer & Movement Goal Coach wants to help you become more active. All of us have decided at some point to increase our daily activity by taking a long walk, or jogging, or riding a bicycle, or yoga, or any number of activities. But how many of us have failed to follow through and actually do more? Probably most of us. That is where Movn comes in. The free app works on all iPhones and 2nd generation iPads and later and requires iOS 7.1 or later. Movn works as a simple pedometer to count your steps by using the accelerometer and GPS in your iPhone. It also tracks how long you have been active so if you did a stationary warmup before starting your walk it measures that time too. Users indicate what activity they are participating in such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, or working out at the gym with weight or in an organized yoga or pilates class. Once you do that decide what your goal is for how long you want to be active during the day. The time ranges from thirty minutes to three hours. That's all you have to do. As long as you have your phone somewhere on your person Movn will track your activity time and count the number of steps you take. The app also gives you a map showing the path of your latest activity. I did some mall walking to test the app and even though I was inside the map showed a close up view of the mall and my path from one end of the mall to the other and back. So you are all set now. You have your goal and you know what you are going to do but you still need to follow through and get moving. The app offers a place where you can set up a notification in case you sit too long. Set a time and Movn notifies you that you have not been active for that long. It tells you politely that you have been sitting for more than whatever time you selected and you need to get going. The app keeps you engaged while you try to reach your goal with additional messages like park your car far away and walk or take the stairs. Once you reach your goal for the day, the app recognizes your achievement. Movn also records your daily activity and allows you to see how you have been doing over the last week or month. If you are really serious about getting into shape and workout regularly then Movn is probably not for you. You will find other apps that can provide more information besides just the number of steps and the time you were active. If you are just looking for a little push to get you going and keep your activity level at a higher level, then Movn might be just what you need.
Garmin Forerunner 10 is a GPS watch designed for outdoor fitness, we go hands-on
Having a svelte design is paramount to the success of any fitness accessory -- a desire to avoid hassle often prompts those of us who opt for purging calories without the convenience of a climate-controlled gym to leave smartphones, and even watches at home. That means nifty contraptions like Garmin's new Fenix all-in-one wearable don't make it to the jogging path, making a compact dedicated running watch a more desirable pick instead. That's the idea behind the Forerunner 10, which Garmin is pushing as a dead-simple GPS-equipped wristwatch for runners, joggers and walkers. Water resistant to 50 meters (for ocean-floor sprints?), the gadget tracks essentials like pace and calories burned, while also keeping tabs on your coordinates, letting you download stats like distance and speed through a USB adapter and Garmin Connect. We weren't able to go for a jog, sadly, though we did spend some time with the Forerunner 10 in an office setting. The watch seemed very straightforward, which you'll find to be quite helpful as you push to match a pre-set pace, without worrying about distractions. It comes in black, green or pink, and while the company suggests that you can wear the watch for non-exercise purposes as well, both colored designs seemed a bit too bright and flashy for regular use. The Forerunner 10 is rated for up to five hours of battery life in training mode, or five weeks in power-save mode (for regular time-keeping purposes), and is available to purchase for $130. You can check one out for yourself at Garmin's Chicago retail location, or you can take a peek in our hands-on photos just below.%Gallery-163499%
Epson joins fitness market with world's lightest GPS watch
In the world of electronics, the size of a device directly relates to its ability to pull ahead of the competition -- especially when it comes to fitness-tracking gadgets. The latest and greatest in this field has emerged from the most unexpected of places, with Epson, a company known for its printers and projectors, releasing the world's lightest GPS watch. This timepiece, specifically designed for runners, reportedly offers more accurate readings and better battery life (up to 12 hours on one charge) than competing products from Garmin, with acute data on distance, speed and pace, all due to its newly-designed 13mm-thick module. If sweat is an issue, the water-resistant casing offers protection against a full submersion of up to 50 meters -- you can wipe your brow with a sigh of relief. Pricing and availability on the company's latest concept is still unknown, but you can let your eyes do the jogging as you peruse the press release just past the break.
NEC's ArmKeypad lets you play charades to control your media player (video)
Okay, two words, sounds like... wait, it's one word? Okay, two words in one. First word, three letters, sounds like "arm." Oh, it is "arm." Okay, second word. You're typing. Typing on keys. It's keyboard. It's not a keyboard? No, it is a keyboard. The word isn't "keyboard?" Really? Maybe "keypad?" It's "keypad!" What the heck is an ArmKeypad? Turns out it's NEC's attempt at letting us control our portable devices using charades-like gestures, which we first heard about last week. You can tap your arms in different places to control volume or skip tracks, even clap your hands if you're happy and your want your PMP to know it. The system relies on a wrist-borne accelerometer that detects the impacts and, while the video below looks a bit goofy, that's far better than fumbling with your smartphone while sucking wind on your thrice-weekly runs. And, it's certainly far simpler than the projected Skinput. NEC expects to have this tech built into a watch-like device sometime within the next two years. That watch had better have a calculator.
Garmin updates GPS watch line with Forerunner 210 and 410, data-craving runners rejoice
Runners love to tell you about their post-workout highs, but they rarely mention the mid-workout delirium that comes when muscles deprive your brain of blood, leading to doubts about how long you've been running, what your target heart rate should be, and indeed how to get home again. Garmin's updated Forerunner 410 (above) can help you out with all those things, and the larger touch bezel means oxygen-deprived cardio hounds can easily scroll through data describing things like pace and heart rate, even when it's raining -- or you're sweating excessively. Once back home and showered this $325 watch automatically syncs to a USB dongle via ANT+, uploading data to Garmin Connect, just like its predecessor the 405. Then there's the $300 210, pictured below, a follow-up to this spring's 110 and providing a more simple display of real-time distance and heart rate without a bunch of other confusing data. Both models will be on display at the upcoming Chicago and New York City marathons before pacing themselves into stores this fall. Update: The 410 can indeed help you find your way back home thanks to a simple navigation mode that will direct you from one waypoint to the next. Great for finding new routes -- or new tactical insertions.
App review: Nike+ GPS
Nike's dalliances with technology should be familiar to our readers by now, with the crowning jewel of course being the Nike+ run-tracking software that pairs a shoe-mounted sensor with your iPhone or iPod. Well, it was. The gargantuan sportswear company is moving with the times and throwing the hardware away with the introduction of its all-new Nike+ GPS application. No longer restricting our running shoe choice is groovy, but the app itself has the even loftier aim of simultaneously acting as your fitness guru, motivator and record keeper. And all it asks in return is access to the accelerometer and GPS modules inside your iOS 4-equipped iPhone or iPod touch (the latter's lack of GPS means it loses out on route mapping, but all other features are retained). So, let's see how this baby runs, shall we?%Gallery-101563%
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon: Dog days
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010. No, it's not another worgen post. I'd roll a goblin, anyway, and not merely because of factional preference. I spent too many hours as a n00b getting repeatedly pwnt in Silverpine Forest, which has made me as bitter as powdered aspirin towards those furry bastards; I'd gank myself. No, this is the midsummer swoon, when folks tend to go through the motions in the long, hot stretch (at least in the Northern hemisphere), twiddling their thumbs between increasingly monotonous dungeon runs, idly considering rolling yet another alt or take a hiatus altogether to go hit some conventions and interact in the big blue room. In our case, it's also just past the midpoint of our six-month journey towards BlizzCon, when motivation may flag and adhering to healthier eating and exercise habits can begin to wane. Maybe you've hit a plateau. Maybe you're bored with your program. This point in time is, to quote everyone's favorite Mon Calimaran, a trap. OK, maybe it's more of a pothole, or yet another slog through Desolace/Stranglethorn Vale/[insert your least-loved zone of mid-game grind leveling here]. So what is there to be done about it?
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon: Programming for dummies
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon. From the comments and discussion after the last installment of Buff(ing) for BlizzCon, we learned that reader Saitenyo has combined a laptop with an exercise bike so she can get her exercise and WoW fix at the same time. Sweet! Settle down, everybody, I'm not going to bust out something like COBOL, or even worse, FORTRAN (which during my one programming class in college, I got a D in). Rather, this goes out to the folks who are ready to take things to the next level and are thinking about coming up with their own workout plan and strategy. Much like developing a character spec or laying out the route for a road trip, it's often best to approach things from the far end and work your way back to where you are now, so you know both where you want to end up and how to get there. As the man behind the Jabberwock (no, not American McGee) said, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
Discover new running trails with the WalkJogRun app
There are many apps (like RunKeeper and RunMeter) that track where and how much you run, but not many to help you discover new places to run. Luckily, there's the WalkJogRun app [iTunes link] ($.99US), which gives you the ability to navigate through over 500,000 user-submitted map-based running trails. The iPhone app shares much in common with its desktop browser counterpart. Like WalkJogRun.net, the WalkJogRun app allows you to view specific running trails that you've created, as well as those created by others specific to a certain address, city or landmark (i.e., Golden Gate Bridge, MGM Grand Hotel, etc.). But iPhone technologies provide new layers of functionality and interaction lacking on the site, such as geolocation for finding nearby running routes, which I find very useful in areas I'm not familiar with, and the niceties that come with navigating a map with the iPhone's multitouch display. Nonetheless, the WalkJogRun app could use some improving. The most needed improvement is the ability to save or bookmark a running trail, which one can do via WalkJogRun.net but not on the iPhone app. My workaround for this is to take screenshots of running trails that I like in the event that I navigate away from the map and can't remember the name or location of the trail. Another improvement, though more of a "nice to have" than a "must have", is the ability to create a trail on the iPhone. These things aside, at its USD $.99 price tag, the WalkJogRun app serves as an ideal complement to GPS-based iPhone running and biking apps, as well as the Nike+ kit.
iPhone and Exercise: What apps do you like?
For the most part, I've been disappointed with iPhone fitness applications. I'm not talking about Nike+ but rather the third party apps found in the Health & Fitness section of the App Store. Apps that track your routes tend to be battery-killers (not really their fault, more due to the way the SDK insists they work). The ones that create exercise playlists depend on time-exhausting Mac-based solutions that have to analyze your iTunes tracks for their beats-per-minutes, creating a heavy investment with a minimal payoff. Genius on the iPhone does a decent job, without that time commitment. I don't quite get the food and exercise logging apps -- I find that it's simpler to do all that on my primary Mac, using a physical notebook (you know: paper, pen, old tech) when I'm on the go. As for the stretching and exercise guides, I find them awkward. I'd rather use a DVD or a Wii-based game (I adore Gold Gym's Cardio Boxing, for example) where I don't have to keep referring to a 4-inch screen all the time and the sound is clear, and the instructions are easier to follow. So what am I missing here? What are the really good iPhone-based fitness apps? I feel like all the ones I've tried just keep missing the point: to make exercise better or funner(™ Apple). Yes, they make exercise more portable, but do they provide a better win over Nike+, a bike computer or a garmin? Please do chime in in the comments. Let me know what iPhone Apps I have been missing, and which ones will improve my exercise experience, whether in the home or on the jogging path. Surely, there have to be some winners out there, and I'd love to hear about which apps are working for you, and why.
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...
Sanyo builds prototype pedometer that powers itself while you walk
These portable power generating options are a dime a dozen now, but we thought you'd still want to know that Sanyo has invented a device that'll let you turn your health obsession into electricity to power your health obsession -- a vicious cycle if we've ever seen one. It's a pedometer that generates just enough energy (40 microwatts) to keep itself ticking when the swinging motion of its health-nut wearer's body causes tiny parts to move around. Sanyo hopes to use the technology for other low-power devices in the future. As for us, we'd rather remain utterly otiose and let our battery slaves do the work for us, though we can imagine something like this might, with some improvements, prove useful to those villagers who have to walk 12 miles to charge their cell phones. [Warning: read link requires subscription]
Airun Plus shoes include speed and weight sensors for your mega-intense workouts, dude
The latest word on effective cardio exercise is that you should go for short, intense intervals rather than waste hours on the Stairmaster. Shorter workouts, you say? Good with us, but what about the gear to go with all that? The Airun Plus shoe is designed for the HIIT exerciser who wants to track his BMI and caloric burn rates all the while controlling shoe weight. The built-in Smart Technology controller records BMI and calorie burn results while the weighted insoles can be added or removed based on your needs. Weight and speed information comes from a sensor in the right shoe, while the entire kick is designed with shock absorption and safety in mind. Ready to buy? If you're serious about your body, these things will run you £112.50 ($224) and they come all the way from England.
Play Summer Athletics on your Wii
Because we really needed another multi-sport game collection on the Wii, dtp entertainment (the German publisher behind the upcoming Next Top Model DS game) is releasing Summer Athletics this ... well, summer. The activities in this title will include jogging, cycling, hurdles, javelin, archery, hammer throw, and swimming. We're not sure how all of those will translate with the Wiimote -- the jogging might be similar to what we've seen from Wii Fit, and we suppose the archery, javelin, and hammer throw events could work. But hurdles? Cycling? Swimming? We'll be interested to see how those turn out.You can also check out the game's teaser site here, which has some nice-looking images from the PC version of the game.[Via press release]
Wii Fit gameplay makes us sweat just watching it
Josh from WiiFolder.com took the time show us his large HDTV some Wii Fit games in action, and we have to say, the game looks promising.A few of the games definitely won't help you drop those love handles (at least we don't think so, but since we got A's in gym class so you can pretty much count that as an expert opinion). Nonetheless, they still look fun, and we're glad we won't have to go to the zoo anymore to get our "kicking Panda heads" fix.
Lightning strikes twice for unsuspecting iPod users
In a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors from Vancouver General Hospital detail the case of a 37-year-old jogger who was admitted for treatment of lightning-related burns on his neck, face, and chest -- and they say that the iPod the man was wearing conducted the current through his body. According to the letter, the man's eardrums were ruptured, his jawbone broken in four places, and both of his jaw joints were dislocated when lighting struck a tree near the runner during a storm. The doctors say that while the use of an iPod won't increase your chances of being stuck by lightning, the metal in the device's earbuds can direct current "to and through" ones head. This is strikingly similar to this case that we saw in July of last year, though it can be assumed that any earphone-equipped music device could have this rare effect, so don't go dumping your Apple stock just yet.[Thanks, psxp]
Jogging over Distance technology makes it a social experience
Technology is inexorably tied to progress, but when it busts into our lives and subtly tells us that we're doing something wrong -- in this case, getting some "us" time on a solo jog -- we've gotta admit to being a little peeved. Even for those who like to share their second most sweaty experience on the day-to-day, this is probably a bit of an overkill. A prototype technology called Jogging over Distance is being developed at the University of Melbourne which uses GPS, cellphone tech, and 3D audio simulation to make it seem as if two joggers from separate cities are actually slogging it out together. The advantage over just whipping out a cellphone is that as one runner goes faster, their voice appears to be coming from further ahead to the other runner, which could presumably help motivation. To each their own we suppose, but we'd take some loud music over the grunts of a fellow jogger any day. Or, indeed, a form of motivation that helps us -- no, forces us -- to start jogging in the first place.[Via textually]
Thanko's Vonia BCT SportsHeadband: bone conduction fun on the run
Thanko's already rattled our skulls with its Vonia bone conducting earphones, but they couldn't leave well enough alone. The Vonia BCT SportsHeadband kicks out the jams using two waterproof bone conduction speakers near the temples, and also has a compartment conveniently located smack on the forehead to hold a small MP3 player. It's too bad the compartment isn't waterproof, since that'd be necessary to use this thing underwater -- so without a waterproof player we're not really sure how these will play out with the swimmer crowd, who Thanko is also marketing the headband to. On the other hand, runners, joggers, sprinters, skippers, and speed-walkers should be a-ok to blast some bone-rocking beats while keeping their ears open for oncoming traffic and catcalls.[Via Crave]
Doggy Pedometer ushers in new era of dog training
Sometimes all we can do is tell you about a product and leave it as is. In this case, Yamasa Tokei delivers the canine accessory for which all jogging dog owners have been pining -- the Doggy Pedometer. Tripling as a dog tag, timer, and pedometer, this little gadget has several uses outside of the obvious. Say Scrapps runs away and you want to know how far he went. Or you don't have a pedometer yourself and go jogging with the dog all the time. Or you're a concerned pet owner and want to make sure Scrapps is exercising and running about in the back yard when you're away. Maybe you're a jealous spouse and want to see if your husband is running farther than he says. Perhaps you're an architect and you want to use Scrapper-do to measure long distances. Stop us now.
BioShirt to monitor temperature, heart rate of athletes
Some of us here at Engadget enjoy spending our off-hours going for a run (believe it or not, we actually do have them on rare occasion) . While our routines don't quite compare to runners who train for marathons and other such intense sporting activities, we're nonetheless interested in the cool gadgetry that these hard-core types get to use. Earlier this week, a team of South Korean researchers debuted the BioShirt at the National Sports Festival, currently ongoing in that country. The BioShirt is specifically designed with athletics in mind and monitors the runner's temperature, heart rate and speed; it then sends that data to a wrist-worn monitor via Bluetooth. Kim Seung-hwan, the leader of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute team that built the BioShirt, told The Korea Times that the shirt could also have similar applications as a monitoring system for elderly or infirmed patients who need constant attention -- an idea we've seen before. Still, for some this runner's tech can't come too soon, especially after the loss of former Wired editor Bill Goggins earlier this year, who passed away from heart failure while running the San Francisco Marathon this past July.
