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: Personal Electronics
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
Panasonic Toughpad: A Rugged Tablet Inside and Out
We have covered a few portable rugged tablet computers here at KinecticShift, but these products aren’t exactly as sexy-looking or easy-to-use as Apple’s iPad. In fact, they are designed for mobile workers and more adept at actual productivity, running some version of Microsoft Windows. Panasonic’s new Toughpad line of rugged Android-based tablets may just finally deliver a device that balances play and work in a tough exterior.
Although it looks chunkier than many consumer tablets on market, the Toughpad looks like a tablet you wouldn’t mind throwing into your bag when compared to other rugged tablets available. When it comes to creating rugged devices, Panasonic has lots of experience in this department. The company has been making rugged computers under the Toughbook name for some time; the Toughbook line has a Windows-based tablet computer, as well. But the Toughpad seems better suited for carrying around, especially if you don’t need the full Windows operating system to get stuff done. And in the sea of Android tablets currently on the market, Panasonic’s stands out. Sure, you can wrap an iPad with a rugged case, but the Toughpad is a different breed of tablet computers with specific users in mind. Continue reading Panasonic Toughpad: A Rugged Tablet Inside and Out
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]
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
Heads-Up Add-On For Your Ski Goggles
While we’ve seen various ski goggles that have featured a built-in heads up display, Recon Instruments is providing a new add-on that will allow users to add its MOD Live Package to a range of goggles. The Vancouver-based company is offering “real-time information direct to eye” for skiers and snow boarders. The MOD Live will work with “Recon Ready” goggles from Uvex, Briko, Alpina and Zeal Optics. Continue reading Heads-Up Add-On For Your Ski Goggles
CES Innovations Award Winners: Oregon Scientific and Gaiam
While the Consumer Electronics Show is still a month and a half away, it is already awards season. Oregon Scientific, designer and worldwide marketer of person electronics, and Gaiam Inc., have announced that their button-free, touch-screen heart rate monitor the Gaiam Touch is a recipient of of the prestigious International CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Award in the Health & Wellness category.
The Gaiam Touch features fashion-forward colors and a comfortable, slim design which is two millimeters thinner than any other heart rate monitor on the market. It is available with a chest strap, allowing for continuous heart rate monitoring, or as a strap-free model for on-demand heart rate monitoring, while the strap-free Gaiam Touch utilizes ECG technology, requiring only a touch of a finger on the monitor’s sensor for an accurate heart rate reading. The strap model operates in digital and analog modes and tracks fat burned. Both strap and strap-free models easily track calories burned and heart rate data. Other features include stopwatch, zone alarm, clock and calendar functions. Continue reading CES Innovations Award Winners: Oregon Scientific and Gaiam