Getting on a treadmill, exercise bike or elliptical machine day after day can be an ordeal. While many fitness enthusiasts have turned to the iPad for a bit of entertainment there is the concern that the expensive tablet could take a tumble and that would be far from entertaining, and for most an exercise in disappointment and annoyance. For those who want to use the tablet but don’t to see it succumb to a mishap, Scosche Industries has released the fitRAIL, an exercise mount frame for the iPad/iPad 2 that securely holds onto the tablet while also clamped onto the exercise machine. Continue reading fitRAIL is No Fitness Fail
Category: Gadget
Easy Shot Makes Underwater Video Easy
There seems to be no shortage of portable video cameras that can take a dive, but the Easy Shot Clip HD Diving Kit is one more to consider. Developed by Concord Keystone, this small HD digital camera allows divers and swimmers to capture 720 HD video and sound from depths up to 100 feet. It comes with its own waterproof housing that is clipped to a 360-degree rotating mounting bracket, so it can be attached to diving or swimming masks or goggles. Video after the jump
MOTOACTV – Music and Fitness Tracker All in One
Looking to get fit this holiday season? The MOTOACTV has arrived. It is a wearable fitness performance tracker and smart music player in one, offering a digital fitness instructor and personal DJ for the wrist. It features an intuitive touch-screen display along with the ability to sync to the PC to better track workouts.
“Motorola has created a new category of smart device that support your active lifestyle with the addition of MOTOACTV,” said William Ripley, general manager, Companion Products EMEA, Motorola Mobility. “Workout smarter without using multiple devices or even wires, with the first multi-activity music and fitness tracking device with the brains to push you beyond your limits.” Continue reading MOTOACTV – Music and Fitness Tracker All in One
inReach Helps You Reach Out
If a tree falls in the woods, but no one is there the question is asked, “does it make a sound?” But what if you’re lost in the forest, all alone, and you cry out for help. No one will hear you, not unless you have DeLorme’s new inReach device.
Essentially this satellite-enabled device is your hiking, backcountry panic button for those times when you need help and have no cellular coverage. The device can send a general SOS message to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center, and users can also send pre-loaded text messages to additional parties as well. The latter messages don’t have to be warnings, but updates – such as “I’ve reached the summit.”
For those times when you need urgent help the device, which features GPS technology, can regularly transmit its coordinates at regular intervals. The inReach can also be liked up with an Android device via Bluetooth and allow for two-way text communication, sending/receiving of email and even provide access for Facebook and Twitter updates. Video after the jump
Fitness and Health Apps: Big Business in Years to Come
Even if all the sports and health mobile applications aren’t getting people in shape, it is making for a very healthy market. According to a new report from ABI Research the sports and health mobile application market will grow to over $400 million in 2016, way up from the $120 million the sector reported in 2010.
According to ABI much of that growth will be spurred by the ability of mobile handsets to offer connectivity to wearable devices that can provide greater functionality, accuracy and appeal to sports and fitness applications. The new apps can in essence replace, or at least replicate what standalone products such as heart rate monitors and calorie counters are currently providing. Continue reading Fitness and Health Apps: Big Business in Years to Come
Think Fitness This Black Friday
You may normally get up before the sun to go for a run or head to the gym, but the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, has many people getting out of bed early to hit the stores. This year we want to point out some deals to be had on fitness-related items.
Callet cases for a number of smartphones including the iPhone and several BlackBerry models. These rubberized cases have a slot in the back to hold ID, credit card and a few dollars.
Use the code “Callet 30″ for 30 percent off the case, which costs $19.99.
Griffin Technology has its products marked down as much as 80 percent during Black Friday. Save on rugged cell phone cases to fit any smartphone or tablet, plus loads of accessories.
Get 30 percent off products from Grace Digital through November 29 by entering the code “bFriday30″ at checkout.Choices include a rugged, all-terrain speaker case and other waterproof audio accessories.
Life Time Fitness plans to host a Black Friday event with “over 30 incredible deals.” You don’t have to wait until January to join a gym. Get yourself and everyone on your list enrolled in one of many programs including a weight loss program, LifeSpa gift card, a program with a trainer and other activities.
Motorola Defy+ Gets Tough in the UK
The U.K. will get a limited edition of the Android-based Motorola Defy+ with a rugged shell from construction and demolition company JCB. The added layer, or armor, on the phone will keep your phone protected, regardless of your extreme activities. If it takes a fall, you won’t have to worry so much. The built-in case improves the phone’s shock resistance capabilities.
In addition to the armor, the limited edition phone will come bundled with apps such as Therodolite, Spirit Level, Torch, Decibel Reader and B&Q store locator. The Motorola Defy+ with JCB features is an exclusive, limited edition phone available December 6 exclusively from Clove in the U.K.
[via Ubergizmo: Motorola Defy+ gets JCB treatment, becomes even more rugged]
Philips ESee Does It
Much has been made about the fact that smartphones pretty much give everyone a camera for everywhere they go. And with many smartphones including built-in HD video cameras does anyone need a pocket camcorder these days? Well, apparently Philips thinks so, and its new ESee pocket video camera could fill the void left by the now-discontinued Cisco Systems Flip camcorder.
The Philips ESee shoots in full 1080p HD resolution, and give users the option to simultaneously record a QWVGZ 240p version, giving the best of both worlds. There can be the full HD file version for editing, plus a smaller sized file that can be emailed around. This pocket camera further makes use of the H.264 video compression to help reduce file size, while the ESee makes it easy to transfer files, and posting as it supports built-in Windows software with one-button posting of videos to YouTube or Facebook. Continue reading Philips ESee Does It
Ballistic Cases Give Your Android Triple Protection
Today’s Android smartphones pack larger-than-average screens in increasingly thinner bodies, and while that may sound great on paper, in the real world it can become a recipe for disaster, especially when you take your favorite phone on a run or bike ride with you. To protect your handset from a premature death on the sidewalk, Ballistic has created a bulletproof case for two of the hottest Android phones on the market today – the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Epic 4G Touch. The new Ballistic Shell Gell Series Case offers three layers of protection for these phones ensuring that no harm comes to your mobile device.
The outermost layer of the case provides shock absorption, while the middle layer is made of impact-resistant polycarbonate. The third layer can be found on the corners of the case, which are padded with silicone to ensure your phone never collides with concrete.
The new cases are only compatible with the Sprint versions of these phones and cost $35 each. They probably won’t actually stop a bullet – and we wouldn’t recommend that you try – they will provide some needed protection that can keep that shiny new phone shiny and scratch free.
Ballistic Official Website
[Via Ubergizmo: Ballistic protects your Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch]
eButton Tracks and Reports Your Workout Progress
Many devices track your every move, watch your every step and basically can monitor what you do while you’re on the road to better fitness. But eButton could take it to the next level. Currently it is a project being developed at the University of Pittsburgh, but the concept here is to track what you do and then report to a personal trailer or other fitness coach.
It uses a miniature camera, accelerometer, GPS and a variety of other sensors, so when worn on your person it knows pretty much what you’re doing. The aim is to track one’s lifestyle as much as activity. This does sound like it could be a sort of high-tech stalker, but hey no one says you have to wear it. But for those who need a little extra pressure this one probably could supply it in droves!
[Via Cnet: eButton knows if you’re a workout warrior or a slug]
The 1st Generation Apple iPod Nano is Hot Again!
You might not be aware that different stories are sometimes posted on the KineticShift Facebook wall, but if you missed the post on the Apple iPod Nano recall, this information is worth passing on to all of our readers. Apple has decided to recall some on the early 1st generation iPod Nanos. Apparently the battery in some of these units are overheating and may “pose a safety risk.” The specific Nanos being recalled were sold between September 2005 and December 2006, and the issue has been traced to a single battery supplier.
Continue reading The 1st Generation Apple iPod Nano is Hot Again!
BitGym Makes Working Out Fun
Getting to the gym is one thing, getting inspired to go to the gym is something else, and having the desire to go the distance at the gym takes a lot of discipline. This is where BitGym comes in, offering games that make working out fun.
And unlike actual video game systems, BitGym’s approach is a bit different. While working out users sync their iPhone or iPad with a gym’s workout equipment, such as a treadmill, elliptical machine or stationary bike. BitGym provides an app that offers a variety of games that users play while interacting with the forward-facing camera, such as steering an in-game car on a road with their head (above). BitGym is a recent startup that has launched out of the Rock Health accelerator in San Francisco, and was recently one of 13 companies that debuted at Rock Health’s Demo Day at the University of California, San Francisco.
This certainly has a novel approach to staying entertained while putting in the miles on a workout machine. For many it probably beats watching the news.
BitGym Official Website
[Via peHUB: Startup BitGym Aims to Inspire Geeks to Work Out with iPads, iPhones]
Bluetooth SIG Innovation World Cup Finalists Named
Today the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the finalists of the 3rd Annual Bluetooth Innovation World Cup (IWC). The nine finalists, one of whom will be named Bluetooth Innovator of the Year, include developers and entrepreneurs who submitted market ready products and concepts for applications and devices using the low energy feature of Bluetooth v4.0.
The 2011 Bluetooth Innovation World Cup focuses on three categories including sports & fitness, which were selected from more than 330 international submissions by a global panel of experts. The selected finalists in the sports & fitness category transform the sporting experience making training more efficient and wirelessly enabling a more complete athletic solution. Continue reading Bluetooth SIG Innovation World Cup Finalists Named