Tag: smartphones

Study Finds that Mobile Fitness to Reach 100 Million

mobile-phoneAs the saying goes 100 million can’t be wrong. According to new study conducted by Juniper Research the next five years will see a major shift towards smartphone- based mHealth, where hardware attachments link to companion app on the smartphone. The Mobile Health & Fitness: Monitoring, App-enabled Devices & Cost Savings 2013-2013 report forecasts that y 2018 there will be 96 million users of app-enabled mHealth and mobile-fitness hardware devices, up from 15 million this year.

Moreover, the report noted that it will be the mFitness sector that will experience strongest growth in the short and medium term, and that this growth will be driven by a motivated target market, as well as an increasing demand for lifestyle consumer applications and a diversifying array of attachments.

“As mobile fitness devices become more widespread, they will pave the way for more critical mHealth services delivered through the smartphone,” said the report’s author Anthony Cox. “While mHealth and mobile fitness are two discrete markets – with divergent audiences – increased usage of the former will stimulate wider awareness of the latter.”

Juniper Research Official Website

Smart Phones Creating Digital Divide Amongst Gym Members, Users Claim Essential Workout Tool

Cell phone usage is frowned upon by many gym goers, and it’s even banned in certain gyms. Besides the annoyance of constant chatter, there’s also a privacy concern when it involves cell phones with cameras and areas like a locker room. However, a recent blog post by a fitness industry expert shows that the use of smart phones is on the rise, and creating a bit of a dilemma for gym owners. Continue reading Smart Phones Creating Digital Divide Amongst Gym Members, Users Claim Essential Workout Tool

Sony Posts Videos Demonstrating Hardiness of New Xperia Android Smart Phones, Water Resistant and Dust Proof

Sony Xperia acro S (top) and Xperia go (bottom).

Sony’s upcoming Xperia acro S and Xperia go Android-based smart phones not only look stylish, but they are robust, too. They’re water resistant and dust-proof, with Sony even claiming the Xperia acro S has the “highest level of water resistance of any smart phone.” We’re not sure if you’d want to dunk them into water purposely, but they’d probably fare well in rainy conditions or poolside. But rather than just talk about it, Sony posted two videos demonstrating this rugged feature.

Rugged smart phones aren’t new for Sony, though, as their lineup already features the highly rugged Xperia active (released under the then-Sony Ericsson brand), but there’s no word, yet, of release stateside for any of these Xperia phones.

Check out the videos after the jump.

Ballistic Cases Give Your Android Triple Protection

Today’s Android smartphones pack larger-than-average screens in increasingly thinner bodies, and while that may sound great on paper, in the real world it can become a recipe for disaster, especially when you take your favorite phone on a run or bike ride with you. To protect your handset from a premature death on the sidewalk, Ballistic has created a bulletproof case for two of the hottest Android phones on the market today – the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Epic 4G Touch. The new Ballistic Shell Gell Series Case offers three layers of protection for these phones ensuring that no harm comes to your mobile device.

The outermost layer of the case provides shock absorption, while the middle layer is made of impact-resistant polycarbonate. The third layer can be found on the corners of the case, which are padded with silicone to ensure your phone never collides with concrete.

The new cases are only compatible with the Sprint versions of these phones and cost $35 each. They probably won’t actually stop a bullet – and we wouldn’t recommend that you try – they will provide some needed protection that can keep that shiny new phone shiny and scratch free.

Ballistic Official Website
[Via Ubergizmo: Ballistic protects your Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch]

Smart Phone Bike Sharing System

SoBi isn’t some up and coming New York City neighborhood (at least not yet). SoBi is actually a new program from New York City urban planner Ryan Rzepecki called Social Bicycles – or SoBi for short. It is a bike-sharing system that uses “smart” bikes rather than “smart” stations, so that each bike has an onboard GPS, cellular transmitter and electronic lock that allows people to find and unlock the bikes using their smartphones.

The idea here is that special docking stations and central places to herd bikes are not needed. There would thus be no home base for the fleets, and instead just “hub” areas where the bikes could be ridden. Take the bike out of the hub and pay a fee, return the bike later in the day to the hub area and you receive a credit. While still a concept, the idea is one that has promise. Riders would use smartphones to locate and reserve a bike, and would have 15 minutes to walk to that location, where they could unlock the bike from a built-in keypad. Bikes could be ridden, and even locked up for 15 minutes periods.

So in other words, it could be good for short errands, but wouldn’t be a commuting device – at least it wouldn’t be one riders could count on for commuting, at least not until a large fleet was developed. But it is an interesting first step towards bike sharing.

SoBi Official Website

OtterBox To Show It Is a Tough Mudder

The Tough Mudder is considered one of the most intense events out there. It was designed by the British Special Forces and features rugged terrain, steep inclines, water hazard, military-style obstacle challenge and enough mud for a thousand pies, plus a mud bath for a full platoon of soldiers.

In other words it lives up to its name as a down and dirty and just plain “tough mudder” of an event. It is designed to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), and even includes participation from actual wounded warriors. They prove they’re tough enough for it… which makes us wonder, what about our phones and computers?

As high-tech people we mountain bike, run and trek around the globe with our gear, and have learned the right case can make all the difference. OtterBox, makers of rugged smartphone and tablet protection, are going to the mud and will be at this weekend’s Tough Mudder! We’ll be curious what they think!

OtterBox Gets Down and Dirty
Tough Mudder Official Website

Get Arm(band)ed to Monitor Your Calorie Intake

There is an old saying about wearing your heart on your sleeve, which is to say to openly show your emotions. Today people can wear many things, and while it won’t display emotion, it can help users monitor their fitness levels.

This is exactly the concept behind the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW from BodyMedia, which is avialble through the company’s website as well as Amazon.com. It allows users to monitor calorie intake and output in real-time. The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW transmits information to a smartphone via Bluetooth, where users can track caloric burn data and physical activity levels.

“The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW is a great example of how consumers can monitor and track their fitness levels with the help of Bluetooth wireless technology – and once you start to track your health, you have the power to change your health,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). “By allowing near real-time monitoring on a mobile phone via Bluetooth technology, the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW lets users take the wheel on the road to a more active lifestyle. This innovative device brings to life what we have been projecting for Bluetooth wireless technology in the health and fitness market.”

The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW is designed to integrate body monitoring data with smartphones including the Apple iPhone and Android mobile devices.

BodyMedia FIT Official Website

Great American Smokeout: There is an App for That

There is no denying that there are some pretty useless mobile phone apps on the market, but this week one app that was released could really do some good.

Today is the Great American Smokeout, and now comes the UCSF/SFGH Stop Smoking application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is the result of a joint effort from the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), and it is aimed at helping smokers quit by including mood among the triggers for smoking . The app uses a successful cognitive behavioral therapy program developed at SFGH and is now available for purchase from iTunes

Proceeds from UCSF/SFGH Stop Smoking – which serves English and Spanish speakers – help fund further online and mobile health research at SFGH and UCSF. The launch of this new tool coincides with Great American Smokeout on November 18 – a national day to encourage smokers to quit.   Continue reading Great American Smokeout: There is an App for That

Water Music

While true “Water Music” is the work of composer George Frideric Handel, whose three suites were first performed on a concert for King George I of England in 1717 on the River Thames, today any type of music can be water music thanks to the new Wavetooth headset from Brando.

This is actually the first waterproof Bluetooth headset, and it can be used near and around water. Users need not worry about being tethered to a headset cord, and this wireless headset can be used with an iPhone, smartphone or any Bluetooth compatible music player. Continue reading Water Music

Smartphone Apps to Help You Pound the Pavement

 While running might be the most basic workout there is; after all you don’t actually “need” anything. You just look at a spot and run to it. But over the years technology has changed the way we run, with everything from the shoes to the clothing and now with the apps. Yes, there is an app for running. So while the app runs on your phone, it can help you better pound the pavement over the long miles.

Over the past six months we’ve looked a few running apps, but our colleagues at The Detroit Free Press, which is the sponsor of the Detroit Marathon (Oct. 17), offered an excellent round-up of the best running apps and websites. Thanks to Free Press Web Editor Mark W. Smith for compiling the list. We’ll look for you on the road in October Mark!

 [Via Detroit Free Press: Smartphone apps keep runners hitting the pavement]