Gadget | Evolving Consumer

Schwinn Navigated CES

Earlier this month at CES in Las Vegas Schwinn unveiled its new CycleNav Smart Bike Navigator, a free mobile application that is paired with a handlebar-mounted smart-bike navigation unit. It is designed to give riders turn-by-turn audio and visual navigation from their handlebars.

When connected to a smart phone via Bluetooth the device can provide riders with audio commands and visual light indicators and this way can direct riders to the desired destination. In addition, the CycleNav application records key statistics from the journey including distance, duration and calories burned. This ride data can be shared through social networking integration including MapMyRide, and the CycleNav also includes a headlight. Continue reading Schwinn Navigated CES

Roq Out

Hypercel is looking to let you rock out with the Roqout, a water-resistant and sandproof Bluetooth speaker. This mono speaker features a 50mm speaker drive and passive radiator and offers 4.5 hours of playback from the built-in 500mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery. This small package packs a big punch. Continue reading Roq Out

Wahoo Heads to the Sky

This month Wahoo Fitness announced that it is now the official supplier of Turbo Trainers to Team Sky, winners of the 2012 and 2013 Tour de France. Through this exclusive partnership Team Sky will be provided with KICKRs for use during the racing season and each rider will be provided with an individual KICKR for “at home” training sessions. Team Sky will use the KICKRs for pre-race warm up and post-race warm downs.

“Wahoo Fitness is a young and innovative company, who has produced a fantastic product in the KICKR which will meet our requirements both in racing and training,” said Tim Kerrison, Team Sky’s head of performance support. “Team Sky and Wahoo share a common approach when it comes to innovation and continuous improvement. We believe they have developed a market-leading product and we are excited about using the KICKR in the team and working with Wahoo to continue to develop and improve their products. We love the wheel-off design and the big fly-wheel which gives an excellent, smooth feel. The ability to precisely control the resistance, whilst retaining the smoothness, gives us the opportunity to do great quality and high intensity training efforts on the KICKR.”

“It is awesome that Team Sky chose us to work with as it further validates our rapid growth and shows the world that Wahoo Fitness has created the best trainer ever,” added Chip Hawkins, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. “This collaboration gives us the opportunity to develop future products while enhancing existing products in cooperation with an organization who understands the kind of training necessary to win. We look forward to a successful 2014 and Wahoo Fitness equipment quickly becoming synonymous with victory.”

The KICKR Power Trainer can connect to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ wireless technology, and offers full resistance during training sessions. While pedaling, users can increase or decrease resistance, structure interval workouts or even simulate real world bike courses all from their smartphone. Resistance adjustments are also instant, making it easy to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course, to the coast down a hill after a hard climb. The trainer also features a wheel off design and super flywheel, and the iPhone connected bike trainer is further engineered to provide a more ultra-realistic road feel, which is equivalent to the inertia of an actual rider on the road.

Wahoo Fitness Official Website

2014 PGA Merchandise Show: The Xventure Begins

At this week’s 2014 PGA Merchandise Show Bracketron has unveiled its new Xventure Golf line, which includes a wide range of mounts, chargers and accessories that help tech savvy golfers use mobile devices to improve their game. The new products include the TriCaddy XL, a golf tripod that includes a tablet holder and can be positioned to record a full golf swing.

Designed for indoor and outdoor use, the TriCaddy XL provides players with a portable and easy way to record their full golf swing for analysis and review. With its four-section adjustable legs, the tripod provides easy positioning and height adjustment, offering a range of 15 to 35 inches. It features a tablet device holder for effortless, hands-free recording, and the tripod also features a dual standard 1/4″ thread and t-notch adapter for optimal flexibility plus 360 degree rotation for portrait or landscape use.

Bracketron Xventure Official Website

Move It With Kiwi

This month Kiwi Wearable Technologies announced the launch of its pre-order campaign for the Kiwi Move, an Internet-enabled wearable device that can track a user’s physical activities. It can also interact and even control Internet-connected devices at home.

“The Kiwi Move is next-generation when it comes to design and performance and we’re excited to bring it to market for consumer use,” said Ashley Beattie, chief marketing officer at Kiwi. “Unlike other wearables on the market, the Kiwi Move is fashionable and unique in that it can be worn anywhere, whether that be on your arm, wrist, waist, ankle, collar or chest.”

The Kiwi Move will make its move in July. Video after the jump

Crash on ICEdot

There’s talk about the need for a list of ICE contacts, or In Case of Emergency contacts on your phone so emergency crews know who to contact if something should happen. But what if you need to contact your ICE list to get emergency crews to come look for you? We hope that never happens, but if you’re like us and go for bike rides, hikes, climbs and other activities in the outdoors, you may want to set up a safety net. Continue reading Crash on ICEdot

The World of Atlas

The developers of the Atlas are looking to Indiegogo to bring out what they believe is the first fitness tracker that tracks all aspects of a workout. It can identify your exercise, count reps, calculate the calories you burn and even evaluate your form. The developers noted on the Indiegogo site that “Atlas is packed with a suite of inertial sensors, similar to those used in smartphones. The Atlas sensors see your movement in a 3D trajectory and identify the specific motion fingerprint of each exercise you’re doing. Atlas then sifts through a sea of data and picks out the pearls that are valuable to you.”

During and following workouts it can highlight the muscle groups you’ve focused on, and then suggest where to go next. Video after the jump

Ground Pounder

Those looking to add significant distance to their tee shots now have a major force to aid those efforts. The Ground Force Trainer from Golf Gapper is a four-week program that the company claims will increase a drive by five to 15 yards.

The $119 package includes the patent-pending square rotational disk, power pole, DVD, lead leg support foam pad, instruction manual and mesh carry bag. This Ground Force Trainer is used to train golfers in their backswing, where power is developed when the golfer creates ground force with their trailside leg and gluteal muscles.

“The Ground Force training disks create this instability, causing a specific muscular reaction that exactly mimics the sensation and strength necessary to motor learn the proper load in the back swing and feel the connection with the ground,” said Dr. Jenni Martin, MS DC LPGA Class A teacher and club professional who created the product. “The gluteus medius muscle is responsible for hip rotation and hip stability. These muscles also help the golfer maintain balance. The rotational square disks act similarly to a ‘lazy Susan’ found in the kitchen. They’re used in pilates to teach exercises that require movement of the lower and upper body in opposite directions, and to exercise the balance muscles.”

May the Ground Force be with you. Video after the jump

SHOT Show: Hit the Bullseye

At this week’s SHOT Show Bullseye Camera Systems showed off its iPhone/iPad application that builds on its Bullseye Target Manager Software. This is the first-ever software-supported, wireless target camera system that shows shooter’s their last shot flashing on a screen no matter how many times the target has been hit.

This unique patent-pending system provides a wireless target camera to be placed two to eight feet from a target and allows shooters to view the shots wirelessly from their shooting location, up to one mile away, directly on a laptop, iPhone or iPad. The Bullseye Target Manager software provides shooters with easy viewing of each last shot blinking on the screen, whether shot individually or in groups, safely from the firing position.

In addition, the software allows developing of shooter profiles, to include information such as: particular firearm and ammunition, hand-loading data, and measuring shot groups. This data is stored with each shot and can be retrieved at any time for later review. Video after the jump

SHOT Show: Shields Up

Loksak has made a serious business out of providing serious protection for today’s digital devices. This includes waterproof bags, and at SHOT Show this week the company is looking to increase the shields as well by introducing the SHIELDSAK R.F. Fortress.

While it won’t protect a device from a drop or extreme conditions it will ensure that the device is adequately shielded and practically takes mobile devices off the grid by blocking incoming and outgoing R.F. signals with an average attenuation of 30MHz to 10GHz: 72 9dB). This has been tested by Keystone Compliance using the Mil-DLT-83528C. It is currently be used by all branches of the military so it can more than stand up to almost anything you can digitally throw at it.

Loksak Official Website

With Cat-Like Eyes

Gilbert and Sullivan suggested that pirates – specifically the Pirates of Penzance – may have had “Cat Like Tread” but CatEye is providing a cycling light for those who have eyes that aren’t quite as good as our feline friends. The Padrone computer is for those riders with aging eyes and provides larger numbers.

In addition it has seven basic functions that include current-, average- and maximum-speed, as well as trip distance, total distance, elapsed time and clock.

CatEye Official Website

SHOT Show: Powered Up

Coast will be showing something that likely would be hard to miss at this week’s SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The company is introducing its high powered HP314 LED Flashlight, which can shine a bright spot up to 683 meters (2,2,40 feet) – or well over a third of a mile. It is powered by only 4 D cell alkaline batteries but can still blast out 1,132 lumens. If you’re adventure involves going out at night this flash light will certainly help you find your way. Video after the jump

CES: Vivo Las Vegas

Garmin has long been in the fitness technology wearable market, but last week at CES it entered the fitness tracker space and unveiled its vívofit, a sleek personal exercise assistant.

“Garmin has been providing fitness monitoring devices for over a decade, and with vívofit we say hello to the fitness band that knows your potential,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Being able to monitor the quality of rest after retiring for the night, being challenged by personalized daily goals and doing so without having to charge it every few days, makes vívofit a fitness band that should be on everyone’s wrist.”

It is designed to automatically greet users with a personalized daily goal, tracks their progress and reminds them when it’s time to move. Vívofit follows progress 24/7, and it can stay on for more than a year without a battery change. Viva to vívofit.

Garmin Blog: Garmin vívofit — A Fitness Band That Moves at the Pace of Life