Category: Equipment

Total Eclipse of the Blade

Winter shows no sign of letting up, but for those looking to hit the ice that might not be a bad thing. Riedell Skates has launched Eclipse Blades, an all-new line of ice skate blades. These are designed to offer competitive skaters an attractive blade that provides true edge consistency along with improved rake engagement.

The blades are also American made, created by master craftsman using the best combination of tradition and technology to create the most consistent blades and edges available on the market today. Each is made with 1075 High Carbon Steel making for a blade that is both strong and resilient. Computer-controlled laser cutting, soldering and stamping result in consistent, precision edges. Eclipse Blades’ chrome relief rakes offer better ice engagement. The new blades are available in four models. Eclipse Infinity: advanced freestyle skaters; Mist: freestyle skaters; Volant: advanced instructional or beginning competitive; Dance: ice dancers. Continue reading Total Eclipse of the Blade

Microsoft Moves 10 million Kinects

 

Move over Sony PlayStation Move, the Xbox 360 Kinect motion control system is seriously moving. This week Microsoft announced that it has sold more than 10 million Kinect motion-sensing game system units worldwide in just the four months since it was released.

That makes it the fastest-selling consumer device on record. The infrared camera add-on for the Xbox 360 game console is priced at $150, and has steadily outpaced Sony’s competing Move device. But let’s not move too fast.

Sony had previously noted sales of 4.1 million units of the Move in its first two months, and still has not taken into account holiday sales. So what is clear is that consumers are looking to get moving with video games and for that we can’t complain.

StreetFlyer: Almost Like Flying But Not Really

It was really tempting to file this one under Kinetic(Mis)Shift. What we have here is a device that suspends the user over the ground to provide the sensation of flying but without the worry of getting airsick – or crashing. This three-wheeled human-powered vehicle, called a StreetFlyer, is the brain child of Dr. Carsten Mehring and it works by letting the “rider” feel like he or she is flying after they gain enough momentum to life the legs off the ground.

Since the user is just a few feet above the ground there is no worry about a crash. But as the user is just a few feet above the ground does it really feel like flying? You be the judge.

[Via Gizmag: StreetFlyer: hang-gliding on three-wheels]

 

LED on Board

Take a simple device and add some LED lights and suddenly it is better. That’s sort of the idea behind the new Flexdex skateboards. The California-based skateboard company is attempted to shed some illumination on the skating scene with its new light board.

Their flagship model is the Clear29 LT longboard, which features a “clear as glass” polycarbonate frame that is lighted up – while not exactly lightened up – with a strip of LED lights that are powered by a 9-volt battery. The effect is further enhanced by the deck’s translucent wheels, while riders have a choice of blue, green, white, orange and of course red boards. So even if you can grind like the best of them, you can light it up for the rest to follow.

Flexdex Official Website

With the Sun Shining, Don’t Forget the Shades

The TV series South Park remains famous – or is it infamous – for the line “don’t forget to bring a towel,” but actually what’s more important than something to dry off with is something to protect the eyes. As winter heads into its last month, it is time for spring break and now comes the time to remember that if you’re heading outside you should be sure to bring sun glasses. In other words, if the sun is out you need shades for the eyes.

Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation over a short period of time can cause photokeratitis, which is like sunburn of the eyes.  Symptoms include painful, red eyes, extreme sensitivity to light, excessive tearing and a foreign body sensation. Photokeratitis rarely causes permanent damage, but long-term exposure to the sun can be more harmful. Continue reading With the Sun Shining, Don’t Forget the Shades

New Brain Bucket Developed for Little League, Introduced at “The Dome”

 

For years batters have walked up to the plate whilst wearing protective headgear. Now soon pitchers may be required to take the mount with helmets on as well. This wee Easton-Bell Sports announced the development of new headgear at the Helmet Technology Center, internally known as “The Dome.”

Easton-Bell Sports CEO Paul Harrington, along with Little League International President Stephen Keener, California Interscholastic Federation Executive Director Marie Ishida and Marin County high school baseball player Gunnar Sandberg in Scotts Valley, introduced a new helmet prototype. The Easton-Bell Sports pitching helmet prototype uses lightweight energy managing materials to provide protection to the most vulnerable areas of the head, without compromising comfort or performance. The helmet is made of expanded polystyrene polycarbonate, which is attached to a comfortable liner and elastic strap. Continue reading New Brain Bucket Developed for Little League, Introduced at “The Dome”

Olympus Gets Tough With Crushproof Digital Camera

Need a camera that can handle extremes? We’re talking shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof and even crushproof – yes, crushproof. To meet all this means a tough camera and that’s what Olympus has in mind with its new Tough TG-810 digital camera, which promises to be “crushproof” up to 220 pounds.

The camera can go deep, up to 10 meters (33 feet) and remain waterproof; withstand a drop of up two meters (6.5 feet) and freezeproof to temperatures as low as 10 degrees C (14 F). We’re really impressed that it can withstand weights of up to 100 kilograms or 220 pounds. The dustproof camera can even be rinsed off when it gets dirty! Continue reading Olympus Gets Tough With Crushproof Digital Camera

CamelBak Launches Into Orbit

Back in the 1970s the drink mix Tang was advertised as being “what the astronauts drink,” which somehow meant it was better. Why an orange drink mix would be better because it was consumed by astronauts remains a bit confusing. And we’re still not sure how the powder was mixed with water in zero gravity, or why powder would be ideal over a liquid drink in the first place – after all the water still has to make the trip (we hope they mixed it with water anyway).

The idea that it was used by astronauts remains intriguing however. But what is even more impressive is a product that is so good on Terra Firma that it can head to outer space. Enter the CamelBak Big Bite Valve, which has been integrated into the NASA spacesuit because it was easy to use, self sealing and of course could stand up to extreme conditions. No one needs liquid floating around in zero gravity. And while the astronauts have special suits, the valve system for the drinking system is actually the same one found on each and every CamelBak water bottle and hydration pack.

Sound won’t travel in a vacuum we know, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get thirsty while in high orbit. So if you plan to take a trip up beyond the heavens he Big Bite Valve will let you can take a sip of a cool drink under the stars.

CamelBak Lab Official Website

Slide on Over to Better Fitness

Fitness guru David Miller knows that people like to take the easy way out all too often, but now he’s going to let it slide – or rather let people use his new “Slidercise” technique to help increase upper body fitness. Miller, who says he was tired of spending $110 a month on gym membership and gas, not to mention the hours it took at the gym, developed the Slidercise Training System.

The system, which includes workout DVDs, instructional charts and inspirational websites, essentially is built around pushups. We’ve seen more than a few gimmicky products, and the truth is that pushups alone probably won’t have you looking quite as ripped as Miller or the other models that you’ll see on his site, but this does seem like it would offer some true variation to the traditional pushups. Of course it might take time to build up to the 30 minute, not to mention the 60 minute workouts. But the system provides something that short of an army drill sergeant would provide – and that’s some serious motivation. So in that way we think Miller is on to something.

David Miller Slidercise Official Website

Let the Suunto Shine With New Line of Sport Watches

Suunto has been a leader in sports watches, and this week the company announced a new range of fitness and sports watches to cater for a wide spectrum of outdoor activities, as well as gym training and exercise.  These include the Suunto M1, M2 and t1c models. The M2 will display heart rate and calories burned in real time, allowing users to monitor their activity and set personalized exercise targets.

The watch maker will also offer a range of outdoor time pieces that include the Observer, the Vector and the new X10 GPS watch, which includes PC connectivity to enable users to record routes, mark waypoints and even track speed and distance. The Suunto X10 also is compatible with the Movscount.com website, so users can view tracks, plan visualize routes through the site.

They say time and tide stop for no man, but with these watches you’ll be better able to manage your goals, and soon might not want to stop.

Suunto Official Website

No Loneliness for This Long Distance Runner

Anyone who ever goes the distance knows that running can be a lonely experience, even in this day of MP3 players, GPS devices and crowded streets. There is as the story title suggests, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner and while Joseph Tame needed not run to free himself from prison walls (as is the case in the short story), but instead broke free from the grind of pounding the pavement with a little help from a whole lot of supporters.

This weekend Tame finished the Tokyo Marathon in 6 hours and 28 minutes, but he did so with 3,000 people who “ran” the course with him. Tame streamed his entire 26 mile run via four iPhones. One was pointed at his face, a second one at the pavement ahead, a third one for the GPS location and finally a fourth one that allowed him to stay in touch with supporters. Tame sent out Tweets as he ran, and those tweets were displayed on an iPad he strapped to his back. Not bad for the 33-year-old British citizen who currently lives in Tokyo. Congrats to Tame for not only going the distance, but in doing so decked out in a whole lot of gear.

Tame Goes Wild Official Website

Under Armour For Those Soon to be Under Pressure

Hopefuls for the NFL will feel a lot of things, and will likely be under pressure – but to help them, they’ll soon be able to be Under Armour today, as the company announced this week that the E39 shirt, powered by Zephyr Technology, will be used in the NFL Scouting Combine.

“When we decided to create the E39 biometric compression shirt for some of the most talented athletes in the world to wear on one of the most important days of their lives,” says Kevin Haley, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Under Armour. “We were thrilled to partner with Zephyr because the technology has already been proven on the most demanding consumer of all — the U.S. Special Forces.”

Zephyr’s Physiological Status Monitor (PSM) technology is used by U.S. Special Forces, first responders, and consumers in the Connected Health arena to monitor vital sign information within the context of activity.  The NFL Scouting Combine promises to be the perfect environment for the Zephyr to prove it can make the grade for these athletes. With this “under wear” these athletes will be anything but under dogs in the coming scouting Combine.

Zephyr Technology Official Website

ANT+: Wireless Protocol For Fitness That Promises More With Less

With wireless technologies as prevalent as they are today, the thought of connecting two gadgets using a wire is almost unthinkable. File transferring between computers can be done over-the-air through Wi-Fi, while many headsets and headphones can connect to portable devices like cell phones via Bluetooth. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are just two of the technologies available, all in the name of helping you cut the cord.

In the health and sports/fitness sectors, you may start hearing more and more about products adhering to the ANT+ protocol. This proprietary wireless protocol allows devices like heart rate monitors, speed sensors, blood pressure monitors, and blood glucose meters to talk to another device like a computer, smartphone, sports watch, GPS-enabled trainer, or exercise equipment (e.g. treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.), provided they are also ANT+ enabled. For example, while you’re exercising on a ANT+ fitness equipment, the data is wirelessly transmitted to the ANT+ sports watch you’re wearing, without the need to physically attach the watch to the fitness equipment. All this info can be transmitted and stored on your computer or in the cloud (such as Microsoft’s HealthVault or Garmin Connect), allowing you to analyze and track your progress. (At a gym we use, the Life Fitness elliptical can only download our workout info to a USB thumbdrive or a connected iPhone or iPod with Nike+, but would be much more useful if it could wirelessly transmit that info.)

ANT+ was built upon the ANT wireless sensor network technology, which is owned by a subsidiary of Garmin. A group of companies that include Garmin, Stairmaster, Timex, Microsoft, Adidas, Star Trac, Trek, Suunto, Nautilus, Sony Ericsson, and Specialized comprise the ANT+ Alliance, which oversees the standard and its branding, and ensures interoperability. The low-power technology is similar in functionality to Bluetooth, in which it allows two devices to pair and exchange data. Also, like Bluetooth, an ANT+ product connects to only one other product at a time, even though there may be several ANT+ devices in the area; this mean you won’t accidentally receive data from another product, say a treadmill that’s next to but isn’t being used by you. Although both Bluetooth and ANT operate on the 2.4GHz spectrum, the two technologies are not the same. Interestingly, a new feature of Bluetooth 4.0 called Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) will most likely compete with ANT+ in the future if it receives adoption as widespread as ANT+.

So why go with ANT+ at all, especially if Bluetooth can do the same thing? Well, the problem so far has been that Bluetooth has made many promises but in essence failed to deliver, and while it is possible to upgrade existing Bluetooth networks to the BLE, most experts say this isn’t so cut and dry. In the end it is all going to come down with support from product makers – and given that ANT+ has lined up many partners in the fitness space it is a safe bet that the ant will more can than can’t.

ANT Official Website