Jawbone first entered the market with a noise-reducing headset for mobile phones that transmitted sound from vibrations on your jawbone instead of using a microphone. According to the CDC lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer cause more deaths than communicable diseases. The company believes eating healthier, getting quality sleep and moving more can prevent many of those lifestyle diseases.

UP by Jawbone will be available later this year. Jawbone started talking about the device, which connects to the iPhone via an app, at the TEDGlobal conference. “We are excited to share our vision at TEDGlobal because this epidemic will take an entire community to affect a global change,” said Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. “TED is a community of thought leaders that can help propel this idea into a global movement.”

UP integrates robust computing and sophisticated sensor technology in the form of functional jewelry. It tracks your movement, sleep patterns, and nutrition and gives you feedback on how you’re doing based on data. The wristband connects to a mobile app that analyzes the activity, and an open platform that motivates you with personal social recommendations and challenges tailored to your goals.

“We’re passionate about creating products for the mobile lifestyle that people love to use every day. And now we’re harnessing that passion to approach a major global issue – health,” Rahman said. “We are focused on creating a highly accessible solution for this particular space that integrates seamlessly into a user’s daily life with the goal of making it absolutely easy for them to live better.”

It’s still early for details on the UP device, but Jawbone is collecting email addresses for notification when it’s ready for use.

Official UP by Jawbone site.

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.

The computer tells you when your cycling pace is optimal for burning fat; how many calories you’re using during the ride and other rides in a period of time; what speed and distance you’re traveling; and where you are on your bike route. This program lets you set goals and then work toward them.

iBike Dash CC features:

• 50 power-based and heart rate zone workouts
• ANT+ speed sensor with optional sensors for cadence and heart rate
• User-customizable touch screens display cycling information in color with unique graphics and animation
• Easy-to-read large fonts with backlight display for nighttime viewing

• iPhone’s GPS, map, and weather capabilities operate seamlessly with the iDash
• Power-based indoor trainer feature
• Bike odometer

• Calendar feature keeps track of weekly cycling stats, including calories, miles and speed
• HR Zone dial presents cycling exertion
• Easy-to-follow, on-screen instructions and instructional videos

• “Phone Booth” dashboard/case houses circuitry, keeps out water and absorbs shock
• Easy-to-install, use, and move from bike-to-bike
• No need for calibration
• Allows seamless hands-free calls using your iPhone and Bluetooth headset with no interruption to ride data collection
• Allows full use of touch screen, even while wearing cycling gloves
• Rechargeable/replaceable spare battery can be housed inside the “Phone Booth” to extend the operating time of iPhone/iPod Touch
• Compatible with ANT+ speed, cadence and heart rate sensors

The iBike Dash is $199 for the basic version and $329 for the advanced version with additional features such as cadence, heart rate, calorie measurement, battery and charger. The iBike Dash CC includes the holder, mount, wireless speed sensor, iBike app for iPhone or iPod Touch, iBike software for Mac and Windows desktop computers.

For more info on ANT+, check out our recent post.

iBike Dash CC

This year several companies and organizations are giving pedometers to attendees of the Consumer Electronics Show to settle the curiosity that is, how much walking did I actually do? The answer for many people at trade shows, especially CES, is a lot. The folks at BodyMedia are giving select attendees a BodyMedia FIT Armband BW that measures activity and logs it via Bluetooth to the BodyMedia FIT mobile app.

BodyMedia is an online and mobile application that watches your activity and calories to help you achieve your select goals such as weight loss, maintenance, and increasing your activity level. At registration, the application asks you a few questions on vitals, and then lets you set your goals. If weight loss is your plan, you can set the goal of how quickly you want to lose and it gives you a date on when you can expect to reach your goal. For instance, if you plan to lose a total five pounds and choose half a pound a week, then it will set the end goal for two and a half months.

The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW goes beyond logging calories. It measures your activity throughout the day and then sends it back to your account.  The device tracks calories burned, steps taken and physical activity in real time an allows users to log food while on the go. BodyMedia is giving a handful of CES attendees armbands to measure just how much activity they expend walking, and sometimes running, the show floor.

KineticShift is registered with BodyMedia and is set to pick up the arm band on the first day of the show to measure how much walking we do. The app will also tell us how much walking we need to do to shed some of those calories we pick up at trade show events. Maybe it will be easier to opt for leaner faire if we use the app to tell us what that Panini followed by a few cookies for dessert will really do. We plan to post some updates on our progress at CES, and possibly a little afterward.

At CES BodyMedia will also have a live demonstrator, Nic the Intern, who will wear the device around the show and all around Las Vegas. Track Nic’s exploits, and his calorie burn, at Follownicsband.com. A company statement promises you’ll be able to follow Nic on activities such as racing and running, skydiving and clubbing.

BodyMedia

Nic the Intern online and on Twitter

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.

While the app is free, the Fisica Sensor Key and heart rate monitor strap are not. The Fisica Fitness Sensor Key for the iPhone is $79.95 and additional sensors include a Premium Speed and Cadence Sensor for the bike ($39.99) and Stride  Sensor for running ($69.99).

It’s a good way to chart your workouts and get readings on your progress. Though do keep the costs for the extra sensors in mind. With MapMyFitness you can also connect with other exercisers in your area or working on similar fitness goals.

MapMyFitness

MapMyFitness Marketplace

Workout programs for the iPhone are plenty. The problem, however, may be that they are either repetitive or possibly somewhat random. Intelitrainer, a new app developed by celebrity trainer Michael George, gives you a varied workout based on feedback from previous workouts. The program has roughly 400 exercises with video demonstrations including unique, custom exercises created by Michael George.

A variety of workout goals including reduce body fat; tone and sculpt; cardio health; and build muscle are addressed from beginner to advanced levels. Intelitrainer then keeps a workout log to track workout history and weight. It can be used in a gym, or with equipment at home.

There’s so many workout programs in the iPhone App store. It’s hard to decide which one to commit to. Intelitrainer is $4.99 and compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. It requires a WiFi, Edge or 3G network connection to check in from time to time. The ability to adapt custom workouts is a benefit. However it determines the workout based on your ability by feedback you provide during and after your session. If you skip an exercise, then it may determine that was more than you were able to handle. If you hit the “I did it” button, it may move on to the next incremental exercise or increase the number or reps next time. Intelitrainer requires a degree of fine-tuning that you may find tedius after a few reps.

Official Intelitrainer website

Diet is more than just about calories. Plus counting calories can be tedious. So why do so many diet programs make you tabulate your intake? An iPhone and iPod Touch app called intelli-Diet sets up personalized healthy eating plans and focuses on portions and foods. It’s not a spreadsheet disguised as a diet plan. Intelli-Diet founder Brian Atz says, “It thinks, you eat.”

The intelli-Diet features include:

• Sets up a daily personalized healthy eating plan based on the foods you like.
• Maps out meals for the following week and considers foods you have in stock.
• Allows for meal variety by permitting foods to be exchanged for others.
• Records weight loss progress and allows posting of success through social media.
• Triggers meal reminders, generates grocery lists, and other features.

Intelli-Diet is currently being offered for a promotional price of $3.99 in the U.S. No word on what the app will eventually cost or when the price might be raised.

Official intelli-Diet Web site

Take your iPhone on a run, and you may worry about the handset flying out of your grip on a sprint. It’s also not ideal to do exercise, say push-ups, that an app is dictating on the screen while holding the phone. Enter the pulse Sports + case from iSkin.

Designed as a case to be used with the iPhone app PocketCPR, the pulse Sports + case has a hand strap that secures the phone on the back of the hand or palm so you can easily see the display. While it is marketed as the companion to PocketCPR, the strap design lends itself to referencing the iPhone during activity. If you have a running program, you can play music and look at your progress for your run on screen. If you’re doing stretches or exercises, you can reference the proper positioning while in pose or movement.

The case is contstructed using microban, which stretches to accommodate your hand and the material also has antimicrobial properties and inhibits the growth of fungus and bacteria that you may otherwise worry about after sweating on a case during a workout.

iSkin pulse product page

PocketCPR product page

Apple's diagram for its Smart Bike patent application currently in development.

Looking for a cycling computer? There’s an app for that. Apple recently filed with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for various concepts of a newly-advanced Smart Bicycle System. Reportedly in development, the app will use the iPhone’s (or iPod iTouch) accelerometer and gyroscope to measure speed, distance, time, altitude, elevation, incline, decline, heart rate, temperature, weather, wind speed and other factors relevant to cycling. A few other add-ons such as a heart rate monitor strap and sensors to place on the wheel will likely be required to take full advantage of the app.

Other news outlets are reporting the iPhone and app that pro cyclists could adopt and even used to communicate while racing in a stage. Most teams already have cycling computers that read all the same settings and report back to the team’s manager in the team car. Garmin-Transitions Slipstream, for example, has Garmin as a sponsor and part of the GPS manufacturer’s commitment is in supply of cycle computers and other equipment. It is possible some teams will opt for the iPhone app, and certainly will be open to a sponsorship. Several new teams have been announced and it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see an Apple team form in the next year or so.

Whether the app is used by competitive cyclists, expect to see plenty of hipsters on track bikes with their iPhones mounted to the handlebars. We just hope they refrain from text and ride practices.

[via: Patently Apple and Huffington Post]

Bike Repair, an iPhone app with the basics on keeping your bike running – all the way down to getting a proper fit from your helmet – may just save you a few trips to the bike shop. The app walks you through bike mechanics such as adjusting the height and angle of the front derailleur; cleaning and lubricating the chain; aligning the handlebars and adjusting the headset; and brake adjustments for cantilever, V-Brake and center mount brakes. If you find yourself on the side of the road, Bike Repair’s got you covered. Just be sure to take hand wipes. This app will get your fingers in the grease, and you’ll probably want to clean up before using your phone again.

The app is available from the Apple App Store.

Bike Repair Mobile Official Site

[Via PC World: Fix Your Bike on the Go With Bike Repair]

FitClick.com iPhone App Official Site

Workout in your own time and location with My Fitness Instructor.

It’s a proven fact that some things are better with a British accent. These include political speeches, the evening news, and of course romantic comedies. Soon to be added to that list: fitness instruction. British Military Fitness, a company founded by a retired British Major as an alternative to “the lycra clad, Swiss ball using, water fountain world of gyms,” is releasing a My Fitness Instructor app for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch this week.

My Fitness Instructor delivers custom workouts to your iPhone so you can conduct your workout anytime and anywhere, fitting with the company’s belief that the world is your gym and your body is your running machine. Each workout will be different from the last. You can choose from a number of instructors and select your workout goals. Begin your workout. An audio clip will play where the instructor walks you through each of a number of exercises such as crunches, twistsets, leg lifts, and other moves. If you aren’t sure how to do the move, you can watch a video demonstration. My Fitness Instructor from British Military Fitness gives you a disciplined workout with the freedom of when you want it.

British Military Fitness

My Workout Instructor App