The Jolly Gamesman and His Many Toys
Nike+iPod Sports Kit for the iPhone, iPod Touch & iPod Nano
In today’s world of technological convergence, it seems like we’ve seen it all. Our cable boxes can record and rent content, our phones are now our music and movie players, and now our MP3 players are our exercise companions. No longer do they just strap to our bicep and keep our brains entertained while we sweat it to the oldies. Today, with the addition of a few extra gadgets, they can help us monitor and train our lumpy tech-addicted bodies, along with with a community of like-minded individuals. This is where Nike and Apple have teamed up to make an amazing little piece of technology
The Nike+iPod system comes two ways. The first being the Nike+iPod Sports Kit that includes a sensor that attaches to your shoe, and a receiver that attaches to one of the supported iDevices. The other option is to just purchase the sensor on its own. (The sensor is an oval-shaped piece of plastic about the size of the top knuckle of your thumb, that slides into a notch cut out of the sole of specific Nike shoes.)
Odds are that you already have the other half of the equipment that you need to get started. Every iPod Nano since their inception is compatible using the included receiver, and for those of you who have a 3rd generation iPod Touch or an iPhone 3GS, you will only need to purchase the sensor. Unfortunately, for those who only have an iPhone 3G or a previous generation iPod Touch, you’re out of luck, as there is no way to get the devices to communicate with each other.
Since not all runners want to invest in an entirely new pair of Nike shoes just to be able to track their distance and calories burned, there are a few alternatives available. Most running equipment stores sell a little plastic tab that affixes the sensor to your shoelaces. I found that any binder/bulldog clip would suffice in keeping the sensor attached to your shoe. I DO NOT recommend rolling it into your sock as you will spend the majority of your run backtracking trying to find at exactly what point it fell out.
Once you have paired the sensor to the iDevice you are running with (a simple procedure that only requires you to walk a few steps to register the coupling), you are ready to start your walk or run. Firing up the Nike+iPod app on your iDevice brings you to your four main options. You can choose a basic open-ended workout, a workout with a timed goal, a workout with a distance goal, or a workout with a calorie burning goal. Once you set your goal and music play list, you’re off. The sensor in your shoe will track your distance, time, pace and calories burned.
Once you connect into iTunes, you will be prompted to upload all this data to the Nike+ website. Here you will make an account that will publicly keep track of all your runs. You can then go ahead and rate them by how you felt afterwards, the weather you were running in, and the terrain, be it mountain trails or a treadmill. There is a huge social aspect to the site. Once you have your account set up, you can enter different challenges from around the world. They mainly consist of a cause or a theme, and a distance goal in a set time frame. There are even walls to trash talk other competitors on. I find this is where the best use of your running data comes into play, as being part of a virtual community to challenge yourself is like having thousands of personal trainers.
While the Nike+iPod Sports Kit has been around for four years, the updated website, and the fact that it utilizes technology you probably already own, can make the mundane routine of running or walking something that you can enjoy with people around the world.
~The Fine Print~
Price: $39.00 Sports Kit / $25.00 for the sensor on its own
