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Brain-altering Halo Sport headphones are available to everyone
Until now, Halo Neuroscience's signature brain-bending headphones were only available to very specific groups: college-level athletes, pro athletes and the military. They helped build up hype for the eventual public release. That all changes today, however: you can buy your own set of Halo Sport headphones for $699. As before, that high price stems from the Sports' "neuropriming." The over-ears send electrical currents to your brain that, at least in theory, make it extra-receptive to training. You won't be inherently faster or stronger, but you might hit your goals sooner than you would otherwise.
The Morning After: Monday October 31st 2016
While today officially marks Halloween, we're sure you've already made, worn and irreversibly damaged your costume over the weekend. That's fine; we all have to come back to reality some time. And at least there are dinosaur brains, rep-counting headphones and a tour around Xiaomi's HQ -- the world's next tech giant -- to soften the blow of those Monday blues.
Apple Watch Nike+ arrives on October 28th
If you've been holding off on getting an Apple Watch Series 2 in hopes of scoring the running-oriented Nike+ edition, you only have a few more days to wait. Apple has updated its product page to reveal that Apple Watch Nike+ will be available on October 28th, just in time to meet the company's promised late October launch window. You can get the wristwear in both 38mm and 42mm case sizes at the same $369 and $399 prices as standard Series 2 watches, with a mix of black and gray straps that sometimes include highly visible (and slightly eye-searing) green accents.
The best wireless exercise headphones
By Lauren Dragan This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. If we wanted a pair of wireless headphones for working out, we'd get the JLab Epic2 Bluetooth. After extensive research—we considered a total of 147 sport-specific headphones and tested the 85 best-reviewed and newest options—our panel of experts agreed that they'd want to bring the Epic2 Bluetooth along on their next training session. The tough, lightweight Epic2 pair is easier to fit in a wider variety of ears than the competition, has better battery life than the other Bluetooth models we tested, and offers great sound for a lower price than most comparable cordless models.
The best tech for college athletes
Look, there's clearly more to college life than studying and partying. There's also sports! Before you hit the field, gym, rink or court it's probably worth taking stock of how you can improve your game with a little help from modern technology. An Apple Watch or Vivosmart can count steps and track your gym sessions, while Polo makes a smart shirt that offers seriously in depth data about your body's performance. There's also sensors that can help you do things like improve your swing in golf or baseball. And, of course, after a long day of training, there's nothing better than unwinding by watching your hometown team make a run at the World Series on MLB.tv. Oh, and don't forget to check out the rest of Engadget's back-to-school guide here.
One man is cycling the length of Britain in VR
Exercise bikes can be a little boring. Even with some music or mindless TV in the background, it's a mind-numbing workout. Pedalling, pedalling, pedalling. Not for Aaron Puzey. The Brit has developed an app for Samsung's Gear VR headset which displays Street View imagery while he's riding. Using a Bluetooth cadence sensor, which tracks how fast he's pedalling, the app knows when to manipulate and change the panoramas, giving the impression that he's travelling. His goal? To ride the length of Britain, from Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland.
Rithmio Edge tracks weightlifting sessions with Android Wear
We've seen a number of wearable devices that track your weightlifting sessions at the gym, but Rithmio has a new app that does so with a device you may already own. The Rithmio Edge app works with Android Wear smartwatches to keep tabs on your workout, tracking both exercises and reps using the company's gesture recognition technology. The app learns your movements as you go so it can log the different exercises you fancy during those lifting routines. It also tracks reps and sets so you'll not exactly where you stand when it comes time to analyze progress.
Runkeeper's Running Groups keep you motivated
If you have running buddies, you know the advantages they bring -- they'll encourage you to run when you'd otherwise slack off, or when you just have to one-up a friend. And Runkeeper knows it. The Asics-owned developer has updated its Android and iOS apps with a Running Groups feature that, unsurprisingly, promises to keep you off the couch. As many as 25 people can participate in challenges (such as distance or the most runs), and there's a group chat to either motivate your pals or trash-talk them when you emerge triumphant.
Olympic athletes are training with brain-altering headphones
Many of the athletes heading to the Rio Olympics are using some form of technology to help them out, but some of them are relying on particularly unusual gear. Halo Neuroscience has revealed that several athletes are using its Halo Sport headphones to (hopefully) improve the effectiveness of their training. The wearable is meant to stimulate your brain's motor cortex into a momentary "hyperplasticity" mode, where it can more effectively build neural connections -- if you're in the thick of resistance training, you may move on to heavier weights that much sooner.
Garmin's new bike computers track riders in your pack
If you like to bike in groups, you know that it's not always easy to keep everyone together. What if your miniature peloton has to split, or someone wipes out and you don't notice? Garmin wants to put your mind at ease. It's unveiling two cycling computers, the Edge 820 (shown at left) and Edge Explore 820 (right), with a GroupTrack feature that shows where everyone is regardless of how far apart they are. You'll also get a preloaded Cycle Map with bike-friendly data, a 2.3-inch touchscreen (smaller than on the Edge 810) and support for Garmin Varia gear like the Vision headset.
A high-tech spin class took me from San Francisco to Wonderland
I enjoy stationary bikes because they offer the exercise benefits of cycling without annoyances like bad weather and dangerous traffic. But there are times when I miss some of the benefits of being outside, like a cool breeze and changing scenery. While a gym's AC unit can never really capture the magic scent of flowers and pine as you pass through a peaceful glade, workout designer company Les Mills has come up with a way to at least restore the sense of excursion with its new program, "The Trip."
With the Gear Fit 2, Samsung tries again at workout wristbands
Samsung's original Gear Fit was as flawed as it was ambitious, but the market for fitness gadgets is still growing. Of course Samsung was going to try again! That's where the new $179 Gear Fit 2 comes in: Samsung took the fitness formula it developed two years ago, polished it up a bit and added a few features that have become de rigueur for higher-end workout wearables. You'll be able to pre-order one starting June 3rd, but join us here for a first look.
Samsung's new smart earbuds track your steps and heart rate
The newly announced Gear Fit 2 is probably the fitness band Samsung should have made in the first place, but does the world even need another wrist-worn gewgaw? In case your answer to that is "no," Samsung is unveiling a second exercise-friendly wearable today: a $199 pair of smart earbuds called the Gear IconX. (And no, the name doesn't make any sense to us either.)
Smart headphones put an AI fitness coach in your ear
As a rule, fitness coaching from wearable devices is pretty limited when you're in mid-exercise. They'll tell you when you hit your goals, but they don't really know you and your patterns. That's where LifeBeam thinks it can help. It's crowdfunding new earphones, Vi, that combine sensors (tracking aspects like heart rate and elevation) with an app-based artificial intelligence coach. The audio gear provides real-time advice that adapts based on numerous factors, ranging from your running technique to your stress levels. It'll even do its best to minimize exhaustion and injury.
IMAX's in-theater spin class is sensory overload
I've never been particularly fond of spin classes, as they eschew all the things I enjoy about using a stationary bike: The ability to set my own pace, listen to my music and maybe even dip into a good book while I pedal. But I can understand the appeal of a spin class, as the presence of an instructor can push you out of your comfort zone and ensure that you get a real workout. So it would seem that IMAXShift sits somewhere in the middle, combining an intense audio and visual experience to entertain you while a dedicated instructor gives orders. The problem is, there might have been just little too much going on for me to enjoy any one aspect to the fullest.
Astronaut becomes the first man to finish a marathon in space (updated)
British astronaut Tim Peake hasn't been shy about his plans to complete a marathon while aboard the International Space Station, and he's clearly a man of his word. The explorer became the first man to finish a marathon in space on April 24th by running the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon on a treadmill aboard the spacecraft, in sync with the race down on Earth. Of course, he had to fudge things a bit to replicate the experience -- he used an iPad to show London's roads as he ran, and he had to be strapped in to keep running in the microgravity environment.
IMAX wants to host your indoor cycling sessions
If you live in in the heart of a city, it's hard to enjoy biking outside... not unless you like weaving through traffic. IMAX might have the next best thing, though. It's testing IMAXShift, an indoor cycling experience that promises to be more interesting than pedaling at the gym. The effort ultimately amounts to a cycling class in front of a giant screen, but IMAX argues that this could be a big motivator -- instead of riding either indoors or in a dreary urban landscape, you can travel along the Hawaiian coast or through the Solar System. There are even promises of "music-reactive visuals."
Flexible sweat sensors monitor fluids while you exercise
Plenty of fitness wearables track fundamentals like your heart rate or step count, but there's so much more to your body than that. What about your fluid levels, for example? That's where UC Berkeley might help. It developed a flexible sensor that measures the electrolytes and metabolites in your sweat, along with your skin temperature. If you need to improve your diet, a quick run might reveal the truth.
How tech did (and didn't) help the Engadget staff lose weight
Last September, I received some rather sobering news from my doctor. My glucose levels showed that I had prediabetes, putting me in danger of developing the real thing if I didn't alter my diet and my lifestyle. Seeing as I have a family history of the disease (both my father and grandfather had it), I knew things had to change. So I set out to reduce my intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates as well as establish an actual workout routine. But that wasn't quite enough; I needed something else to motivate me. A few conversations with coworkers later, the Engadget Fitness Challenge was born.
Amazon's Echo speaker guides you through workouts
Amazon must want to help you fulfill your New Year's resolutions, since it just updated the Echo speaker with a handful of features meant to get your life in shape. To begin with, you can ask Alexa to start a 7-minute workout -- the voice-guided cylinder will coach you every step of the way. You can also get your investments on track thanks to a Fidelity feature that tells you how individual stocks are doing. And if you're more interested in how political leaders fare this year, you can ask the Echo when the next Democratic or Republican debate will take place. The additions won't change your life, but they're definitely cheaper than visiting the gym or a financial guru.[Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]
