Tag: Heart Rate

Madd Dogg Gets Spinning

While winter means hitting the training bike, spinning is something that can be done year round, and Madd Dogg Athletics have announced the updated Spinning app, v6.35 for iOS and 1.51 for Android. This app, powered by Digifit, provides a complete workout tracking system for those who want to get into the spin.

It can track heart rate, distance, duration, caloric burn, weight loss and it isn’t just limited to spining. The app can work with cycling, running, walking and hiking as well. Workouts can be tracked in real time, where users are provided feedback and motivation as they work out, and data is transferred to a personalized Spinning.com account. From here users can view, share, graph and trend their progress. Continue reading Madd Dogg Gets Spinning

Cardiio Takes Your Heart Rate With an iPhone Camera

It’s not so surprising to hear that an iPhone app can tell you your heart rate. What is surprising is that Cardiio can do it using the iPhone’s camera, and nothing else. The app uses the iPhone’s front-facing camera to analyze the amount of light reflected by your face. The developers discovered that when your heart beats, more blood is pumped into your face. The slight increase in blood volume ends causes your face to absorb more light. Then light is reflected more when the blood leaves your face. Continue reading Cardiio Takes Your Heart Rate With an iPhone Camera

TrainingPeaks Lets Athletes Edit Data on the Web

Last week after a ride we put the bikes on the car and packed up. Just as we got rolling, we heard the Garmin Edge cycle computer beep from the trunk. It picked up movement, and was about to track our drive home. Because this stuff happens, TrainingPeaks just started offering the ability to edit data on the web interface. This way you can delete such errors that get uploaded from a tracking device, and concentrate on performance. Continue reading TrainingPeaks Lets Athletes Edit Data on the Web

Sportiiiis 4iiii Drops Price

Heads-up display system Sportiiiis, from 4iiii Innovations, just got more affordable. The company just adjusted the price of its visual display system to $149 for a basic model. The heads-up display attaches to any pair of glasses, and sunglasses, to provide visual context to data such as heart rate, pace and cadence while running or cycling. If there’s a signal, the heads-up display will show you readings so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road ahead.

Continue reading Sportiiiis 4iiii Drops Price

Sunday Q&A: PEAR Sports’ Kristian Rauhala Discusses the Virtual Coach

Whether you’re running casually or training for competition, it helps to have a coach keep track of stats and give you motivation to keep going. PEAR Sports’ PEAR Square ONE plus an iPod Nano, which uses ANT+ to transmit data, puts a virtual coach in your ear to keep you updated on heart rate, calories and other stats. The coach also sets the pace for each workout. PEAR Sports President and Co-Founder Kristian Rauhala talks about the personal coaching PEAR Square ONE provides as you run through the season.

Continue reading Sunday Q&A: PEAR Sports’ Kristian Rauhala Discusses the Virtual Coach

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

Sportiiiis Gives Visual Feedback to Workout Stats

One of the drawbacks of adding a heart rate monitor, cycling computer and other devices to your workout is that you have to take your focus from the road ahead. With a heart rate monitor, you have to look at the watch for heart rate, calories and time. A separate cycling computer requires you to look at the screen by your handlebars to find out your speed, cadence and other measures.

(Video after the jump)

Continue reading Sportiiiis Gives Visual Feedback to Workout Stats

And the Beat Goes On With Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring

The convergence of mobile devices and those for fitness and health looks to be a major focus at the upcoming CTIA Enterprise and Applications trade show to take place in San Diego next month. Valencell, a developer of mobile health and fitness technology, announced it will unveil new prototypes with extended capabilities that integrate next generation heart rate monitoring technology directly into music earbuds and headsets that millions of people already wear, helping consumers achieve their fitness goals while exercising or just going about everyday activities.

Valencell will showcase live demos on multiple platforms including Android and a new headset design for the iPhone, as presenters will be wearing units and showing mobile applications to demonstrate how this new licensable technology measures body metrics such as continuous heart rate, calories burned, distance and speed during use on a treadmill, stationary bike, and in other exercise scenarios.

“The mobile health industry is quickly emerging, creating a need to bridge the gap between consumer devices, fitness and health,” said Steven LeBoeuf, CEO and co-founder of Valencell. “We’re excited to showcase ways in which companies can easily integrate our technology into their products to connect consumers with their personalized health and fitness goals.”

The Valencell booth will be located in the Wireless Health Pavilion at CTIA Enterprise and Applications, which will take place at the San Diego Convention Center, October 11-13, 2011 in California.

Valencell Official Website
CTIA Enterprise and Applications Official Website

Case Turns iPhone Into iBike Cycling Computer

The iBike Dash CC (Cycling Computer) is a case and app combo that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a cycling computer. The iBike is a top-loading case that fully encloses your iPhone and mounts it to your handlebars. The phone then displays a number of readings such as maps, speed, heart rate and other data.

Five colored heart rate zones tell you how hard you’re pushing it. You can use the meter to tell you when you’re at 50 percent to 100 percent of your max and when you’re in a fat-burning zone if that’s your goal.

Continue reading Case Turns iPhone Into iBike Cycling Computer

iMapMyApp Tracks Your Whole Workout

Whatever mode you plan for your outdoor workout, iMapMy apps tracks it. MapMyFitness apps include iMapMyRun, iMapMyRide and iMapMyWalk. The iPhone programs are part of a partnership between MapMyFitness and Wahoo Fitness. The free apps work with the Fisica ANT+30 pin Sensor Key to track heart rate, which translates into other data. The app uses the GPS technology of the iPhone to record and chart workout route, pace, time, calories burned and heart rate, then saves the data to the MapMyFitness websites, whichever matches your mode of exercise. Continue reading iMapMyApp Tracks Your Whole Workout

Hands On: Garmin 500 Edge – First Impressions

The Edge 500 fittingly on my Felt road bike, the same brand that the Garmin Transitions Team is riding in the Tour de France.

This past week we had the chance to test out the Garmin Edge 500 GPS-based cycling computer. With this on my bike I’m feeling like I’m ready for the Tour de France – that is if women actually were allowed to race in the most famous of cycling classics. But it helped me on my way for my local training rides.

The very first impression was that this one could be difficult to setup and calibrate. The problem with technology is the more it can do, the more complicated it is to use. But I was more than pleasantly surprised with the ease of the set-up and the versatility that this device offered out of the box. While not the most notable, but certainly appreciated is the fact that this device comes with several rubber loops for securing the computer’s mount to the bike. This is such a small thing, but it is so welcome, especially for anyone who can’t decide the best placement for the mounts, and only realized this after tightening the zip ties.

But the more notable point is that this is a wireless device. So there is no wire to run, making for a cleaning line on the frame, and more importantly making for one less thing to worry about. The Edge 500 can be used without a heart rate monitor, without the sensors. But the version I’m testing came with those items, and all this set up very easily and quickly too. Continue reading Hands On: Garmin 500 Edge – First Impressions