IOS | Evolving Consumer

Wahoo Heads to the Sky

This month Wahoo Fitness announced that it is now the official supplier of Turbo Trainers to Team Sky, winners of the 2012 and 2013 Tour de France. Through this exclusive partnership Team Sky will be provided with KICKRs for use during the racing season and each rider will be provided with an individual KICKR for “at home” training sessions. Team Sky will use the KICKRs for pre-race warm up and post-race warm downs.

“Wahoo Fitness is a young and innovative company, who has produced a fantastic product in the KICKR which will meet our requirements both in racing and training,” said Tim Kerrison, Team Sky’s head of performance support. “Team Sky and Wahoo share a common approach when it comes to innovation and continuous improvement. We believe they have developed a market-leading product and we are excited about using the KICKR in the team and working with Wahoo to continue to develop and improve their products. We love the wheel-off design and the big fly-wheel which gives an excellent, smooth feel. The ability to precisely control the resistance, whilst retaining the smoothness, gives us the opportunity to do great quality and high intensity training efforts on the KICKR.”

“It is awesome that Team Sky chose us to work with as it further validates our rapid growth and shows the world that Wahoo Fitness has created the best trainer ever,” added Chip Hawkins, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. “This collaboration gives us the opportunity to develop future products while enhancing existing products in cooperation with an organization who understands the kind of training necessary to win. We look forward to a successful 2014 and Wahoo Fitness equipment quickly becoming synonymous with victory.”

The KICKR Power Trainer can connect to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ wireless technology, and offers full resistance during training sessions. While pedaling, users can increase or decrease resistance, structure interval workouts or even simulate real world bike courses all from their smartphone. Resistance adjustments are also instant, making it easy to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course, to the coast down a hill after a hard climb. The trainer also features a wheel off design and super flywheel, and the iPhone connected bike trainer is further engineered to provide a more ultra-realistic road feel, which is equivalent to the inertia of an actual rider on the road.

Wahoo Fitness Official Website

Crash on ICEdot

There’s talk about the need for a list of ICE contacts, or In Case of Emergency contacts on your phone so emergency crews know who to contact if something should happen. But what if you need to contact your ICE list to get emergency crews to come look for you? We hope that never happens, but if you’re like us and go for bike rides, hikes, climbs and other activities in the outdoors, you may want to set up a safety net. Continue reading Crash on ICEdot

SHOT Show: Hit the Bullseye

At this week’s SHOT Show Bullseye Camera Systems showed off its iPhone/iPad application that builds on its Bullseye Target Manager Software. This is the first-ever software-supported, wireless target camera system that shows shooter’s their last shot flashing on a screen no matter how many times the target has been hit.

This unique patent-pending system provides a wireless target camera to be placed two to eight feet from a target and allows shooters to view the shots wirelessly from their shooting location, up to one mile away, directly on a laptop, iPhone or iPad. The Bullseye Target Manager software provides shooters with easy viewing of each last shot blinking on the screen, whether shot individually or in groups, safely from the firing position.

In addition, the software allows developing of shooter profiles, to include information such as: particular firearm and ammunition, hand-loading data, and measuring shot groups. This data is stored with each shot and can be retrieved at any time for later review. Video after the jump

CES: Isometric View

At CES this week TAO-Wellness introduced the TAO, the world’s first mobile, isometric exercise system, which can be used by just about anyone, just about anywhere. This handheld unit, the TAO WellShell, works with an app for Android and iOS devices, and is based on the concept of isometrics – the science of applying pressure as a way to improve muscle strength, tone and circulation.

“Our vision is to provides every individual with a simple, effective, motivating and time saving way to enhance fitness and wellness – anywhere, anytime,” says Dr. Kosta Yanev, CEO and co-founder of TAO-Wellness.

The TAO WellShell is designed to fit into the user’s hand where it can provide pressure during measured isometric exercises. The unit offers TTP (Tilt, Tap, Press) navigation that means there are no buttons to press just pressure!

TAO Wellness Official Website

CES: Nothing but Air

This week at CES iON America is showing off its iON Air Pro 3 Wi-Fi wearable action HD Point of View (POV) camera. This third generation device is full waterproof to 49 feet without extra housing and can record Full HD 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second.

The Air Pro 3 Wi-Fi can run for 2.5 hours on a single battery charge and offers a 160-degree angle lens that can be tightened to 140 or 150-degrees via an iOS or Android app.

“We designed the Air Pro 3 Wi-Fi to be best in class. It builds upon the great features of the earlier Air Pro models, with better image quality in a wider variety of conditions, plus a new, ultra-tough body that will withstand the most demanding environments,” said Giovanni Tomaselli, CEO, iON America. “I’m proud of the strides we’ve made, in just a little over a year, in a competitive market. The Air Pro 3 will take us one step further in inspiring the Shoot/Share revolution.” Video and features after the jump

Wahoo Gets in Cadence

Wahoo Fitness has introduced its RPM Cadence Sensor, which is just seven grams and attaches to the bicycle crank with a 3M adhesive or a sleeve. It can connect wirelessly to an IOS device via Bluetooth 4.0. Cadence can be displayed on any compatible cycling app, including Strava, Wahoo Fitness and MapMyRide. LED lights flash when sensor is connected to the iOS app.

The sensor does not need to be charged and will run on one coin cell battery for up to two years.

Wahoo Fitness Official Website

http://www.wahoofitness.com/

CES: Magellan Gets Colorful

At this week’s CES Magellan will show its true colors and then some. It will introduce its sporting applications to its current Echo smartwatch and is looking to add golf, skiing, hiking and other outdoor activities to its capabilities, as well as adding Dark Blue and Gray to complete the line-up of 5 colors.

“After Echo initially launched, we quickly saw its potential for sports beyond running,” commented Clark Weber, senior director of fitness and wearable products at Magellan. “As an open platform, Echo is designed to work with any app that can leverage a ruggedized, sporty smartwatch. We are proud to announce that leading apps such as Golf Pad, FreeCaddie and AllTrails will be supporting Echo in the near future. Retailers, also, have recognized the advantages of a product focused on sport, rather than general-use smart watches, that don’t meet the needs of athletes.”

The Echo is compatible with iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S, while Android support is coming soon.

Magellan Official Website

Center Stage

Stages Cycling is powering up again, with an update to its mobile app and firmware on its crankarm-based power meter. This will add new features including a high-speed data analysis tool that could be useful for BMX racers and track sprinters who want to look at a very small sample of pedal stroke data. The meter, located on the left crank arm, records force and torque data 64 times per second. The data is sent via Bluetooth to the iOS app, which can then email the data in a .csv file.

The company further added pedal smoothness and torque efficiency data gathering, which can be used with Garmin’s 510 and 810 cycling computer models.

There is also new battery level features to its iOS mobile app, which when the app is connected via the Bluetooth LE wireless system will show the power meter’s battery level; when connected via the ANT+ wireless system. The app will further present a low battery warning when there is about 10 hours of battery life remaining.

The app includes a Fahrenheit/Celsius toggle to use during device calibration and a “Tools Page” that shows the meter’s calibration data and other settings.

Stages Cycling Official Website

Spinlister Makes Snowboard Renting a Snap

Need to rent a pair of skis or a snowboard? Don’t stand in line or wait on hold, use the smartphone the smart way. Signal Snowboards founder Dave Lee is helping promote the new rental service and mobile app Spinlister, which allows users to rent a board or skis from the handset. This even allows individuals to rent out their gear as well.

This Android and iOS app lets users list snowboards and rent snowboards anywhere in the world, with all listings GPS located to make it easy to find the gear near you. In addition, everything is exchanged through the app and listers are completely covered through the Spinlister insurance policy.

Spinlister Official Website

Nike Refuels

While Adidas announced this week that it was entering the smartwatch market, Nike also made big news with the unveiling of its second-generation version of the Fuelband.

The Nike+ Fuelband SE features small tweaks that promise to offer improved performance. The iOS app has been updated as well, but we are still waiting for an Android one to follow. As with the original model it will track the intensity of workouts, count steps, monitor sleep and display progress in real time.

You’ll be able to get refueled starting November 1.

Nike+ Fuelband SE Official Website

Stick Sensor

We’ve seen sensors make their way to all sorts of devices and the Quattriuum Team is looking to deliver the Powershot, the first performance sensor for hockey players via a Kickstarter project. The Powershot sensor, which is designed to attach to a hockey stick, can reportedly measure the puck speed, acceleration, shot speed, duration and angle of slapshots and snapshots.

The Powershot can further learn how the user plays and targets both strengths and weaknesses and follow progress over time while comparing performance to other players. It weighs only 50 grams and can store up to 1,000 shots – moreover it can sync with the FWD Powershot app for Android and iOS device. Video after the jump

Hammer on the Road

Hammering while riding means going all out and possibly a bit more, but the Hammerhead Navigation system could be a way to help you navigate streets and trails with ease. This compact, portable device affixes to the handlebar and guides you via an LED light array.

This system, which communicates with an Android or iOS app via Bluetooth Smart, provides turn-by-turn directions. This can include crowd sourced route suggestions offering the best possible options to get from point A to point B. It is even designed to work with bike share programs including Bixi and B-Cycle.

Hammerhead Navigation is now looking to Dragon Innovation to raise funding.

Hammerhead Dragon Innovation Site

Golf Sense Swings With New Features

Zepp Labs has announced a major update to its mobile swing analyzer system, the GolfSense system, which features a wearable motion sensor along with a free mobile app. This helps golfers analyze and improve their golf swing.

The GolfSense 3.0 version features a SwingScore, which evaluates the quality of each swing based on personal goals; provides a Dashboard that identifies what golfers are doing well and what needs some work; and provides a Lab Reports that analyzes and tracks the trends throughout a session. Those reports can even be shared via social media including Facebook and Twitter. The GolfSense system also lets users isolated a single aspect of the wing via Focus Screens, while the app can track club head and head speed, plus backswing position and even help golfers achieve their ideal swing plane.

GolfSense 3 is available for download from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or from Google Play for Android mobile devices for free. While this might not get you on the pro tour it might be enough to help you knock a few strokes off on the way to the green.

Zeep GolfSense Official Website