Author: Peter Suciu

E3 2011: Michael Phelps: Push the Limit Let’s You Swim in the Living Room

There are some games that just make instant sense, and then there are the games like Michael Phelps: Push the Limit. In this one players get to try to go for the gold and beyond in a swimming game – pool not required, not included and not compatible.

A swimming game for the living room? That’s right. The idea behind this motion control game is that players simulate swimming, moving their arms to simulate the motion of swimming in the water. The upcoming game utilizes Kinect for the Xbox 360 and from the scenes on the show floor it could get gamers’ hearts pumping. It features a variety of unique settings – but it isn’t exactly the career path that Phelps took. We figured he swam in school pools, city pools and Olympic pools, not in outdoor pools on icy mountain ranges. But that’s artistic license.

This is one that could be hit or miss, or dare we say sink or swim. Michael Phelps: Push the Limit is out now exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360 from 505 Games.

Video after the jump: Continue reading E3 2011: Michael Phelps: Push the Limit Let’s You Swim in the Living Room

E3 Preview: 2011 Kinect Games (Announced and Expected)

This could be the year of the Kinect for the Xbox 360. 123KINECT has compiled a list of the games we hope to check out at this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

E3 2011 Kinect Games Announced:

Champion Jockey
Forza 4
Hulk Hogan’s Main Event (Over the Top Wrestling?)
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit
Mind ‘n Motion (Left Brain Right Brain?)
Rise of Nightmares
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Star Wars Kinect
Take Shape (Harley Pasternaks Hollywood Trainer?)
The Gunstringer (XBLA)
The Sims 3 Pets
UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System
DaVinci Kinect (Microsoft Surface application ported to Kinect) NEW

 

Continue reading E3 Preview: 2011 Kinect Games (Announced and Expected)

Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor Ready to Get All Wet

Heart monitors are ideal for training, and more and more runners and cyclists swear by them, but swimmers have sort of been left high and dry when it comes to a training aid. Not any longer, Polar has announced a new heart rate monitor that promises to get all wet. The Polar FT7 is ideal for the gym or out in the wild, and it can work well in the water as Polar is the only company that produces transmitters that broadcast a signal at a 5 kHz frequency, which means heart rate data is received while swimming.

The FT7 features a soft, flexible fabric strap that made with a patented heart-sensing fabric developed by Numetrex, while the monitor offers zone alarms, daily alarms, time and date. The FT7 will download all exercise information to the free Polar personal trainer software with an optional Polar Flowlink device.

In addition to telling you the number of calories burned, the EnergyPointer will tell if the main effect of your training is fitness improvement or fat burning. It offers button-free operation of the wrist unit and provides graphical target zone indicator. The Polar FT7 is available now (MSRP $119.95), and as we noted, this one works in the water!

Polar FT7 Official Product Website

Fitness Healing the Arizona Economy

There is no denying that getting out and doing some hiking, biking or running is good for the body – but according a recent study from economic consultants Brigitte Bavousett and Gerald O’Neill Jr. fitness can be even better for the economy. The pair prepared a study, titled “Sustainable Economic Benefits of Human-Powered Recreation to the State of Arizona,” and found that the “human-powered” outdoor recreation industry produces $5.3 billion in annual retail sales and generates nearly $471 million in state tax revenues.

The study concluded that 86,000 jobs were directly created from the fitness sector, while 100,000 jobs were indirectly created. The economic consultants even noted that closing state and national parks actually had a negative impact on economic recovery. The thinking hers is that keeping parks open encourages people to use them, and thus buy new products, which puts people back to work.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s neighbor to the west, California, is looking to close state parks to save money. Maybe the new governor should hire these consultants so residents in the Golden State don’t go without those parks.

[Via Arizona Daily Star: Hikers, mountain bikers, climbers boost economy]

Bad Week for Board Riders

Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins at a past X Games

This hasn’t been a banner week for skateboarding. The northern Utah city of Richmond is considering banning skateboards on city streets. There have been complaints that skateboarders ride in the middle of streets, but one city councilman reportedly expressed concerns that the boarders threatened the safety of pedestrians, especially children.

Won’t someone think of the child? But seriously, how is it that the boards are threatening children – are the kids walking in the middle of the streets as well? It would seem that skateboarding on the sidewalk would threaten the safety of pedestrians.

Meanwhile, ESPN has announced that it has eliminated women’s vert skateboarding form the program at this July’s X Games in Los Angeles. This event reportedly struggled to sustain a viable competitive tour, and the X Games was the only remaining major competition.

On the plus side women’s street skating will remain a part of the X Games program.

Wearable Computer

Over the years technology designed for the battlefield has made its way to the commercial sector. The latest device that might just turn heads is Black Diamond Advanced Technology’s MTS (Modular Tactical System) wearable ultra-rugged PC. This new system is available as a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) system, where parts can be mixed and matched as needed. The system has been tested in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan, and was optimized for dismounted use with command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR for those in the know).

The system essentially places the MTS computer right on the wearer’s chest in the backpack. While based on COTS, this doesn’t mean that it is actually commercially available right now. However, we already see the potential for civilian applications. Who wouldn’t want to wear their rugged computer? Continue reading Wearable Computer

First Look: adidas So Cool

There is no denying that adidas has some cool shoes, but now the company proves it really knows cool with the ClimaCool Ride, ideal shoes for spring and summer running. This shoes provide 360 degrees of ventilation. The shoes feature suede overlays for lockdown performance, non-woven fabric for comfort and breathability and injected EVA tooling with maximum flexibility and breathability, plus perforated sockliner for even increased breathability. In other words these shoes look cool and will keep your feet cool.

Out of the box we’re impressed by the lightweight design. In our hands on testing these shoes felt like walking (and light jogging) on a cloud. Check back next week for a full hands on of the adidas ClimaCool Ride, and in the mean time enjoy a video with David Beckham.

(Video after the jump) Continue reading First Look: adidas So Cool

No More Yelling “On Your Left” – Verbal Bike Bell Does It For You

If you ride on bike paths, in a large urban park or even on bike lanes, chances are you yell “On your left” at least once a ride. The alternative is a bell, but who wants to put a bell on their road bike or time trial bike? Shouting is good, but on a long ride can leave you more winded than the pedaling.

How about a Verbal Bicycle Bell? This can offer up to a 20-second recording, and features a 44mm speaker that plays messages at about 80 decibels – so it is audible over most ambient noise.

Of course this does need three LR44 batteries and is actually bigger than a bell, and will add about 2 1/3 ounces to your bike. Finally, this is the sort of thing that you’ll get at Hammacher Schlemmer rather than a bike shop, and at $24.95 you could probably use the money for something else – might we recommend the Bicycle Speakerphone that the shop also offers.

Seriously, it is a gimmicky device, but it is so silly that it might just be worth the $25 to impress your friends and seriously annoy all those you want to pass.

The Verbal Bicycle Bell at Hammacher Schlemmer
[Via Besportier: Verbal Bicycle Bell Very Effective Car Horn]

ExerBeat it on the Wii

Move over Mario. Gamers looking to tone up can now put down the controller – well hang on to it as you’ll be needing it – and get off the couch and take part in more than 150 simple yet challenging exercises with Namco Bandai’s ExerBeat. The new interactive fitness game has arrived for the Nintendo Wii,

The games spans a variety of categories including dance, martial arts, body conditioning and even offers quirky mini-party type games. More importantly the games types allow for options for all ages and skill level, to help get those totally out of shape to tone up while still encouraging those who are their way. ExerBeat is compatible with the Wii Balance Board and Wii MotionPlus accessories.

(Trailer after the jump)

Continue reading ExerBeat it on the Wii

Polar Tour’s France

This week Polar USA announced that it is taking a “Yellow is Everything” attitude, and has announced the release of the CS500 Tour de France, the official Tour de France training computer. The granddaddy of cycling events kicks off in just a month and a half, and now you can give it your best and try to ride like the very best in cycling.

The device features an aerodynamic diamond shape and yellow accents, as the the CS500 Tour de France is designed for event riders who want to improve their fitness at the competitive level through highly effective training guidance. The CS500 Tour de France features twice as much memory than the original, and offers compatibility with the forthcoming Polar LOOK Keo Power pedals, the world’s first pedal-based system for measuring power output and cadence. Continue reading Polar Tour’s France

BMX Skateboard Scooter

What do you get if a BMX bike were to somehow mate with a skateboard? Technically this is impossible, not just because the BMX bike and skateboard aren’t actually living creatures, because even if they were they’d have different chromosomes and thus not be able to produce an offspring. But getting past those issues, we return to the question at hand, and since this sounds like the makings of a mad science experiment gone bad – let us also say that a third ingredient is added to the mix, namely a scooter.

So now we’re really crazy. But the result would the sbyke, the invention of Bart and Steve Wilson, who apparently broke their BMX bike, ruined a perfectly good skateboard and created a scooter-like contraption.

The sbyke – which is confusingly pronounced “spike”- has  a fixed-position front wheel that isn’t turned using the handlebars but rather by the shifting weight of the rider. There is a break attached to the handlebars to stop this thing at least.

(Video after the jump)

Continue reading BMX Skateboard Scooter

Scape Let’s You Run Without Running Into Your Eyes

Summer is just about here, and that means time to get out for a run or ride. The problem is that the sun can be very harsh, so it is advisable to cover up with sunblock. But most sun screens don’t mix well with sweat, and this can be a stinging feeling when the lotion hits the eyes.

Dr. Nic Marten devised a solution. As a lifelong enthusiast of action sports including surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding and mountain biking, he personally learned the all too hard way that sweat makes sun block run. He worked to create SCAPE Athlete Sunblock, which promises to be five times more waterproof and sweatproof than a leading sport sunblock, but more importantly provides amongst the highest levels of UVA protection.

The SCAPE Athlete Sunblock will not rub off as it features a Polyplex Polymer technology that was developed in vitro to better adhere to the skin, forming an almost Gore-Tex like barrier, yet it is breathable and keeps body temperature down. It won’t clog pores, allowing runners and other athletes to work up that good sweat. It is even loaded with vitamin E and other antioxidants to protect and nourish the skin.

It has us wanting a nice sunny day so we can sweat it up!

SCAPE Official Website

No Mountain Need to Do Some Climbing

If asked why do you climb a mountain, the answer usually given is because it is there. But what if you don’t have a mountain but still want to do some climbing? Well, you’re in luck because the MtEverClimb Rope Climbing Machine will let you climb and climb and climb some more.

OK, it isn’t exactly like mountain climbing; in fact it is more like rope climbing from grade school gym class, but you won’t need a 40-foot ceiling and there is no fear of falling from such heights either. More importantly rope climbing is a great full-body strength training exercise as well as a true cardio workout.

The machine features a heavy-duty welded tubular steel frame, a pulley wheel, and a looped rope that creates a continuous climbing action, while a front-mounted switch box allows the user to control speed, power, and direction of the rope. So with this device you can get your climb on and on and on!

MtEverClimb Official Website