Author: Peter Suciu

Primal Wear Clothing For Rockers and Geeks

When you think of cycling attire, you probably think of team jerseys, cycling sponsors and equipment makers. This is all great if you like the team-look, but what if you want to break from the crowd and do the distance not looking like a pro-wannabe?

Over the years there have been plenty of eclectic fashion statements, but the attire from Primal Wear Clothing truly offers something different! The company offers a line of heavy metal and hard rock jerseys that would at first glance seem more attuned to a bunch of burnouts in a van at a concert, than on the mountain bike trail or on the long road ride. But on a closer look these offer riders to strut their stuff and prove their more than pedal gear heads. Inspiring the look of vintage concert shirts, you can get on your head banging with Metallica, feel the long and winding trip with some Pink Floyd, or always good for the long climb the Led Zepplin Stairway Bicycle Jersey.

And if hard rocking isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other options including those for the armed services that will show that you support our troops and more. Primal Wear even has a line of Star Wars themed jerseys instead, and these feature the original movie posters of the first trilogy of films. Let’s just hope they make those in Jabba the Hutt size for the hardcore fans.

Adidas Gets in on the Game

If you’re caught playing with a phone or a video game in class, chances are it could end up in the teacher’s drawer. So does this mean that some kids might be going home barefoot? Could be as Adidas has released a line of shoes called the “Originals,” sneakers, which include the Superstar, Stan Smith, Forum, Nizza and Samba. Each of these has a barcode in the tongue of the shoe (no tongue and cheek here), which can be read by a Webcam to open the world of the 3D Adidas Originals neighborhood.

 The shoes in turn become the controller, and shoeless Joes can play in a series of interactive games in this world, including a laser blaster game, a skateboard game, a Star Wars themed game and a music-based game. Let’s hope that each player has to use their shoes/controllers and that these don’t get that nasty shoe smell. That might be one reality no one needs!

Garmin Offers New Edge for Tour of California

Going off for a long bike ride can be enjoyable, even if you’re not sure of your final destination. But there are times when knowing where you are going is crucial, and for those times a reliable GPS device is a must. To help you on your way Garmin has introduced the new Edge 500, a new nuvi navigation device that features designed inspired by the iconic orange and blue patterns of the Team-Garmin-Transitions.

The new Edge 500 in both argyle and black and white versions will be introduced at the Tour of California this year, while the argyle nuvi models will sold exclusively during the race from May 16-23. The Edge 500 ($349.99 MSRP from the official site) is ideal for racers or just those who want to keep their bikes as light as possible. The device is a mere two ounces, but still features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that needs no calibration, and thus can be easily swapped between bikes. It connects wirelessly to third-party power meters, and can track speed, distance, time, GPS position, elevation, calories burned, and even climb and descent. This info can be displayed and reviewed post-ride at Garmin Connect.

The device further uses a barometric altimeter to pinpoint changes in elevation, and it can further be paired wirelessly with Garmin speed/cadence sensors. It features 18 hours of battery life, so it will probably be going long after most of us have called it a day as well!

And finally for the pro wannabes, in April Slipstream Sports and Felt Bicycles will be giving subscribers to Garmin’s fitness newsletters a chance to buy a team replica Felt F1 (the model the pros will be riding this season), completely built by the team mechanics and packaged with the argyle Edge 500.

Team Garmin-Transitions
Slipstream Sports

The Perfect Swing Through Motion-Sensing

If you’re looking to get the perfect swing you can spend more time on the driving range, video tape yourself to watch your form and get a golf pro to help you. Or you can fly over to Las Vegas or Dubai and hit the Butch Harmon School of Golf, where this golf expert is using technology from the Titleist Performance Institute.

The heart of this technology is TPI 3D, technology that has been long used in the video game industry and for movie animation. Now its being strapped onto golfers, where it can be used to study the biomechanics of a golf swing, and instead of just having the couch eyeball you, or going to a video tape, every intricate detail of a golf swing can be quickly examined and studied.

So while it might not turn you into a Tiger Woods (which given his “problems” is probably a good thing), but this technology might help you out on the course.

Via The National

The Butch Harmon School of Golf, Las Vegas
The Butch Harmon School of Golf, Dubai

Titleist Performance Institute: TPI 3D

Reebok Zigs and Zags With New Running Shoes

Are these really "energy drinks for your feet?" We'll find out soon.

Injuries with running often occur when you zig when you  should have zagged, but now zigging and zagging is something to reduce the load on your leg muscles. Reebok has developed a new form of soles utilizing that it calls the ZigTech, a type of zig-zag foam. According to the company’s press release “ZigTech allows your key leg muscles to do less, so you can do more. Simply put, it’s like an energy drink for your feet.”

We’ve seen (and even tested) a few different running shoes, and these are something a bit different. Also notable is that the ZigTech shoes will retail for $100 when the brand hits stores later this month. We’ll be interested to see whether this will give us the zip we’re after.

Reebok ZigTech Site

Race in a Virtual Tour de France

Video games such as Rock Band allow players to go on a virtual world tour, even if they’re not jamming in the same city, and first person shooters let players squad up from around the globe. These are just of the advances that gaming has brought to the social experience of virtual reality. Soon you might be able to take part in the Tour de France, or go on a bike tour in distant lands, and instead of faking it ala a game, you can get your sweat on while actually spinning.

At this year’s CeBIT in Germany, Paul Zernicke, a research at the Technical University in Berlin, demonstrated technology that combine an exercise bike with a wall-sized 3D Google Earth map that offered riders to take spins through Beijing’s Forbidden City as well as past the Great Pyramids of Egypt and even to the first stage of last year’s Tour de France. 

The bike part offers the usual stuff such as tracking heart rate, calories burned and distance traveled while the VR part offers better scenery than just a TV show or the living room wall. Better still Zernicke promises that this can be more than just a visual travelogue from a bike seat, and offers that a competitive element could be added. So far he’s tested the system with up to six riders at a time.

The CompuTrainer Pro 3D

There are still questions to answer, such as whether you’d actually see your competition – or at least a generic version – added to your screen. And how much flexibility will it offer in where you ride? Otherwise, you’re just racing a clock and a fixed video. Still, this sounds like a great way to see the sights while getting a workout.

In the meantime, there are solutions available today such as the CompuTrainer Pro 3D by Wired Bike.com. It might not be quite as impressive as the technology shown at CeBIT, but it beats just ready a magazine or watching cartoons while you put in the in-door miles.

Running in Place: There is App for That

The iPhone can do many things, and seemingly it can even be used as a running training aid. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of fitness apps for Apple’s smartphone, but among the most interesting is one call iTreadmill. OK, while the app doesn’t somehow actually let you run on the touchscreen – but it would be cool if you could somehow do so – it does however act as a digital chronometer, keeping track of the distance you’re doing.

This is whether you’re actually doing miles outside, walking around your house or apartment, or just running in place. Put it in your pocket and go, as this app detects the slightest movement and thus tracks the distance you’ve covered. Should you stop to tie your shoe or wait for a light, or just answer the phone, the chronometer will automatically stop. Based on what it reads it can provide you details of your average speed, distance, pace, step count, strike rate and even calories burned. It doesn’t track heart rate however, so you’ll have to stick with a traditional heart rate monitor if that’s important. However, this app includes some interesting features, including a pace setting that provides a flashing light and ticking sound to get you moving. Now if only this app could actually make running in place at a hotel a little more exciting.

iTreadmill Web Site

Rugged Handset and More

There are plenty of smart looking handsets, but there are times when a stylish smartphone isn’t a smart move. If you’re travels take you to the rough part of town or on rugged treks, consider the new Sonim XP2 Spirit handset, which is now available to our friends in Europe. It can handle a drop on concrete from up to two meters, and can endure temperature shifts from -20C to +55C, and this handset can even get wet and wild to boot.

This week Sonim announced a new partnership with Nimbuzz, an award-winning next generation mobile messaging service, which would see the Nimbuzz Java client pre-installed on the XP2 Spirit handsets. This gives users access to IM and chat client that aggregates multiple social networks into one contact list. The phone further features an in-phone app store, plus an MP3 player and still/video camera making this a communication and entertainment device for your mobile adventures!

Take Flight While Working Out

Remember that very early episode of The Flintstones where Barney invented the gyro-chopter that he had to pedal to get off the ground (and for those who care, Fred had to flap his arms)? Well that’s sort of what the iTech Fitness Flight Simulator brings to mind, except of course you can pedal without ever actually taking flight (and no one needs to flap his or her arms).

But if you’re looking to get a workout with your games, the company offers a line of products built around the concept of adding fitness to gaming. In the case of the iTech Fitness Flight Simulator players can dogfight against others, fly a variety of aircraft and even get a bit lighter in the process.

Happy flying and gaming!

iTech Fitness Web Page

Electric Ice Cleaning Machines Fail at Olympics

The Vancouver Olympics have not been without disappointment. The Russians lost out in the mixed figure skating for the first time in decades, and there were disappointments for snowboarders as well. But the most underwhelming performance may have been from the electric powered ice cleaning machines. This followed delays in speed skating as the machines broke down.

This Olympic attempted to be “green,” and the results were less than spectacular. So much so that a traditional propane powered Zamboni machine was brought in from Calgary. We like the idea of a “greener” Olympics, but what exactly is so much better about an electric machine – especially if it doesn’t work?

Curling Goes High Tech

Today marks the beginning of the action sport of curling in the 2010 Olympic Games. OK, we’re joking about the action, but the truth is that the sport has also gotten some high tech aids this year. The Edmonton Sun ran a feature this week that notes how the Canadians are using various advances such sensors, along with high-speed cameras to help.

Clearly even a sport using nothing more than a “rock,” brooms and ice can go high tech in the new millennium.

Wind Simulator Helps Skeleton Riders Fly

Riding a thin board down a track made of ice, and doing it headfirst would be enough to scare the life out of you (And we say this with absolutely no disrespect to Georgian luge racer Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was tragically killed last week at the end of a training run. Our condolences go out to his family and his teammates).

Maybe that is why this sport is called the “skeleton,” which was permanently added to the Olympic Games in 2002. The sport evolved from a form of tobogganing called cresta sledding, and dates to the 1880s. The difference today is that riders only use their bodies to guide the sled, instead of using skates to help steer. The U.S. Olympic skeleton team prepared with help from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where engineering professor Timothy Wei and his team built a special custom-made simulator to help understand wind resistance. But they should know against a highly trained athlete, resistance even of the wind variety if futile.

We wish all the skeleton and luge riders safe runs!

Via Scientific American

Bell Canada Offers Exclusive Olympic Themed Phone

Even if you never make the podium – or even see the games in person – you can feel the Olympic spirit with the Samsung Omnia II touchscreen smartphone. Available to our friends to the north from Bell Canada, this handset was designated the Official Mobile Device of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The i8000 Omnia II is a Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional powered handset, and it further lets users get in on the action with Samsung’s Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) communications platform, which provides real-time information on the games.

 Other features of the OMNIA II:

  • 5megapixel camera with dual LED flash
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth v2.0
  • MicroUSB port
  • GPS receiver
  • 2GB/8GB/16GB internal memory available
  • microSD card slot