Software | Evolving Consumer

Move Your Racquet

Game, set and match… and all in your living room. This is what Ubisoft’s Racquet Sports allows users to do, with a multisport game that includes tennis, ping-pong, badminton, squash and beach tennis. While originally released with the Nintendo Wii, this get-off-the-couch game will be heading to the PlayStation 3 this fall. It will of course be compatible with the PlayStation Move so you’ll get the chance to hit the court in your living room. The game promises pinpoint gameplay mechanics that bring every serve, swing and backhand to life.

Racquet Sports features 30 rich graphical environments, and many probably look better than your local tennis court too, and are certainly places where you’d expect to get in the swing of things. These include real-world landmarks such as the beach of Copacabana, the foot of Mount Fuji and even the skyline of Dubai. These include animated backgrounds, dynamic sounds and even day and night modes. Players will further have the ability to customize their onscreen persona, and can perform with 11 different athletes, each who has a distinct personality and flair. There are 30 outfits, 30 hairstyles and even 15 different racquets available as well to keep things fresh.

Players will also have the chance to play together cooperatively or against each other, with up to four players taking the court. About the only thing missing is the chance to jump over the net, but at least you won’t have any balls to chase when this one arrives this fall!

Racquet Sports Official Site

Tour de France 2010: High Road Sports Teams Up With Google and Skype

: Follow Mark Cavendish and the rest of Team HTC-Columbia throughout the Tour de France

This year fans of the Tour de France will be able to follow the HTC-Columbia riders in real time, thanks to a new technology and marketing collaboration with Google Inc. High Road Sports announced that will work with the Internet search engine giant, along with team sponsors HTC and SRM to provide data from the HTC-Columbia riders during this year’s tour.

This partnership won’t just let you see where the riders are on the course, but will give you details on track speed, heart rate of specific riders, power output and other data that is provided by the SRM power meter! So if you want to know how much power Mark Cavendish cranks out in a sprint, or the heart rate of Marco Pinotti in a time trial, you’ll be able to track it.

Taiwan based HTC, which was the maker of the first Google Android powered mobile handset, worked closely with SRM, Google and High Road to develop the HTC Legend smartphone. These will collect real time racing and location information, which in turn can be transmitted wirelessly to Google’s own servers. The phones will run Google’s mobile application “My Tracks,” which can read the racing data directly from the SRM sensors on the HTC-Columbia rider’s bikes.

And when Cavendish makes his famous “phone gesture” while crossing the finish line we’ll have to wonder if he’s thinking make a call with Skype. HTC-Columbia has also signed a deal with the global telecommunications service, and the Skype logo will make a debut on the jerseys as they ride through France.

High Road Sports: Team HTC-Columbia

Check back throughout the Tour de France for the news and updates on latest technological advances in the world of cycling.

10 Minute Solutions Says No to Excuses

Not enough time in the day? That’s not an excuse any longer, especially if you have a Nintendo Wii sitting there. If you have enough time to play some games, you’ll have 10 extra minutes to get your heart pumping. This week Activision Publishing and Anchor Bay Entertainment announced that the companies have brought the popular 10 Minute Solution workout DVDs to the Nintendo Wii.

And price isn’t an excuse either, as the workout pack is available now for just $19.99. As with the video workout version, the Wii edition offers users the choice of cardio boxing, mixed games and step aerobics at varying levels. There are nine workouts that are also compatible with the Wii Balance Board too – but this accessory isn’t required however. The game even provides health and wellness tips from fitness spokeswoman Jessica Smith.

10 Minutes Solution for Wii is rated E for Everyone, and is recommend (by us anyway) for those gamers who can’t find the time to squeeze in a workout. Now that there is this solution, you have no excuses.

Activision official site

Anchor Bay Entertainment official site

Poseidon in the Pool

The Greek God Poseidon ruled over the water, and now technology bearing his name is being used in some YMCA pools to help monitor swimmers. CBS42.com is reporting that this technology utilizes three cameras in each corner of the pool, along with software to detect when there is no motion. This is used in conjunction with actual lifeguards.

The computer-aided drowning detection system is being called a lifeguard’s third eye that never blinks. It can analyze activity in the pool, and in water that is less than nine feet deep can work simply with overhead cameras. It can also aid lifeguards to a simmer in trouble. It uses a network of small, digital cameras that can quickly identify situations that could be life-threatening, such as when a person is motionless underwater.

Poseidon Official Site
[Via CBS42.com: Poseidon of the Pool]

Stopping Bicycle Thieves

The classic Italian movie The Bicycle Thief (1948) tells the story of how a life can be changed when a bike is stolen. While most such thefts today don’t mean the difference between life and death (or at least in feeding one’s family), bike theft remains a problem. In fact, the FBI estimates that more than 1.5 million people fall victim to a bicycle theft each year, meaning that a bike is stolen about every 20 seconds! Fortunately some companies are starting to fight back. One such example is BaitBike, which provides specially monitored bikes that are meant to be stolen.

This is sort of a type of a trap to would-be thieves, leaving a bike in an area where similar thefts have occurred. In this case the BaitBike has electronic tracking gear, which in turn allows law enforcement to find said bike and arrest the thieves. While this technology isn’t yet available to the public, hopefully soon we can see a low-jack of sorts for bikes.

But the best advice is to lock your bike if you must leave it, but the better method is to avoid the locks and just never leave your bike out of your sight!

BaitBike.com

E3 2010: Zumba Gets You Shaking

One big problem with some workout games is that you need to be in the mood to work out. That’s why a good alternative can be to dance, and Zumba Fitness will get you moving. The company already has a full line of Latin dance and reggae flavored DVDs, and this year at E3 Majesco announced plans to bring the unique fitness program to the video game world.

In Zumba Fitness players can learn and perfect nine different dance styles, ranging from salsa to hip-hop to rumba and reggaeton. The dance game will be accessible to all ages and feature a “learn to steps” training, plus beginner, intermediate and advanced routines. The game will be compatible with Kinect for the Microsoft Xbox 360 for two player fun, plus a four player version for either the Nintendo Wii or the PlayStation 3 Move. Zumba Fitness will arrive this holidays, so get shaking.

Zumba Fitness website

Majesco Entertainment

Games For Health Gets its Conference On

Boston is hometown to many sports. Beantown is home to the Boston Marathon, Head of the Charles crew boat race and the annual college hockey tournament Bean Pot (hence the name Beantown). This week the city played host to the sixth annual Games for Health Conference. The conference is part of Games Beyond Entertainment. At the show there were demos of exergaming using the Nintendo Wii and other gaming systems, a study for a fitness-themed virtual world, and training for therapeutic disease management.

It looks like there were demos of a few music games such as Guitar Hero, and surprisingly the players (guitarists) sat down to play. Kinetic Shift encourages playing Guitar Hero, Rock Band and other games in the category. However we advocate playing them while standing. Most games on the Wii are difficult to play while comfortably seated by design, and that is true for virtual strumming of the guitar. We hope other game demos set better examples for active gaming.

FitByFun Offers PC Workouts

: FitbyFun.com

If you don’t have a Nintendo Wii but want the same basic coaching with your workout, power up the PC (chances are if you’re reading this it is already on), and go to FitByFun.com. The site offers the same Mii styled characters that you’d get on the Wii, and this game offers motions that you can copy.

There is no controller to track your movements however, so it is more a monkey see and monkey do thing, much like the old video workouts. But an online fitness instructor will give you directions, and based on the workout you choose the game’s display will tell you how many calories you’ve burned. This is again more game that true workout routine, but as a game it feels a lot less like a “routine.” And unlike many other games this one can keep track of your workout, so you can actually review your progress over time.

What makes this website workout really work checking out is that it is web-based (obviously), and as such can be done via a laptop – so this is good for those road warriors who can’t take along a Wii. And since it is designed like a class, it is a bit like hitting the gym, even when your’e traveling.

It won’t replace other workouts and as it is interactive you’re only going to get as much out of it as you put in. But if you’re looking to get started, and like to spend time in front of the computer, this one does offer some fun to your fitness.

FitByFun.com

New Bluetooth Spec Announced

While Wi-Fi and WiMAX get all the big hype, there is another popular wireless protocol that is still going strong. That of course is Bluetooth, the PLAN (or personal local area network) protocol. And now the technology is getting a Dick Tracy worthy makeover ala watches. These have been around for a while, but soon could be replacing other wireless technologies for broadcasting short distances.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced that the forthcoming Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0 will feature powerful low energy mode that could have new applications for health, sports and fitness as well as for security and home entertainment. This could mean that Bluetooth technology could be used for heart rate monitors, cycle computers, running computers and other devices that currently work on RF protocols. The benefit of Bluetooth is that it could send the information up to 200 feet, rather than just a few dozen inches. It could also work to transfer information from a monitor to a computer after a workout.

It could also be more reliable than RF, and for anyone that’s tried to get a heart rate monitor or cycle computer to sync right without interference knows how that can help make a work out all the more enjoyable.

GPS Tracks Pace During Run, Not Turns

GarminForerunner110mw — Garmin Forefunner 110 tracks progress on your workouts so you can keep your eye on pace.

When your feet hit the road, you have different demands on GPS than in your car. You don’t need turn-by-turn directions, you need data. Speed. Distance. Devices for runners are sometimes bulky, sometimes difficult to use. Garmin is about to release its Forerunner 110. This GPS device is a watch, and just about the size of an average sport watch or heart rate monitor. It’s packed with featuers.

Forerunner 110 has GPS and a heart rate monitor. Once you set it at the beginning of a run it tracks where you go on your run and your heart rate. From this data it calculates your pace, distance run, calories burned, and stores the information until you upload it to your profile on Garmin Connect. You can track your training progress, look back on a whole season of running, or just see where you’ve been by keeping data on your profile. This is one addition to the standard heart rate monitor we like.

Garmin Web site

Garmin Forerunner 110
Garmin Connect

Inform Your Run with Adidas miCoach

A heart rate monitor alone can only tell you so much about your run. It tracks your heart rate, and based on your age, calculates how many calories you burned, and some other data. Adidas adds to the monitor with miCoach. In addition to the chest strap to measure heart rate, it puts a sensor on a runner’s shoe, and an device on a runner’s arm. The shoe sensor adds more data by measuring distance, pace, and stride rate.

The device on the arm is the computer. It gathers and calculates data from the chest and shoe sensors. Then it tells you to speed up or slow down to get within four workout zones. Headphones plug into miCoach so you can hear its directions. The device is compatible with any MP3 player, so you can listen to music and also get prompts from miCoach.

At home miCoach syncs to an online profile at adidas.com/micoach, and tracks your workout. You can define your goals on the site whether it’s to get in shape or train for a marathon. Those goals then determine the direction you get while on your run. MiCoach costs about $69.99 for the arm piece, chest strap, and shoe sensor.

Adidas miCoach

British Boot Camp on Your iPhone

BMFMyFitnessInstructor — Workout in your own time and location with My Fitness Instructor.

It’s a proven fact that some things are better with a British accent. These include political speeches, the evening news, and of course romantic comedies. Soon to be added to that list: fitness instruction. British Military Fitness, a company founded by a retired British Major as an alternative to “the lycra clad, Swiss ball using, water fountain world of gyms,” is releasing a My Fitness Instructor app for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch this week.

My Fitness Instructor delivers custom workouts to your iPhone so you can conduct your workout anytime and anywhere, fitting with the company’s belief that the world is your gym and your body is your running machine. Each workout will be different from the last. You can choose from a number of instructors and select your workout goals. Begin your workout. An audio clip will play where the instructor walks you through each of a number of exercises such as crunches, twistsets, leg lifts, and other moves. If you aren’t sure how to do the move, you can watch a video demonstration. My Fitness Instructor from British Military Fitness gives you a disciplined workout with the freedom of when you want it.

British Military Fitness

My Workout Instructor App

Wii do Yoga

Yoga-for-Wii — Strike a pose with supermodel Anja Rubik in Yoga for Wii.

If you’d rather do your salamba sarvangasana, parsvakonasana and sun salute poses at home, we understand. There’s plenty of yoga DVDs on the market. But why not go one step farther with Yoga for the Wii? The interactive version features four levels with a number of yoga rooms and Asian-inspired settings. Model Anja Rubik shares her yoga expertise with tips and videos as she advises you through your progress.

Yoga for the Wii adds the Wii balance board controller as an option, so you can get feedback on how you’re doing on some of your poses. The console version advances at home Yoga by adding interactivity, letting you take your time on your poses and telling the Wii when you’re ready for the next one, and getting coaching and feedback based on your progress.

Yoga for Wii from JoWooD and DreamCatcher Games