In normal travels a lot of dust and grime can get on our handsets, but if you travel off the grid – or just out in the wilds – imagine what could damage your smartphone. A smart way to help keep the bad stuff out is the iCorkz, where are tiny plugs molded to exact specification to ensure a sealed and secure fit. By putting an iCorkz in it, ports say clean, dry and protected! Cheers to that!
Getting fit is no doubt many a resolution, but this year PumpOne looks to make the personal training experience a little easier. For 2012 the company has brought out its FitnessBuilder app to the Android platform, building on tis successful iOS app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Fitness Builder Official Website Feature list after the jump
Even if all the sports and health mobile applications aren’t getting people in shape, it is making for a very healthy market. According to a new report from ABI Research the sports and health mobile application market will grow to over $400 million in 2016, way up from the $120 million the sector reported in 2010.
According to ABI much of that growth will be spurred by the ability of mobile handsets to offer connectivity to wearable devices that can provide greater functionality, accuracy and appeal to sports and fitness applications. The new apps can in essence replace, or at least replicate what standalone products such as heart rate monitors and calorie counters are currently providing. Read the rest of this entry »
This week Trimble announced the release of its suite of apps for outdoor enthusiasts. The apps are designed for users to plan trips and navigate the outdoors. The first app, Trimble Outdoors MyTopo Maps, is a mapping and trip planning app for the Apple iPad to organize outdoor adventures, while the second app, Trimble Outdoors Navigator, offers in-the-field GPS navigation and mapping for the iPhone and Android devices, and be used on trails and in remote backcountry areas.
Although the two apps run independently, users’ personal trips can be exchanged between the apps via the free Trimble Outdoors Trip Cloud, a wireless service that allows users to exchange trips between apps and trimbleoutdoors.com.
“Our new ecosystem of apps and digital maps covers a full range of navigation needs for outdoor enthusiasts–from planning a trip at home or in the coffee shop to finding remote forest roads or campsites while in the outdoors,” said Rich Rudow, general manager of Trimble Outdoors. “The new apps offer best-in-class topographic and aerial maps, and tools to answer the specific demands of hikers, off-roaders and other outdoor enthusiasts.” Read the rest of this entry »
We noted last month that Bianchi launched an Android app, which followed the release of an app for the iPhone and iPad. Now BlackBerry users can get in on the action from the Italian bike manufacturer, which has announced a new version for the Research in Motion handset.
BlackBerry App main features are:
- surfing on the whole Bianchi range with itemized images and technical features
- on-time news and update by Bianchi official web site
- updatings posted directly on Twitter and highlighted on the App’s homepage with a provided push notification box
- dealers area with geolocation research system
As with the Android and iPhone versions, this free to download app offers users the ability to surf the whole Bianchi range of products with itemized images and technical features, news and updates from the official Bianchi website and geolocation search so users can easily find the closest Bianchi dealer. And of course it also features the Celeste green.
Bianchi Official Website
Bianchi App at BlackBerry App World
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
Love it or hate it, cardio workouts are a must if you’re trying to tone up or lose weight. But if you’re like most people, the thought of spending 30 minutes on a treadmill is a motivation zapper. Fortunately for iPhone users, there’s an app that can help.
Created by Beau Taillefer, Forumla 55 ($4.99) is an iOS-based app designed to keep your cardio sessions fresh by pushing you out of your comfort zone. Formula 55 workouts incorporate squats, sprints, hills, and more to ensure you never get stuck in a cardio rut. Just plug in your measurements, select your goals, and the app automatically does the rest.
The app also lets you import playlists so you always workout to your favorite tunes, and once you’re done you can blast your workouts through cyber space thanks to the app’s built-in Facebook integration.
Formula 55
[via ABC Action News: Group of amateur athletes get ripped using unique app]
Interbike is less than two weeks away, and attendees will have a bit of extra incentive to bring their A game. Last week Interbike announced it has a new mobile app that will help attendees interact and stay connected with the industry during next month’s trade show.
Now, in partnership with Stravea, Interbike will add a little friendly competition to the mix during the OutDoor Demo event. Any rider attending the trade show’s OutDoor Demo will be able to visit Strava.com and create a free account to take part in the Strava OutDoor Demo Challenge, where riders can track performances of one another. The app is free for download to iPhone and Android devices. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week High Road Sports announced that the team was disbanding. Team manager Bob Stapleton noted that Team HTC-Highroad would dissolve at the end of the 2011 season after a failure to find a new sponsor. Title sponsor HTC’s contract had ended.
We at KineticShift are sad to see the team break up, but it has been an interesting ride for High Road, but also for the partnership between mobile phone makers and carriers and professional cycling. HTC is just one example, and from 1991-2003 was actually Team Telekom, after the Deutsche Telekom. From 2004-2007 it was T-Mobile-Team, and then after a period of non-phone sponsorship it called up HTC in 2009 when it first became Team Columbia-HTC followed by Team HTC-Columbia before this year’s HTC-Highroad. Read the rest of this entry »
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!
There are a few ways to ride the Amgen Tour of California. You can train hard, win local races, get picked up by a team and ride with the pros. Or you can ride it virtually with Strava, creator powerful Web and mobile applications for avid athletes, and AEG, one of the leading sports and entertainment providers. The two companies have announced that Strava will power social fitness for next month’s Tour. The three-year partnership will bring Strava’s event maps to the Web and mobile platforms. Strava is further supplying complimentary premium memberships to all race participants and will also offer training and race-day challenges.
“We are excited to partner with AEG to bring the sport of cycling even closer to the fans,” said Michael Horvath, CEO of Strava. “Strava’s GPS maps and online competitions allow avid cyclists to follow their favorite pros, compare and compete, and gain deeper insight into their own training.” Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve seen some protective packs for handheld devices recently, and now comes another one that is downright “clever.” Four years ago, stay-at-home mom Karen McElaney, along with Colleen Gallagher, convinced the idea of using a protective and disposable poly plastic sleeve to protect devices from water, sand and other corrosive materials. Better still, the RingerWraps from CleverWraps allow the devices to remain completely functional.
Users can still type away on the keyboard, make calls, and even snap away photos. The RingerWraps feature a zip closure for protection and a re-sealable tape for a custom fit. They even come in three sizes: small for the iPhone, BlackBerry and HTC Incredible handsets; medium for Motorola Razr and various flip phones; and large for handsets and devices such as the Motorola Droid and LG enV.
We also like the fact that the wraps are disposable, because while we admit that it means another plastic bag in a landfill, it is a lot better than seeing a phone ruined if it should get wet or full of sand. A little sleeve of plastic is a small price to pay to protect a handset or other small device safe from grease, grim, sand and snow.
CleverWraps Official Website
This week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Broadcom announced the development of a new wireless combination (combo) chip designed to support more media and data applications without impacting the size or battery life for various devices including smartphones and tablets.
The BCM4330 integrates Broadcom’s 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless technology with Bluetooth and FM radio technologies all onto a single silicon die. This will be the first combo chip solution certified with the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, and it further will feature dual-band capabilities to allow Wi-Fi users to leverage the 5 GHz spectrum. This could be particularly useful for wireless sensors in fitness and medical applications.
We have seen a lot of development with Bluetooth in the fitness gear space, and now Broadcom’s new chip could further allow for all sorts of combinations thanks to its combo chip.
