Mobile Phone | Evolving Consumer

An Object in Motion

While the Wii was a huge hit with casual gamers – including those who wanted to get off the couch – the Wii U hasn’t exactly delivered for Nintendo. Instead it could be that Apple TV could fill the void with games such as Motion Tennis, which utilizes an iPhone for a controller. The game takes advantage of the iPhone’s magnetometer, gyroscope, and accelerometer to accurately interpret your movements.

For those who want to go from Mii (the onscreen characters on the Wii) to I – as in the iPhone, then Apple TV might get you there.

Motion Tennis Official Website

Sports and Fitness App Market Flexes its Muscles

We use apps for sports and fitness related activities, and a new report says that many others do as well. “The World Market for Sports & Fitness Monitors — 2013 Edition,” a report released by IHS, forecasts that by 2017 app downloads will grow from 156 million (in 2012) to reach 248 million. Continue reading Sports and Fitness App Market Flexes its Muscles

Strava Gets Real

When out and about it is important to keep it real, and Strava announced this week that it is doing just that with its Real-Time Segments, which provider runners and cyclists live performance updates during their segment effort. This adds another layer of motivation to Strava Premium, where athletes can see exactly where they stack up on a certain segment the instant they complete it.

These instant segment times can be sent right to the phone, so instead of waiting until the activity is finished, runners and cyclists can see the results as they happen. Continue reading Strava Gets Real

Put a Tracker On It

There is the saying, “put a sock in it,” but the Sensoria Fitness Smart Sock Tracker lets you instead put a fitness monitor on your socks. This Smock Sock is designed to tell you your stride cadence and running form, and even monitors how your foot is landing. This device, which is now part of an Indiegogo project, is made up of a cloth-material Smart Sock that can be washed and dried like a normal sock, and a special anklet that magnetically snaps on the cuff of the sock. This Smart Sock can be paired with a mobile application and monitor your running and other fitness activity. Let’s just hope it is smart enough not to be lost in the dryer. Continue reading Put a Tracker On It

Mophie Takes the iPhone Further

When you aren’t near an AC outlet and don’t have time for solar charging you might worry that your smartphone can’t go the distance. The Mophie Juice Pack Pro Outdoor Edition will ensure that the iPhone 4/4S can remain powered up while on the go. This case helps extend the battery life while protecting the handset. It offers rain and splash, as well as sand and dust protection, and features an impact resistant design that exceeds military specifications (MIL-STD 810G). More importantly it offers a large battery along with a belt clip so you’ll have the device handy and ready to use. Video after the jump

Handle on Things

There is so much stuff to bring while cycling and even with three pockets in the jersey there is also more to carry. The Handleband could solve that problem as this universal bike mount can hold phones and even open bottles post-ride. The Handleband is now being developed by Daniel Haarburger of Boulder, Colorado via a Kickstarter project.

This simple band attaches easily to a bike and removes just as easily. It should work with almost any handset and any bike. And as noted the metal latch doubles as a bottle opener! Video after the jump

Nike Golf App Goes 360 Again

Wherever your travels take you the Nike Golf NG360 app will be there with you. The new app, which launched in the United States last May, will now be able to track rounds on more than 30,000 courses in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Sweden and France. Available for iOS it can provide golfers with an innovative digital tool for swing analysis, game tracking and gear recommendations.

The app allows golfers to score rounds and track various statistics including scoring average, driving accuracy, greens in regulation and average putts per round. The NG360 app allows golfers to see how they stack up by monitoring results and beating their personal bests.

The training section also helps golf athletes get into golf shape thanks to Nike Golf’s partnership with the Gray Institute, the foremost leader in Applied Functional Science. The Gray Institute has developed the NG360 Functional Performance System that is tailored to golf movements that the body makes, a clear distinction from other training systems; while golfers can also navigate the latest Nike Golf products in the app that are suitable to their needs. These include the Nike Golf Ball Recommender, which makes it easy for golfers to find the right ball for their game, while athletes can get dialed from tee to green, driver setting recommendations and game analysis are included in the app.

Nike Golf Official Website

Can’t Break Polar’s Stride

Polar looks to track every step you make with the Polar Strike Sensor Bluetooth Smart, the first sensor that allows runners to track speed, distance and capture intelligent training data. This small, lightweight device clips onto the user’s shoe and can record a range of data including stride length, cadence, running speed and distance.

This is good for urban areas where GPS doesn’t always work so well, and the data can be analyzed and shared wirelessly via mobile training applications for smartphones, tablets or any Bluetooth Smart ready device. It is also compatible with the latest version of Polar Beat, the training app for iOS. Continue reading Can’t Break Polar’s Stride

One Tough Galaxy

Smartphones can do a lot of things, but most are rather delicate devices. You can rely on special cases and try your best to protect the handset, or you could look to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, a ruggedized version of the Galaxy S4. This Android-powered smartphone can survive a bit water as well as dust and dirt, or even a drop on the ground.

It features a 5-inch Full HD display – TFT LCD rather than AMOLED in order to provide that ruggedness – and if offers an 8megapixel rear camera, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, plus a water-resistant earphone jack. For those who want to take their smartphone on the go the S4 Active might be the smart move to make.

Samsung Galaxy Official Website

Adidas Blows It Up With Nitrocharge

The soccer pitch won’t know what hit it. Adidas has introduced the new Nitrocharge soccer cleat/football boot, which offers a high-elastic upper element called the ENERGYSling to provide extra agility, while the ENERGYPULSE on the sole provides improved push-off and gives greater energy return to let the wearer go the distance.

The Sprintframe outsole offers TRAXION 2.0 stud placement to provide greater balance traction, stability and all in a lightweight shoe. The Nitrocharge also offers a miCoach speed cell fitness-tracking chip that allows the wearer to monitor speed, distance and even number of sprints. This can connect with an iOS device for a post game recap of the shoe’s explosive moments.

Adidas Nitrocharge Official Website

First Person Shooter

We do love our first person shooter video games, but these don’t really provide much of a workout. While we’ve worked up a sweat from playing these it isn’t the kind of “good sweat” that you get from actually running around. Tek Recon could be the new ultimate first person shooter.

It isn’t as messy as paintball and doesn’t really require a special place to play like laser tag. This game has players use special “blasters” that shoot soft projectiles up to 75 feet, while these can be integrated with an iOS or Android device that provides a heads up display, radar tracking and even in-game chat. The result is an action game that is very much like a video game but one that requires real world activity.

The developers are now engaged in a Kickstarter campaign. We think of this as their way of doing a little recon for Tek Recon. Video after the jump

Secure Liberty

While not everyone likes guns, even gun owners agree that having a quality way to secure them up is a good idea. Liberty Safe has introduced the latest addition to its line of portable and wireless alarm system. The SafElert is a compact 3x2x1-inch wireless high-tech communication device that can be employed almost anywhere. While ideal for helping secure a firearm, it could be used with the liquor cabinet, dresser drawers or in other applications.

The alarm and reports can be sent as texts or emails through a home’s Wi-Fi system, or sent via email messaging to a mobile phone via the Elertus Cloud service. Up to five people can receive this information as well The alarm can notify the users if any safe or door is jarred, hit, pried, moved, opened or over-heated. The system can also report on weekly humidity to help users know that their treasured positions are in good order.

Liberty Safe Official Website

On the QR

QRide doesn’t want to keep anything down on the QT, instead it wants to include a QR code on cycling helmets as a way for emergency responders to access the information via a smartphone app. This could include emergency contact details, medical alerts, prescriptions or allergies on the online ID record. Although developed with cyclists in mind, QRide stickers can attach to just about any type of helmet.

QRide Official Website