Misfit Fits

ShineThere are plenty of ways to get fit, and Misfit Wearables will show you how to Shine – that is with its Shine elegant physical activity monitor that you can wear anywhere. This small monitor can track activity (steps, calories, distance) and sleep (light, deep), and it syncs wirelessly and effortlessly with smartphones. It is also powered by a coin cell battery for up to six months, allowing users to forego cables for syncing or charging

The company announced this week the Shine App for Android. Available for devices running Android 4.3 and above with Bluetooth 4.0, the app users to sync their Shine, set their personal activity goals, see visual summaries of how they’re doing each day and week-to-week, among other features.

Misfit Wearables Official Website

Newton Looks to Pop

NewtonMinimalist running shoe maker Newton has proved that you can always add more without actually adding too much. This is true with the company’s line of 2014 running shoes. The company promises “more pop than ever,” and this includes the new +ONE lug platform, which adds a fifth lug to provide more cushioning, greater responsiveness and a broader, more stable base for the runner.

The company’s entire line of 2014 shoes will be ready to hit the road or trail in February.

[Press Release: Newton Running 2014 Speed and Mileage Trainers Offer More Pop Than Ever]

Streaming Video

Control-StreamBefore there was GoPro there was V.I.O., which had been one of the pioneers in wearable sports cameras. The company is now looking to take the lead with a highly modular camera. The Stream HD comes in a few configurations and it can be plugged into a notebook computer via USB.

It features built-in Wi-Fi with RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) for full HD 1080p video wireless streaming. The Stream HD also features an open API so those who like to build custom applications can find ways to use the camera that V.I.O. likely never considered.

V.I.O. Stream HD Official Website

Burton Reveals Olympic Snowboard Kit

BurtonThe U.S. Snowboarding Team will be sporting a line of apparel from Vermont-based Burton at next year’s 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The look is rather raggedy to us, but as the company noted, “snowboarding is such an individual sport,” and the uniform certain has an individual look!

The uniform won’t be available for purchase the company noted, but Burton will offer hoodies, t-shirts and accessories that feature prints and artwork inspired by the styles. Frankly, we’ll pass! We wish our Olympic athletes all the best in their efforts to go for the gold, but we wish they’d be wearing something that didn’t make them look like hobos on the slopes!

[Via WWD: Burton Unveils U.S. Olympic Snowboard Look]

Amplid Goes Light

Amplid-PocketknifeThe LAB Carbon Pocketknife can cut through the snow, but this snowboard utilizes Amplid’s weight shedding technology that was pioneered in the LAB Carbon Split. The result is the lightest snowboard ever built. However, the company is limiting the run of these boards to just 30 worldwide!

For those who can’t get the Pocketknife the company’s LAB Carbon Split is not exactly a heavyweight! It even offers the raw, stealth aesthetics of uncovered carbon fiber.

[Via Transworld Snowboard: Amplid Creates The World’s Lightest Snowboard]
Amplid LAB Carbone Split Official Website

On the Plate

Balance-PlateWhile batters in baseball may head up to the plate to swing away, the Swing Catalyst Balance Plate is designed to help with your golf game. It provides instructors a better understanding of the golf swing, ranging from weight-shift patterns and balance to details of foot pressure distribution – none of which can be determined by the best trained eye or even high-speed cameras.

The Balance Plate has further been perfectly synchronized with video images and integrates data from the most popular launch monitors and ball flight-tracking devices, such as TrackMan, FlightScope, Foresight GC2 and Full Swing Golf – allowing instructors to study the correlations between everything that happens during a golf swing and the actual result of the shot.

To improve your game and your swing, perhaps it is time to step up to the plate

Swing Catalyst Official Website

Contour Coming Back?

ContourContour, the maker of the rugged wearable cameras, suddenly shut down last summer, but now the company could be making a return. The company posted via its Facebook page:

“Happy holidays to all and thank you for continuing to support Contour. It has been a difficult time, as you may have read, but we are getting closer to having the website and customer support up and running. Stay tuned for new announcements. In the meantime, we see lots of demand for storyteller, you can find it here. Thanks to Joe Agustino.”

Happy Holidays indeed for those who love Contour.

[Via BikeRumor: COMPANIES IN LIMBO – CONTOUR COMING BACK?]

Saddle Up

MorgawRiding a bike shouldn’t be in a pain in the you know what, but for many it is just that literally. A cushier seat doesn’t always help, but the Mograw shock-absorbing saddle could and should do the trick. It takes the concept of a suspension seatpost but utilizes elastomer inserts that sit between the rails and the saddle. This can absorb those bumps in the road and make for a softer ride.

Designers Martin Moravcik and Slawek Gawlik are now looking to bring out the Mograw via an Indiegogo project. Video after the jump

Refuel Based on Sweat

Fuel-StripWhile it is easy to just grab a handful of some sports chews and eat until you feel “full,” Fuelstrip works another way. These wearable strips actually analyze an athlete’s sweat levels during a workout, and then recommends the appropriate amount of sports nutrition to eat. The strips will change color from orange to yellow to green to blue based on the athlete’s glycogen depletion progresses. The color determines the number of Fuelchews needed to maintain energy. An orange strip requires one chew, while yellow requires two. That takes the guessing game out refueling.

Fuelstrip Official Website

Holiday Gift Guide: Lightning Strikes for Cyclists

Wheel-JohnnyHere’s Johnny! White Lightning has expanded its “Johnny” line of transport products with a new Wheel Johnny (MSRP: $49.99), which is specially designed for transport and storage of a bike wheel. Made of water and UV-resistant two ply rubber/nylon material it will product those wheels when they’re off the bike, while a zipper enclosure still allows for quick access. A padded divider protects rims and hubs from scratches and scuffs.

The Johnny features hand and shoulder straps to make for easy carrying while a large interior pocket can hold a cassette, chain whip, lock-ring tool, adjustable wrench, and spare tubes or just about anything else. The Wheel Johnny accommodates road, hybrid, and mountain bike wheels, including 29er wheels.

White Lighting Official Website

Nike Golf Goes Back to it Core

NikeNike Golf has returned to its core, the Speedlock RZN core technology that is. For the second time in just three years the company is looking to transform golf ball technology and it is building up its RZN core technology yet again. Nike Golf is adding four golf balls to the new RZN franchise – RZN Platinum, RZN Black, RZN Red and RZN White. These are each designed to deliver more distance thanks to interlocking geometry that helps eliminate the slipping that normally occurs between a traditional, smooth-surface core and the outer layer. This means better energy transfer through the layers and all the way to the core.

The result is more consistent and stable ball flight. It almost sounds as if Nike Golf is making it too easy.

[Press Release: Nike’s New Speedlock RZN Core Technology]

Holiday Gift Guide: Power Up for the iPhone 5S

Bike2PowerBike2Power has rolled out is BikeConsole Smart Mount for the iPhone 5S, which features 90 percent more touchscreen sensitivity, while still being built to withstand extreme weather conditions. It utilizes SoundBoost microvent sealing technology, allowing the user to experience louder and clearer audio, while it can be rotated up to 360-degrees. It even features an anti-glare screen membrane that allows for optimal viewing in almost any condition. Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide: Power Up for the iPhone 5S

Shaggadelic

ShaggoIt is sometimes hard to believe what people try to use crowd funding for as some are truly senseless. The Shaggo Skateboard almost falls into that category, but we suppose someone might have a reason to need a carpet on a skate deck… right?

With nearly 120 backers at press time the company has almost made its goal, so apparently there are those that like the idea of some rug on the board. Video after the jump