|
 |
The skinny: Getting motivated to go to the gym is hard enough. The last thing you want is to be stuck listening to some ninny on the neighboring StairMaster yap on her cell phone while you're trying to clear your head on the treadmill. Fortunately for wired gym bunnies (and unfortunately for the rest of us), Nokia's rugged 5100 cell phone is made to withstand the inevitable bumps and scrapes that come with regular workouts, so you can bring it to the gym or on the trail without worrying about damaging it. In addition to a sturdy, splashproof design, the phone comes with several fitness-oriented features, including a built-in stopwatch and a calorie counter.
The odds: Tough to call. Our gut feeling is that this niche product won't be able to hang on for the long term. Based on our tests, its call quality is inconsistent. Why not put a splashproof jacket on a more reliable phone and call it a day? Also, if you're so into sports that you would consider a fitness-oriented phone, why not buy a multifunction watch that has more to offer than a calorie counter?
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: You may have already heard of the Adidas 1, the company's "intelligent" sneaker, but VectraSense has dibs on the first tennis shoe with silicon smarts. The company has been toying with its ThinkShoe technology since 2001, and the Raven represents its premier commercial foray. Just like the Adidas model, the Raven has a microprocessor that senses your motion and adjusts the shoe's fit to the terrain and your speed. For example, if the Raven detects that you are running, it signals the air bladder inside the front of the shoe to inflate for extra support. The Raven isn't out yet (expect to see a limited supply this summer), but it's slated to retail for $450--double the price Adidas has quoted for its shoe.
The odds: A flop. This innovative shoe sounds really cool, but would you pay $450 for a sneaker that has no name recognition except Motorola's? If we're going to spend that kind of money on a pair of kicks, we need some kind of logo. We're betting that runners will save some cash and go with the less expensive, similarly designed Adidas 1.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: Ever heard of a skinny fat person? These folks may weigh at or below the average for their build, but their body-fat percentage portrays a completely different picture of their overall health. To get a reading on your fat-to-muscle ratio, you could use a skin-fold caliper, but high-tech athletes now have a better option. Tanita's scales determine your body-fat percentage by transmitting through your body a small electric current that measures the resistance of muscle and fat. We tested this sleek glass model; unfortunately for this out-of-shape editor, it precisely calculated body-fat percentage. An easy-to-read 2-inch, two-line LCD complements the beautiful glass design.
The odds: Winner. This scale works exceedingly well, and it adds some serious style to your bathroom.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: You've always wanted to be able to take your temperature while you snapped a photo, haven't you? Well, now you can. Innovations U.K. is distributing a wacky new digital camera that takes your heart rate and your temperature, counts calories, and stores up to 181 stills or 27 seconds of VGA video. It also functions as a pedometer, a stopwatch, and a calendar. While it may accurately calculate beats per second, we doubt that the low-res Digital Sportsman takes dreamy stills. Still, we give props to Digital Dream for bringing new meaning to multitasking.
The odds: A big, fat flop. Do we really need to explain why a low-res camera with a built-in pedometer is a bad idea?
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: This $300 fleece-lined, weatherproof jacket has 42 hidden pockets designed to stash electronics. You'll find a pocket that's perfect for holding just about anything--from your Palm stylus to your baseball hat. Version 3.0 also features Personal Area Network (PAN), a system that allows you to run the wires from your various electronics to one central hub within the jacket. Runners and cyclists probably won't know what to do with all those pockets, but snowboarders and hikers probably have a few ideas.
The odds: Tough to call. This product isn't geared specifically toward athletes, but it's definitely compelling if you're a gadget junkie who's always on the go (as fit folks tend to be). Still, a PAN for your pocketable gadgets? Is that more trouble than it's worth? And will consumers bite? We're not so sure.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: Adidas is creating quite a stir with this smart shoe, expected to hit stores in December 2004. The high-tech sneaker, known as the Adidas 1, automatically adjusts to your speed and the terrain. A sensor in the heel takes up to 1,000 readings per second and feeds them to an embedded electronic brain in order to judge how intensely your foot is compressing the cushion. It then directs a tiny electric motor to adjust the amount of resistance in the cushion for optimal support. For serious runners, this $250 Adidas 1 looks like the biggest news to hit the sport since Steve Prefontaine made history on the track.
The odds: A winner. Well, OK, so we haven't tried them on yet, but we love the idea of a smart shoe, and judging by what we're reading in running forums, we're not alone. We could stomach $250 for a shoe that knows more about our running form than we could ever hope to. Plus, if this shoe does what it's supposed to do, it could help prevent a lot of unnecessary running injuries. It also has the name recognition the Raven (above) lacks.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: Lance Armstrong was seen sporting these wacky MP3 sunglasses at the Tour de France. The sunglasses, called Thump, come in two different capacities (128MB or 256MB), work with both MP3s and WMAs, and are supposed to be good for up to six hours of playback. You can adjust the volume and switch tracks using controls on one of the arms. They're expected to arrive in Circuit City stores sometime this December. Pricing hasn't been announced yet.
The odds: Tough to call. We love the idea of rocking out at the beach while wearing these shades, but sporting these while cycling is pretty much asking to get run over. We recommend them for serious (or insane) athletes only.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: Products that cater to snowboarders always seem to be on the cutting edge of coolness. Take, for example, this helmet from Giro. The ear pads, called Tune Ups, do double duty as headphones, so you can rock out to your favorite tunes while catching air on the moguls. Stash your iPod in Burton's waterproof iPod jacket, plug in your helmet, and take off. You won't have to worry about extra wires, but be sure to watch out for those slowpoke skiers.
The odds: Tough to call. It's a crazy enough product to entice hard-core boarders, but we're not sure it'll have major appeal. Plus, we've nearly been knocked out by people plugged into their iPods on the subway. We can't imagine how dangerous it would be to tune out on the slopes.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: The PowerTap Pro is a multipart training system that combines a hub-based measurement tool, a cycling computer, a heart-rate chest strap, and a cadence receiver to deliver a seriously comprehensive picture of your cycling performance. You can upload to your computer all of the data the PowerTap collects and slice and dice it using the included Powerlink software. Its $900 price tag keeps it out of reach of all but the most serious cyclists. Lance Armstrong trains with one of these puppies. Need we say more?
The odds: A winner. Yeah, it's really expensive, but in the cycling forums we've frequented, folks have been raving about the PowerTap. And seriously, we can think of no better stamp of approval than Lance's.
|
|
|
 |
The skinny: Swimmers tend to get cheated in the gear department. Now, the Oceanic DV-X kit offers them something a lot sexier than goggles and caps. This too-cool-for-pool accessory features a waterproof housing for any iRiver 300-series MP3 player and comes with earphones made specifically for underwater listening. The DV-X can work at depths of up to 200 feet and features large external controls--nice for those prunelike fingers. We'd love to be able to listen to tunes while working on our stroke, but we'd be a little nervous about getting tangled in wires, especially during flip turns. At $350, this accessory probably costs more than a lifetime supply of Speedos.
The odds: A flop. We would love to rock out underwater, but we just don't see much of a future for this accessory, unless your idea of a water sport is chillin' on a float with a piña colada in hand. Also, this kit is ridiculously expensive. We'd just as soon buy 12 of these floating boomboxes.
|
|
|
SEE MORE FITNESS TECH FEATURES |
|
|
Electronics & Computers Deals here!
Send feedback
E-mail to a friend
10 do-it-all sport watches
