We’ve been hearing about a variety of new technologies that are meant to help athlete better survive crashes, and the latest is a wearable airbag from Dainese that has the approval of the International Ski Federation (FIS). This project is now in the early stages of testing, and it is based on similar technology that has been designed for motorcycle racing.
The system essentially combines an inflatable bag with multiple accelerometers, gyroscopes and GPS technology with 2GB of internal memory. It is deployed automatically in just 45 milliseconds when crash conditions are detected – and that according to reports is the key to the system. It needs to be able to tell the difference between a normal ski run and a potentially injury-inducing fall. Any sort of spill on the slopes could result in a land that is as soft as powdery snow.
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.
If you’re having a working vacation on the slopes, or just think you can do serious multitasking, the Recon ski goggles with Bluetooth might be for you. The company has added the wireless technology to its latest line of Transcend GPS-powered alpine goggles, and these can connect with a smartphone to access playlists, caller ID or even to read text messages.
The new goggles, which were shown last week at the SIA (Snowsports Industries of America) trade show in Denver, can also connect to a video camera, with the LCD screen within the eyewear lens acting as a viewfinder. These Transcend goggles further feature a navigation system with buddy-tracking and even integrated trail maps.
Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for these.
How was the run you might be asked at the bottom of the slope? Now you can tell how it was, while using your Nokia N8 to offer the details. Last week Nokia and Burton Snowboards announced a new partnership that will create a new way to visualize snowboarding with the Nokia x Burton: Push Snowboarding.
With sensors on the rider and snowboarder to detect a snowboard’s orientation, downward pressure exerted by the rider, as well as heart rate and Galvanic skin response – factors used in lie detector technology – riders can get post run data, which is sent to a Nokia N8 mobile phone. While GPS technology can further clock a rider’s speed down the Galvanic skin response actually monitors biofeedback that can detect elevated emotions, such as fearing for one’s life. So anyone who says, “It was nothing” will have to mean it. Let’s see if this technology pushes riders to new extremes.
CES maybe over but we’ll be posting about all the cool stuff all week long.
Some partnerships just seem like a match made in heaven, and we’re not talking about Peanut Butter Cups either. Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show we heard an announcement that frankly was more earth shattering than the Apple iPhone for Verizon deal. Nike and TomTom are collaborating to create the Nike+ SportWatch GPS, which will now utilize TomTom’s GPS functionality.
This will provide athletes with the ability to know where they’re going as well as how much they ran, plus all the usual information including calories burned, pace, distance and time. The Nike+ SportWatch GPS will feature the same simple and intuitive user interface as the past models with a mere three buttons and tap screen for navigation. Read the rest of this entry »
Golf is one of those of things that is better done with a friend. It is enjoyable to take in the fresh air and shoot the breeze, and a friend can come in quite handy when you have to find a lost ball.
And now you can have an extra buddy on the course with GolfBuddy World Platinum Edition, the first GPS rangefinder to offer preloaded courses with no annual membership. The new version can store up to 40,000 courses, and it arrives preloaded with courses from around the globe, with no membership fees and no hidden costs. It is almost like the next best thing to a personal valet or caddie.
“It’s truly a technological marvel,” said Harry Jung, CEO of GolfBuddy. “We’ve added several new features that have never before been seen in GPS Rangefinders and made it just as easy to use as our previous models. The World Platinum’s name depicts its power. It puts the world’s courses in the palm of your hands.”
The handheld device features a high resolution color touch screen, which was developed with the serious golfer in mind. The screen offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate and best of all can be used whilst wearing a golf glove. With 50 channel satellite reception users can get quick response and data on the current course. The GolfBuddy World Platinum Edition further features several views of the hole as well as four player score tracking, along with full statistical analysis module. It is all enough to make your golf friends jealous of your new buddy.
GPS devices do more than give you driving directions. They can be treasure maps. X might not mark the spot, but akin to the old pirate days, you can find markers in your GPS maps that tell you where others have left little goodies and sights for you to venture.
The Consumer Electronics Show is still more than a month away, but at the recent CES Unveiled press event in New York City the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator was named winner of the CES Innovations Award. The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program recognizes the most innovative consumer electronics (CE) across 35 of industry categories.
The Earthmate PN-60w was recognized as it the world’s first handheld GPS capable of sending custom text messages using SPOT satellite technology, and is thus ideal for outdoor enthusiasts (as well as international relief workers).
“DeLorme is deeply honored to receive this prestigious award, and especially excited to showcase the PN-60w with SPOT to the worldwide market at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January,” said DeLorme Vice President Caleb Mason.
The Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator previously received a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award and a National Geographic Adventure Gear of the Year honors.
GPS has tackled just about every major sport that takes place on any area larger than a standard court of field. Cycling, running, swimming, skiing, and yes: Golf. Garmin just released the Approach S1, a wristwatch with built in GPS set up for time on the green. The new watch is sibling to touchscreen models Approach G5 and Approach G3 already out by the GPS manufacturer.
The Approach S1 comes pre-loaded with over 14,000 U.S. and Canadian golf courses. When you set it into golf mode it identifies the three closest courses and lets you select the one where you have tee time. It then gives you stats including distance and par for each hole. A GPS-enabled odometer tracks the total ground covered on foot during each round and in total.
While it doesn’t have quite as much information as the handheld units, the Approach G5 and G3, the Approach S1 is streamlined to the essential information needed on the course. Your opponents will appreciate the discreet device, and that you’re not fumbling with — or showing off — a handheld device to tell them how many strokes above average they’re swinging.
Whether you’re running in a marathon this year or just watching from the sidelines, there will be an app for that! The New York City Marathon on November 7 will feature support for an iPhone app for the first time this year, and it will include news alerts as well as live video of the professional race, but for a different way to “phone in the race” there will be the RaceMate app for the upcoming Marine Corp Marathon.
The race, which is set to take place on October 31, will be the first to provide GPS coverage with real-time connection between runners and followers. RaceMate is an app for the iPhone and Android smartphones as well as the Apple iPad, which can allow a follower to track the route and location of a runner in the race. Read the rest of this entry »
While there are many tracking programs out there for children and even teens, GTX Corp introduced an innovative product aimed at adults suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Many sufferers are actually in good physical condition and thus aren’t confined to a room or even a house. To keep track of loved ones, the company came up with a novel idea – namely putting a tracking device in the footwear.
Now the GPS Smart Shoe has won the 2010 People’s Choice Award for Most Innovative Connected Location Device at the 4th Annual Locations & Beyond Summit this past week. Read the rest of this entry »
Garmin, maker of GPS devices, acquired MetriGear last month. The newly-acquired company based in Silicon Valley creates solutions for improving athletic performance in cycling and other sports. One of MetriGear’s products is Vector, a power meter built into a bike pedal’s spindles. This meter calculates a cyclist’s power by measuring force applied to the pedals.
“Power is becoming the must-have information for cyclists who want to improve their performance,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and COO.
If The Terminator ever got on a snowboard he’d likely have useful information, such as speed and temperature, right in the front of his eyes – or visual optical system or whatever it was supposed to be. The rest of us have traditionally had to look down at a device to get all that data. When roaring down a mountain looking down isn’t a good idea, so you either have to stop what you’re doing or hope for the best. But Zeal Optics will change everything beginning this Sunday, October 10, with the release of the world’s first GPS enable goggle, the Transcend GPS – which could truly transcend the way you track your activity. Read the rest of this entry »
