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Powerbeats review: Better workout earbuds at a better price
The Powerbeats Pro are some of the best true wireless earbuds I tested last year. They sound much better than any previous Beats in-ear option before and they're loaded with handy features. However, the sound isn't perfect and the over-ear hook design isn't for everyone. Now the company has redesigned the "regular" Powerbeats ($149.95), bringing almost all of what makes the Pro version so good to its other wireless model. Plus, they're $50 cheaper than the Powerbeats 3, which makes them even more attractive.
There's a new Fitbit Charge coming, based on leaked details
Fitbit users may be in for an update soon. According to UK accessory store Mobile Fun, a supplier posted details of the upcoming wearable -- which Fitbit has yet to announce -- but has since taken them down. To be clear, the listed features are anything but definite. That said, the Fitbit Charge 4 may not address the main gripe Engadget had with the Charge 3 -- a lack of onboard GPS.
SoulCycle's $2,500 home-fitness bike is almost ready for pre-order
There is plenty of high-tech home-fitness equipment on the market -- like Peloton bikes and treadmills, the Echelon rowing machine and Mirror. But if you've been holding out for the official SoulCycle bicycle, the wait is almost over. Beginning March 13th, select markets can pre-order SoulCycle's at-home bike and training programs.
If you bought Flywheel's home bike, you can trade it in for a free Peloton
One of Peloton's biggest competitors, Flywheel Sports, announced today that it is shutting down its online classes. The company sent an email informing its users that it would stop its Flywheel At Home service effective March 27th 2020. The bikes can still be used of course, but without the live and on-demand coaching, which makes them not much better than ordinary stationary bikes. Peloton, however, is offering a deal where Flywheel customers can turn in their bikes in exchange for a "like-new" Peloton bike at no cost to them, though they'd still have to pay Peloton's monthly subscription fee.
Polar's Vantage fitness watches now offer daily training guides (updated)
If you're planning to counter all those holiday dinners with rigorous exercise, Polar might have your back. It's updating its Vantage V and Vantage M watches with some particularly useful coaching features, most notably the FitSpark personalized training tool. As on earlier hardware, it provides a daily training guide that suggests exercises based on your history, fitness level and sleep quantities. You'll have a better sense of whether you should be burning calories with cardio workouts or hitting the weights instead.
Peloton's Fire TV app guides you through living room workouts
Peloton isn't just adding an app for your wrist -- there's now one for your living room as well. The fitness firm is releasing a Fire TV app (the exclusive app for TVs, Amazon said) to guide you through live and on-demand fitness classes, particularly those beyond its signature bike and treadmill. While there are bike and treadmill workouts for those who'd rather use their own gear, the emphasis is on strength training, yoga and other more complementary exercises. You can hit the weights after you've built up your heart rate on the bike, or practice meditation to clear your head after work.
The $1,500 smart fitness mirror now offers personal training sessions
Last year, the fitness company Mirror launched its signature $1,500 reflective LCD display meant to stream fitness classes into your home. Since then, users have been able to follow along with instructors and see themselves mimicking the moves. Today, Mirror announced a new service: personal training. Through the display's two-way audio and video, users will be able to work one-on-one with trainers in real time.
Runkeeper drops its Wear OS app due to a 'buggy experience'
Add Runkeeper to the list of companies dropping their smartwatch apps -- albeit not for the usual reasons. The developer is warning customers that it's scrapping its Wear OS app as of the 9.13 release. It's "just not able" to deliver the best experience on Google's smartwatch platform, according to the notice. When a customer asked support for clarification, Runkeeper added that it was a "very buggy experience" and didn't work consistently well for most people. It's a "small team with limited resources," support added.
Polar's latest watch knows if you're too tired for a full workout
Sleep tracking and personal fitness gadgets are nothing new, and even the cheapest knock-off wearables will do a decent enough job of monitoring the main criteria, so companies are constantly looking at ways to make their devices even more useful. Polar's latest watch, Polar Ignite, does exactly that by combining comprehensive sleep data with personalized training, helping wearers achieve optimal workouts.
Best Buy will dedicate store space to 'smart' gym equipment
Best Buy thinks it might have another way to remain relevant in the face of online shopping: diving head-first into smart fitness technology that often benefits from hands-on time. The big-box retailer has launched a fitness initiative that includes selling a variety of connected fitness equipment (more on that shortly) and, importantly, the retail commitment to back that up. Over 100 stores will have dedicated fitness spaces by the end of 2019, with in-store and home visitation staff receiving "special training" to help you understand the hardware.
Thor wants to help you with those 2019 health goals
You might chalk up actor Chris Hemsworth's ripped physique to perfect genetics and unlimited access to the best personal trainers in the world. However, for a price, Thor is now willing to share one of those advantages in a small way with an app called Centr. It works as a fitness and nutrition guide, giving you access to Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky, along with his personal trainer, stuntman Bobby Holland and many, many other experts. "My goal was to build a program that takes the guesswork and excuses out of training, eating and living well," he wrote on Instagram.
JAXJOX's smart kettlebell is a gateway to its subscription classes
You may already know JAXJOX as a clunkily named purveyor of home workout gear, but the brand has only really flirted with tech before. Though it's put its stamp on a fitness tracker and smart scale, the company is beginning a whole new connected push at this year's CES, starting with its $349 smart kettlebell. As you'd expect, the thing will keep track of your reps, sets and workout time; plunk it on its charging base and you can also change its weight from between 12 and 42 pounds. Simply recording your workouts is only part of the proposition, though. Following in the footsteps of Peloton and several others, send another $30 per month JAXJOX's way and you'll get access to live and on-demand fitness classes that are intended to help you get the best out your equipment.
Fitbit's updated smartwatch OS provides more fitness info at a glance
You clearly buy a Fitbit smartwatch for its fitness tracking, and the company wants to be sure you wring the most out of that tentpole feature. It just released a Fitbit OS 3.0 update for the Ionic and Versa that provides both more fitness info and enables more powerful exercise apps. You'll see more health info at a glance, such as a more detailed exercise view (including hourly activity and heart rate) and sleep data. You can quickly log your water intake and weight, too. Fitbit is also introducing menstrual cycle trends in early 2019 to help women track their reproductive cycles more effectively.
Can the Peloton formula work for weight training?
I've been going to the gym regularly for a few years now, but mostly to spend some time on the elliptical and stationary bike. There are free weights but I've always felt a bit uncomfortable going anywhere near them; they tend to be used by guys who grunt a lot and drop the weights on the floor. I just feel so judged (even if they don't actually care). And I'm not the only person who wants to do some weight lifting but can't for reasons like inconvenience or embarrassment. Tonal, a home weight training system that uses electromagnets, is aimed at people like us.
Garmin fitness watches can finally play music from Spotify
Garmin's initial music support for its fitness watches has been limited to Deezer and iHeartRadio, which is odd to say the least -- most people don't use those services, and you weren't about to ditch a subscription to something else just so you could replace the gym's soundtrack with your own. Thankfully, Garmin is aware of your plight -- it's rolling out support for offline Spotify music on its wristwear, starting with the Fenix 5 Plus series. Download the relevant app in the Connect IQ store and you can save songs, albums and playlists to the watch using WiFi, giving you the chance to catch up on your Release Radar while away from your phone.
Polar's latest watches know if you're maximizing your workouts
Polar has a way to compete against ever more fitness-savvy smartwatches: offer exercise tracking that's difficult to match. It's launching two fitness watches, the Vantage V (above) and Vantage M (below), that promise more insights for particularly committed athletes. Both include a Training Load Pro system that melds cardiovascular, muscular and perceived loads into a single metric that gives you a sense of just how effective your workouts are. You'll have a better sense of whether you're overreaching or need to ramp up the intensity. The pro-oriented Vantage V adds a Recovery Pro system whose daily and long-term tracking help you understand when your body has had enough rest.
Plantronics' updated headphone lineup includes true wireless earbuds
Plantronics has lately made a point of delivering solid wireless audio for relatively little cost, and that's particularly evident this year. It's releasing a refreshed headphone lineup that sees it both push into uncharted territory and lower prices. The centerpiece for the fitness crowd is the BackBeat Fit 3100 you see above. It promises true wireless listening with ear hooks that should keep the earbuds in place during a workout, with audio awareness that could keep you safe during an outdoor run. It's available now for $150.
Garmin adds Deezer to its music-playing fitness watches
To date, Garmin's music-capable fitness watches have had access to iHeartRadio and... that's about it. You're about to get some much-needed variety, though, as Deezer's music service has finally arrived on Garmin fitness wearables after months of promises. You can store more than 100 tunes on your wrist and sync playlists (including curated workout playlists) like you might with other services on smartwatches, but the ace up Garmin's sleeve may be Deezer's Flow feature. While the mix of favorites and recommendations isn't that special on your phone or PC, it gives you a fresh mix every day -- important when you'd rather not repeat your gym soundtrack.
Audible's first fitness programs guide you through workouts
Audible now wants to serve as your personal coach -- the audiobook service is launching audio fitness programs through an alliance with Aaptiv. Each program has a professional trainer guiding you through a progressively challenging set of workouts with a clear goal in mind, complete with a soundtrack to keep up the momentum. The first three courses are aimed squarely at beginners interested in outdoor running and stress-relieving meditation, but follow-ups in the weeks ahead will address more challenging issues, such as the boredom that sets in with an all-too-familiar gym routine.
Nike Training Club for Apple Watch helps you focus on your workout
Workout-centric apps like Nike Training Club can help you refine your gym routine. There's one main problem, though: they typically ask you to stare at your phone, which can disrupt your flow and waste time between sets. Nike, at least, knows it can do better. It's releasing a version of its Training Club app for the Apple Watch with the aim of keeping your focus on the workout, rather than reaching for your handset. You have to start a workout on your iPhone, but after that you can concentrate on getting fit.
