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Adidas tries to make buying Yeezys fair but misses the mark
Buying Yeezy Boost sneakers online is tough. It comes down to this: Supply cannot meet demand. The shortage is so acute that if you don't buy them at launch for retail price -- between $200 and $350, depending on the model -- you'll have to pay upwards of $2,000 on eBay or another site to get your hands on a pair. Reselling Yeezys has become a business, and both Adidas and Nike (with its retro Jordans) are turning to tech to make the shopping experience fair and safe for everyone.
ICYMI: Spinal Cancer solution, self-lacing Nikes and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Nike will sell widely-available self-lacing shoes by the Holiday season, though we have no idea how much they will cost. Researchers at the Mayo Institute developed a polymer that will let bone regrow on it after a spinal surgery. And Playstation VR will come to the masses in October, for $400. It's been a big week in tech news with SXSW and GDC. And of course, Apple has an announcement next Monday, so be prepared with our story, here. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Self-lacing Nikes are real, will go on sale later this year
While we're still waiting for the Back to the Future-styled Nike Mag, the company has unveiled its first "self-lacing" shoe in another silhouette. The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 senses the presence of the wearer's heel, and tightens its laces accordingly. Senior Innovator Tiffany Beers led the project, and says once the shoe is on, the wearer can adjust the fit with two buttons on the side to get things perfect.
Nike SNKRS app arrives for Android sneakerheads
About a year after launching its SNKRS app on iOS, Nike is finally dropping a version for Android. Designed as a streamlined shoe-buying experience, its intent is to cut out some of the cruft of the website experience, and make sure people can get access to new releases before resellers with bots snap up every pair. Just like last year, the new app is dropping around NBA All-Star Weekend, so Nike also has a few SNKRS Express locations popping up temporarily in Toronto, LA, Chicago and NYC.
You can use your smartphone to 'lace up' this sneaker
These may not be Nike's highly acclaimed Back to the Future kicks, but their power-lacing system is going to leave you impressed. Meet the Digital Sole, a pair of sneakers created by French company Zhor Tech, who has come up with a design that can be "laced up" (note: there are no laces) right from a smartphone. What's more, Zhor Tech's smart shoes are able to track your steps and the amount of pressure you're putting on your feet, all thanks to an embedded sensor which displays information on an app.
Counterfeiters already have fake 'BTTF' Nikes with power laces
Nike won't have its Back to the Future 2 kicks on shelves until next year, but it looks like the folks who make their money selling knockoffs aren't waiting around. Since Nike announced the Mags with power laces will be a very limited edition available only via auction, we can expect a healthy market for fakes. Kicks On Fire points out this Instagram video by fake_education -- an account that generally points out ways to tell real shoes from their unauthorized twins -- showing a power lacing system already integrated with a pair of knockoff Mags. Of course we're sure you would never stoop so low as to intentionally buy fakes, but when Marty McFly's futuristic shoes start to surface in suspicious quantities and prices, remember this video.
Nike's power-laced 'Back to the Future' shoes arrive in 2016
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few hours, then you know today is Back to the Future Day. In the trilogy's second film, Michael J. Fox's character Martin Seamus McFly, better known as Marty, gave us a glimpse of how things would look on October 21st, 2015. And even though the future according to the movie may have not been fully accurate (which is okay), Marty's power-laced Nike sneakers are indeed a reality. While the sportswear juggernaut did release the Mag in 2011, that version didn't use the self-lacing technology we saw in Back to the Future Part II. But don't worry, the actual Marty McFly shoes are coming in spring 2016, Nike has confirmed. Tinker Hatfield, Nike's VP of creative concepts and the man who designed the Mags, also sent a letter to Fox saying, "Although the project started as science fiction, we're now proud to turn that fiction into fact."
Nike and Adidas turn to tech to make sneaker shopping safer
I recently bought an online shopping cart from a 16-year-old on Twitter. And when I say "an online shopping cart," I mean it: In exchange for $140, I received a login code to Nike's site that guaranteed me a pair of highly coveted sneakers, the "Chicago" Air Jordan 1s. That code was won through a Twitter-based raffle, a system Nike has started testing for limited edition releases; I had entered myself, but wasn't lucky enough to have my name drawn. Instead, while sadly browsing the social network to see how many people were chosen, I came across a young kid from New Mexico who had been picked and wasn't interested in purchasing the shoes. I reached out to him; we followed each other on Twitter; and, after vetting my character over direct messages to make sure I wasn't a scammer, he agreed to sell his "ticket" to me. It was bizarre, considering I still had to pay the $160-plus-tax retail price for the footwear. But, nowadays, it's the kind of thing you have to do to get Jordans. My other option was to find them on eBay or Amazon and shell out $400 to $500 -- more than twice as much as the original MSRP.
You can't help but feel cool in Nike's new face mask
When Olympic athlete Ashton Eaton finishes an event, he feels better after dousing himself with a bottle of water, but that's not a very elegant way of keeping his head cool. That's why the decathlete teamed up with Nike to build this prototype face mask that's designed to reduce the temperature of his head and face. Essentially, the Nike Cooling Head is a heatsink for your skull, with a mesh that holds tiny veins of water close and tight to the contours of your face. When an athlete is trying to chill down after a fast sprint in hot weather, all they have to do is pull this out of a refrigerator and strap it on.
Apple and Nike work out settlement terms for FuelBand lawsuit
Nike is ready to pay up to get a two-year-old FuelBand-related class action lawsuit off its back. The case filed back in 2013 against Nike and Apple claimed that there were some "false and/or misleading statements" in the wearable's ads about its ability to track calories and steps accurately, as well as breach of warranty. While the companies maintain that they did nothing wrong, Nike has decided to settle the issue -- it's now offering class members a choice between a $15 cash payout and a $25 gift card redeemable in its US, Puerto Rico and online stores. Apple, which stopped selling FuelBand and other wearables earlier this year, won't be shelling out a single cent.
Nike+ Running app soundtracks your morning jog with Spotify tunes
Sure, Adidas already offers ways to outfit your run with tunes from Spotify, and now Nike is looking to do the same. The latter footwear company updated its Nike+ Running app to pipe in the streaming service's songs from within. In addition to spinning the Nike+ Run Club playlists Spotify announced a while back, the update also creates playlists based on a pace goal and music preference -- a feature that's called Pace Stations. Once that info is entered, the software then calculates the target beats per minute (BPM) before compiling a 100-song playlist to serve as a guide. Match your stride to the pace of the music and you'll reach your goal. Nike says it's "the first-of-its-kind instructive experience then guides runners to their goals when they step in-beat to the prescribed songs." Unfortunately, the Pace Stations are an iOS-only feature.
ICYMI: Surprise volcanoes, jetpacks and new Nike shoes
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Marine biologists in Australia discovered an enormous, 12-mile long chain of (happily extinct) volcanoes under the sea that no one knew about. Controlling a jetpack is looking easier and easier, and I don't care if flight only lasts 30 seconds y'all, this stuff is happening! And Nike unveiled a new line of shoes for people with disabilities and it's the best use case for a non-gym basketball shoe that we've ever seen. Good job guys.
Nike designed a sneaker for people with disabilities
Whether it be in clothing or footwear products, Nike is known for never being afraid to experiment with new technologies. The latest example is the company's new Zoom Soldier 8, a gorgeous shoe that was designed for people facing disabilities -- such as amputees and those who have suffered a stroke or cerebral palsy. With the sneaker's Flyease tech, which features an unusual zipper mechanism that ties around the heel, Nike's made it easier for the disabled community to tie their shoes. Instead of having to use both hands to accomplish this task, something that may not be possible or easy for some, Flyease simplifies this by letting them rely on one hand to open or close the shoe.
Nike uses VR to put you in the shoes of soccer star Neymar
Neymar Jr. is a well-oiled marketing machine. Not only is the Brazilian footballer a Nike brand icon, but you can also find him on the cover of video games like Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. However, because traditional commercials simply aren't enough anymore, the sportswear giant is trying something different to promote its Hypervenom Phantom II soccer boots: VR. The Nike virtual reality experience, introduced this week, lets people step into none other than Neymar's shoes. You can feel what it's like to have defenders flying toward your feet, dribble the ball and, of course, score a goal -- all things the Brazil and Barcelona player is familiar with. To get the full effect in VR, you'll need to have a Google Cardboard headset, though the video can also be enjoyed using YouTube's 360-degree feature.
Comcast's new Chief Product Officer hails from Xbox, Nike
As Comcast keeps trying to turn around the negative reputation that it (and the rest of the pay-TV industry) has, it has a new Chief Product Officer to help. Enter Chris Satchell, who comes from Nike where he was the Consumer Technology Officer working on products like the FuelBand. According to Satchell, Nike ditched that gadget because sensors proliferated in other devices, and it chose to focus on building systems to track and handle its customers workout data. Other than the distinctive light up bangle, Satchell also previously worked at Microsoft where his work included leading its XNA game development program through the Xbox 360's early days, plus talking smack about Nintendo and Sony on the side.
Nike's iPhone Fuel app no longer needs a FuelBand to track activity
Nike is finally taking advantage of all those health tracking sensors in your iPhone for its flagship Fuel app, which previously required one of its Fuelbands to work. The latest version of the free Fuel app includes support for Apple's HealthKit platform, which means it'll take in the data that's already being tracked on the iPhone 5S and newer models. Conversely, you'll also be able to see your NikeFuel points (its unique way of counting your activity) on the Apple Health app. Nike already supported HealthKit with its standalone running app, so it was only a matter of time until it brought that functionality to the Fuel app. Of course, Nike also needs to make sure its flagship app is ready for the Apple Watch, which also tracks HealthKit data and is expected sometime in the next few months. And, after the company laid off most of its hardware team last year, it's not like we'll be seeing new Fuelbands from Nike anytime soon.
Nike's SNKRS app puts a shoe store in your pocket
It may be hard for Nike to steal some of Adidas' current thunder, what with the upcoming release of Kanye West's highly anticipated Yeezy Boost and all. Still, those of you who are Nike die-hards will be over the moon when you see the company's most recent venture: SNKRS, an app that brings the ultimate shoe shop right to your smartphone. If you're used to ordering from Nike's website, the SNKRS application is set to make you feel right at home, but here, the content is, as expected, much easier to access. Like placing an order, for instance, which only takes a couple of taps to get through the checkout process and have the sneakers on the way to your doorstep -- as a bonus, everything within the app ships free via ground method.
Study says phones are just as good as wearables at tracking fitness
Think you have to wear a dedicated fitness tracker to get accurate data? Don't worry -- you may have a good excuse to skip the wristband. The University of Pennsylvania has published a study showing that smartphone apps' step counts are reasonably on the mark, at less than a 7 percent variance between their data and what observers saw first-hand. With wearables, it's all over the map. Some are very accurate, like Fitbit's One and Zip; others don't give you much of an advantage over a phone, and Nike's Fuelband was sometimes off by a wide margin.
Tiger Woods on how technology improved his signature shoe
Nike's endorsement of Tiger Woods, the most prominent face in golf, dates back to when he first began his professional career in 1996. Since then, shoe technology has evolved tremendously, thanks to the development of new design materials that have made footwear lighter and more comfortable. To that end, Nike has introduced the TW '15, Woods' latest signature shoe. Unlike in previous versions, though, this release brings Flyweave technology to the table, a first for golf shoes. For the uninitiated, Flyweave made its debut on basketball shoes last year, with the promise of being lightweight, flexible and stable. All of which are important for golfers, too. But just how much can the TW '15 really help get Tiger Woods back on top? After all, he hasn't won a major tournament since 2008. And, perhaps more importantly, can this $200 sneaker really help the average Joe who wants to take their golf game to the next level? To answer these questions, we spoke to Woods and Nike Senior Director of Athlete Innovation Tobie Hatfield.
Your soccer life, upgraded
Now that we've talked about how you could take your golf skills to another level, it's time to discuss a real sport (just kidding): football. The Beautiful Game has changed tremendously over the past few years, and that's largely due to the technology being used to make soccer equipment lighter, faster and smarter. This, of course, includes balls, footwear and other gear that's meant to help you improve your attributes on the field -- like the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball, for example. But it's not all about the players, young or old, since parents play a big role in the development process of their loved ones. As such, it's very important for them to save memories of their kids as they're growing up, both on and off the field. With that said, let's take a look at some items that might be suited for you, shall we?
