Back in 1902, Hoyt Buck was a young blacksmith apprentice in Kansas who was seeking a better way to temper the steel used in knife blades. A tempered blade will hold a sharp edge for a longer period of use and ultimately produce a knife that will have a longer life. Hoyt’s unique approach resulted in the first Buck Knife. Many years had past, and though Hoyt continued to make knives using his tempering technique and worn-out files as the basis of his blades, it was not until 1947 that the modern Buck Knives company was born. That year Hoyt and his son, Al, moved to San Diego to start the company named H.H. Buck & Son.
USB-based Purifier Cleans Water in Under a Minute
It seems like you can do anything via USB these days – even purify water. The SteriPEN Freedom is a tiny USB-based water purifier that uses an ultraviolet light to purify a 16-oz. glass of water in as little as 48 seconds. The device eliminates bacteria and viruses that cause waterborne illnesses making it a valuable tool for both the hiker and the world traveler – at least those who travel with a laptop! Unlike previous battery-driven models, the SteriPEN Freedom features a micro USB port for charging and can be used up to 40 times on a single charge.
Its overall lifespan is estimated at roughly 8,000 treatments, and best of all the device also doubles as a flashlight. It’ll be available next month for $119.
Nike Steps Out with Nerf Edition Shoes
In November Nike plans to introduce the Nike Zoom KDIV Nerf Edition as part of the Kevin Durant line of Nike shoes. When Nike says Nerf, it means it. The shoes are identifiable by the use of Hasbro’s Nerf brand iconic graphics and bright colors. Black is the backdrop for a blue instep with a bright orange swish and sole detail. Highlights of green in the sole and trim top the shoes off in an eye-catching package.
Rush To Fitness From Zumba in 2012
Winter can be a good time to tone up for spring, and Majesco Entertainment Company looks to get gamers fit for the New Year. The company announced this week the sequel to its best-selling fitness video game for Kinect for the Microsoft Xbox 360. Zumba Fitness Rush will get gamer’s hearts pumping this coming February with another controller-free dance workout game.
Zumba Fitness Rush promises to offer 42 hot new music tracks, sizzling choreography and a huge variety of new dance styles and arenas, which invite players to dance their way into shape with a fun and proven program. Six Zumba instructors get you moving to the beat, including celebrity instructors Beto Perez, Tanya Beardsley and Gina Grant, plus new stars exclusive to the Kinect game: Kass Martin, Jason Thompson and Erica Pierce. Each star instructor personally guides players through choreography that ranges in style from Merengue and Samba to Bollywood and Latin Pop. Dance hands-free as Kinect for Xbox 360 accurately tracks your every move. Continue reading Rush To Fitness From Zumba in 2012
Sports Tracker in the Blue(Tooth)
Sports Tracker has announced that it has released its Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor. The chest strap device pairs with a smartphone app, allowing users to view heart rate and other stats in real time, while also sending the data to the cloud via the company website or through social media. Users can monitor speed, distance, time, number of steps, elevation and of course calories burned. The device can even geo-tag photos you take while working out, and can be linked with a map once synced with Sports Tracker website.
As the name implies it features Bluetooth wireless connectivity to a smartphone, and has a range up to 20 meters or 65.6 feet. The Sports Tracker can be charged via USB and can run for up to 40 hours on a single charge. It is available worldwide, while the free app is available for Android and Symbian handsets, as well as the iPhone. We’ll be watching to see when this arrives stateside. Video after the jump
Thursday Reading List (10/27/2011)
Welcome to a weekly digest of web links I think are worth checking out. These items include articles, images, and video. Please comment on what you find interesting. If you have something to share, please submit links of interest to mike@kineticshift.com.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin: Exercise Increases Mitochondria in Brain Cells
Avid cyclist Dr. Gabe Mirkin provides well-researched and useful information on the positive effects of exercise. This week he covers the benefit of exercise on the brain.
[via Dr. Gabe Mirkin: Exercise Increases Mitochondria in Brain Cells]
Garmin Enters ANT+ Community with Garmin Fit App, Adapter
Garmin excels in the sports and fitness category with devices that track distance, speed, heart rate and other measures of a workout. Now it’s come to market with an ANT+ adapter for the iPhone, and companion app on iPhone and Android devices. We hope the Android adapter will soon follow so we can track our workouts on our device of choice.
The Garmin Fit app lets users track metrics such as speed, pace, distance, time, calories, heart rate and cadence. Some of these metrics require connectivity to devices beyond the phone. Cadence and heart rate, for instance, require a pod on the bike and chest strap, respectively. These are measured with companion Garmin devices, and sent wirelessly via the ANT+ adapter to the iPhone. Continue reading Garmin Enters ANT+ Community with Garmin Fit App, Adapter
Fitness Technology Looks to be Big Business
According to a recent survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association, fitness technology – the stuff we like to cover at KineticShift – is big business. The sports and fitness category now represents a $70 billion annual business in the United States, with hot product categories including activity-tracking armbands, waterproof mp3 players, GPS-enabled HD cameras, high-tech heart monitors, gesture recognition and full-body tracking user interfaces for games and sports simulators, high-tech sport goggles with GPS locators and many others.
“Technology has changed the game for everyone from professional athletes to weekend warriors,” said Robin Raskin, founder of Living in Digital Times, and organizer of the FitnessTech Expo and Summit at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show.
The upcoming CES in January will also continue to see the marriage of tech and fitness as TV personality and fitness guru Jillian Michaels will discuss the impact of digital innovation along with her recent partnership with Pittsburgh-based BodyMedia. Continue reading Fitness Technology Looks to be Big Business
Super Cooper Bicycle
Britain’s Mini-Cooper (technically now German as it is owned by BMW) has been known for its stylish compact cars, but in recent years the company has also shifted gears and followed the wheels of high-performance auto brands such as BMW and Porsche by rolling out a line of bicycles! The Cooper Bikes aren’t meant to be race machines, but instead are aimed at the urban commuters, with sleek Reynolds steel frames.
In total Cooper Bikes has introduced eight models in three groups, and these feature quality parts including Sturmey Archer cranks, Brooks leather saddles and Tektro rim brakes. Three of the four T100 bikes are designed as single speeds with freewheels but feature flip-flop rear hubs for those who like the fixed gear configuration; while Zandvoort model features a 3-speed Sturmy Archer rear hub transmission. The company also has 5-speed models, but it is the T100 Sebring (pictured) that has caught our eyes. This is a Mini with me in mind.
[Via Gizmag: Cooper bicycles: Retro rides for the urban commuter]
Gates Holds Frame Design Contest for 2012 NAHBS
To celebrate its three-year sponsorship of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), Gates Carbon Drive is holding a frame design contest for the 2012 NAHBS taking place in Sacramento March 2-4. The contest encourages bike makers to build frames for use with the Gates Carbon Drive. Bike entries will be judged on sliding dropouts, belt tensioning systems, frame splits and a number of other design factors.
Continue reading Gates Holds Frame Design Contest for 2012 NAHBS
Adidas Takes to the On-Field Tracking
In the old days “track and field” use to mean the sport, but today data tracking allows for better training and conditioning on-field and on-court. Adidas has unveiled its new miCoach SPEED_CELL, the first device to capture information from motion in every direction and measures key performance metrics including speed, distance and time during practice and competition.
The device, which sits inside a specially designed cavity in the outsole of the shoe, can work with a range of sports including soccer, football, basketball, tennis and running, allowing users to monitor, evaluate and increase their performance.
“Understanding individual performance data is one of the best ways to improve your game,” said Mark Verstegen, founder and president of Athletes’ Performance. “For the first time, amateur athletes can have access to the performance tracking and analysis technology available to professional athletes.” Continue reading Adidas Takes to the On-Field Tracking
Fieldline Lines Up Women’s Backpack
Hunting gear isn’t typically made with a woman in mind, but Fieldline has addressed this issue with a new line of backpacks that feature durability, comfort and convenience and are tailor made with the female hunter in mind. The new Fieldline Women’s Black Canyon Backpack can take just about everything in stride, from foul weather to blazing hot sun, and for the sometimes brutal use and abuse of women who depend on their gear to keep them comfortable, safe and well-equipped.
The new Fieldline Women’s Black Canyon Backpack is roomy enough to accommodate essential items, but scaled down for a female wearer’s size and shape. The padded back and yoked shoulders further ensure stability and comfort, while a three-pouch organizer, three-quarter-inch-opening main compartment and one-side water bottle pocket offer versatility in stashing everything from extra layers to GPS units to snacks. The pack also features a nifty Gear-Lock Modular Locking System, which offers customization for the user, allowing the pack to transform into multiple configurations, before a trip or even on the fly.
The pack is available in Mossy Oak Break-Up or Realtree AP to make users inconspicuous in virtually any environment, but with just a dash of pink to show some personality too!
Motorola New Music Plus Fitness Trainer For the MotoACTV Life
Last August we heard about the MotoACTV and now it has arrived. This is the new fitness device from Motorola that promises to help users burn calories while listening to some tunes. In truth this concept has been around pretty much since Sony developed the Walkman – listen to music and be active.
But Motorola is taking this a whole new level with the MotoACTV (hence the name), where the device not only plays the tunes but keeps track of the user’s performance in the process. The device relies on AccuSense technology and GPS to track vital stats by gauging time, distance, speed and heart rate; while providing this data, along with calories burned to the user. This data can further be uploaded to the MotoACTV website for post-workout performance analysis. In other words this device is pretty much like most other heart rate monitors and wearable fitness computers. Continue reading Motorola New Music Plus Fitness Trainer For the MotoACTV Life