Tag: App

Macworld Expo:Abvio Brings Out the Meters

While last week’s Macworld Expo didn’t exactly bring out any big announcements – the Verizon iPhone was already old news, and it was hard to say much about updates to the iPad or iPhone anyway – fitness was in the news.

Last week Abvio previewed its 5.0 version of its trio of iPhone apps, which include the Runmeter, Walkmeter and Cyclemeter. These offer similar features yet are a tuned into – note we didn’t say iTuned in – to specific forms of exercise. The 5.0 releases have also been submitted to Apple, so now it is just time to play the waiting game before going the distance with the meters.

Each of these will take advantage of the social networking opportunities as the company has partnered with dailymile.com, a 200,000 member social network for runners and fitness buffs. This integration will allow users of the Abvio app to share workout results in real time through the website and even get responses from other users during their workout. Information can also be shared with Facebook and Twitter, or send to friends via e-mail.

The apps will also utilize the GPS capabilities of the iPhone, allowing users to trek their course and monitor the progress, complete with audio feedback about pace and distance.

The dailymile link-up will further add a new level of friendly yet Virtual Competition. Friends can import a friend’s route as well as time and progress and try to beat it. We say game on, so get going.

Abvio Official Website

Master the Shot with SHOT Master

Whilst not everyone can become a master of the fairways and dominate the greens, every golfer can probably improve their technique and with it their overall game. That’s the idea behind SHOT Master, an interactive golf guide and e-tutorial that helps golfers improve their skill. It features carefully organized and detailed game improvement tips and easy-to-follow videos that can be conveniently used wherever the golfer goes. 

SHOT Master is the brain child of independent developers Charles Casteel, Jr. and Charles Casteel, Sr., an Information Technology expert, and professional golfer and golf instructor Willie Roberson. SHOT Master specializes in those rough shots, such as being stuck behind a tree in the rough or trapped in a bunker. It is a great tool as a golfer finding themselves in these “rough” situations can simply take out their iPod touch or iPhone and find out in a nice detailed tutorial how to get the best shot from where they are stuck.

“We are pleased to fill a void for the avid golfer to get help in real time. We know there are some very difficult golf shot and we wanted to create a coach that can be with the golfer at all times”,  said Charles Casteel, Sr., SHOT Master part-owner and developer. “Golfers all over the world can improve their game by mastering some of golf’s most changeling shots by using our Golf App while on the golf course from the convenience of their iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.” Continue reading Master the Shot with SHOT Master

An App to Stack ‘em and Attack ‘em

Last week STACK Media announced a new partnership with ATTACK Athletics to create a new app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. This app will let you stack and attack through a 12-week program designed for the ultimate workout for basketball players.

The STACK ATTACK Workout was created by Tim Grover, founder of ATTACK Athletics in Chicago, and this one requires no special equipment, but provides 80 instructional videos that take users through two bodyweight workouts each week with step-by-step instructions.

Grover, a former coach for Michael Jordan, developed his cutting edge physiological and nutrition-based performance enhancement program for other NBA players include Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant. Now he shares his secrets in this app.

“During my career, I’ve had the privilege to train some of the best athletes in the world,” Grover said. “This app allows me to bring that training knowledge and expertise to all athletes, so they too can improve their performance through smart training and hard work.”

The STACK ATTACK Workout is available now for download for $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

STACK Media Official Website

Skateboard Ramps Go High Tech

While we normally look at the technology of the skateboards, there has been some interesting innovation with the skateboard ramps. Here are a couple of interesting videos that show how an iPhone app can measure each skaters “air time” and landings from an interactive projection. The top video was for a promotion for the premier of the movie Tron Legacy, while the bottom video shows how cameras were synchronised with skaters and snowboarder movements.

Red Bull Off the planet from ENESS on Vimeo.

Tron Legacy Premiere – A Light Session from ENESS on Vimeo.

Burn it Up With Your iPad

The holidays are a time for many things, including seeing family, visiting with friends, eating too much and basically blowing off exercise. That’s probably why come January 2 many people vow to “do it right” and pledge to turn over a new leaf. Maybe one way to start the New Year off right is by better managing your food intake.

One problem say experts is that you can easily shed pounds by reducing intake, but as soon as you go back to old habits – which die hard and quickly – you’re likely to regain the weight. Additionally, people who reportedly lose weight more slowly while increasing the exercise tend to keep the pounds off.

Brian Young realized this, and he’s worked to develop an app that helps you track and burn, hence the Tracknburn app for the iPod and iPhone. It incorporates the BMI formula that “is accurate as it gets,” says Young, who further notes that one of the most popular ways to determine how many calories are needed to sustain the same body weight is to use the body mass index (BMI) and current activity level. Subtract 250 calories a day to lose 1/2 pound per week.

Sounds simple, but Young notes that this formula also changes as you lose weight, making it hard to track over time. The Tracknburn essentially picks up on this, and does the weight loss math for you. This app takes a users individual profile, along with weight goal and helps make responsible choices. It can be used a food log with more than 140,000 common foods to choose from, and by tracking what you can eat, you can more easily lose at the same time. Now that sounds like a winning solution.

Tracknburn Official Website

Weight Watching From the iPad

Have an iPad? Now you have a way to watch what you cook and how to cook it. Weight Watchers has launched a new app called the Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion, which will take cooks of all levels through the cooking process. Consider this a “soup to nuts” solution as it helps plan a menu, guides you on shopping for ingredients and offers tips on how to make the dish and serve it up.

The app shows you how to lower PointsPlus values in real time to make your recipes healthier, so you can shed the pounds. Articles are available through the app guiding you to key ingredients and foods, whilst discussing common cooking techniques and what to stay away from the bad stuff. You can see the amount of points per menu, and the app offers solutions how to trim the points, cut the fat and reduce the calories in the process. The app is available for free download, for both Weight Watchers members and nonmembers. Continue reading Weight Watching From the iPad

Bodybugg Out The Calories

With the holiday season upon us, you could find yourself indulging a bit too much. The Bodybugg Calorie Management System will let you help monitor your intake so you won’t bulge from the holiday indulge. The system provides an accurate daily record of calories consumed and lets you trak how many you’ve burned. Continue reading Bodybugg Out The Calories

Organic Medicine Now on the iPhone

‘Tis the season of holiday gatherings, gift baskets, rich foods and spirits that aren’t always of the holiday variety. It can result in many a New Year’s resolution to indulge less so as to lose some of the end of the year bulge.

How about heading off the bad habits by boning up on some healthy tips? That’s where the 42 Healthy Solutions iPhone app can come in. It was devised by Dr. Craig Koniver, MD, a graduate of Brown University and Jefferson Medical College, who opened the Primary Plus Organic Medicine, LLC in Charleston, SC in 2006 to focus on his expertise in natural medicine. By combining his background in modern, conventional medicine with his unique expertise in organic, natural medicine to treat thousands of patients each year, he created the 42 Healthy Solutions iPhone App. Continue reading Organic Medicine Now on the iPhone

Workout App Gets the Beat Up

Running requires a nice steady pace, and to help you keep it steady Upbeat Workout Apps has launched the Upbeat Workouts for Runners, a next generation app that makes your music keep up- or slow down- with you. The idea of this app is that it can match the song’s beats per minute with a runner’s steps per minute. Think of this as the ultimate “keeping in time” too.

The Upbeat Workouts for Runners also includes three coached workouts from world class running coaches, so you can get the option of personal training sessions on demand. The app is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch from the Apple App Store for $2.99.

Upbeat Workouts

OptumHealth Debuts Fitness App for Windows Phone 7

OptumHealth, one of the nation’s largest health and wellness companies, announced this week that it will release its OptumizeMe mobile application with exclusive features for the new Windows Phone 7 mobile smartphone platform. The app is designed to help people pursue their health goals through their own online social networks, where they can track their progress and issue fun fitness challenges to their friends, family and coworkers. Continue reading OptumHealth Debuts Fitness App for Windows Phone 7

BodyMedia to Add App

There has been no shortage of devices, gizmos and gadgets to help you lose weight. A lot of these devices, gizmos and gadgets require you to wear something, where the data can be synced to a computer. That’s good, because it lets you see detailed results of your activity and of course helps you set goals, but it’s bad because it requires people to be very proactive. Stop syncing the device one day, and you might not bother wearing it the next. There has to be an easier way to see the results. Continue reading BodyMedia to Add App

Nike+ Plus GPS

The trouble with dongles is that these little things are easy to misplace. Maybe it is some sort of technology conspiracy theory that is part of the planned obsolescence. If you lose it, you must replace it and thus buy it again. That’s basic Marketing 101 stuff, but Nike has long been a company that skips the basics and goes the distance to earn customer satisfaction. To that end the company has decided to ditch the needed dongle that was part of its Nike+ system for the iPhone.

Instead, the new app version uses GPS radio in compatible iDevices to track a user instead. That is already good news, but it gets even better. With the app users can also plot a run on a map with the handset. The only downside is that you do need an iPhone for the full-fledged mapping options, as these aren’t available on the iPod Touch – but that still can keep track of distance via an accelerometer that tracks a runner’s steps.

What really makes us question Nike’s marketing approach is that the app is actually cheaper too. The Nike+ version with the shoe dongle actually cost $29, while the app is a mere $2. Of course, this company knows that keeping customers happy in the long run means making running easier in the first place. Nike doesn’t need to remind us to “Just Do It,” as they just did it, by making the Nike+ system for iPhone a whole lot easier (and cheaper to use).

Nike+ Website

[Via Wired: Nike+ App Ditches Dongle, Gains GPS]

Share Your Epic Ski Experiences with New Smartphone App

Having a fantastic run on the ski slopes is something you’ll want to talk about with your friends, but Vail Resorts now has a new mobile smartphone app that will let you share your experience on the slopes before you even get back to the lodge. EpicMix is a new online and mobile application that allows skiers and riders a seamless way to digitally capture and share their mountain experiences. From either a computer or via free mobile app for the iPhone, Android or other smartphones, the EpicMix takes advantage of newly installed state-of-the-art radio frequency (RF) scanners that are in place at 89 lifts across five mountain resorts. Continue reading Share Your Epic Ski Experiences with New Smartphone App