Category Archives: Fitness

Oct 04 2013
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Fitness, Kit, Lust List, Running

FuelBand 2.0 on the way? Nike schedules event for October 15th

The first-generation of the FuelBand was a big hit, so we’re keen to see what the next version of the technology has in store…

Nike has sent out invitations to a NikeFuel Forum event happening on October 15th in New York that it promises will be a “discussion of the future of the digital world experience and physical activity”.

Although light on specific details, the major buzz around the internets would suggest that Nike will be unveiling, amongst other things, a new version of its FuelBand wearable technology, probably to link into its ever expanding Nike + range. The original FuelBand was released in January of this year, and has only received one purely cosmetic update since then, with several different colours now available, so it’s ripe for a refresh.

Current rumours suggest that a next-generation Nike+ FuelBand will sport some seriously cool technology inside, including a heart rate/pulse monitor, faster data display, Bluetooth 4.0 for improved battery life and syncing, and more robust Nike+ API for developers to tap into your tracking data. Specifically for the heart rate monitor, users will be required to pinch the FuelBand on the monitor area for your pulse to be taken.

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Oct 02 2013
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Apps, Fitness, Lust List, Running, Wireless

Apple poaches brains behind Nike Fuelband and Flyknit shoes to head up iWatch team?

Apple’s rumoured iWatch could well feature fitness technology capabilities (image courtesy of PC Advisor)

Following the news in August that  fitness industry consultant Jay Blahnik, who previously worked with Nike in developing the FuelBand health monitor, had joined Apple to presumably work on the company’s much-rumoured iWatch device, another former Nike employee is apparently now heading on the way to Cupertino.

Ben Shaffer, the studio director responsible for Innovation Kitchen – Nike’s research and development lab where new products are thought up, will be joining Apple soon to boost its growing wearable technology team.

Whilst under Shaffer’s leadership the company was named by Fast Company as 2013’s most innovative company and the studio most recently produced the Nike Fuel Band and Flyknit shoes.

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Sep 27 2013
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Apps, Fitness, Wireless

Microsoft announces Xbox One fitness app

The Xbox Fitness app will be available for all users signing up for Xbox Live Gold Membership

Microsoft has announced Xbox Fitness, a fitness app for the Xbox One that will use the console’s Kinect functionality to monitor the player’s progress.

According to Xbox Wire, the app, which will be included with Xbox Live Gold Membership, is a selection of interactive fitness videos from fitness brands Beachboy’s P90X and INSANITY. The videos also star some of the brands’ more well-known trainers such as Jillian Michaels, Tracy Anderson and Tony Horton.

Xbox Fitness will work much the same way as many of the other fitness games released on this generation of consoles, with players using Kinect to interact with the game to copy the activities of the trainers in the videos.

Kinect will also monitor the player’s heart rate and the engagement of their muscle groups in order to gauge their performance. Given the improved latency of the Xbox One Kinect module, as well as its improved monitoring of the player’s engagement, its possible Xbox Fitness may not be as infuriating as some of the fitness games on the current gen.

Xbox Fitness will be available for free to all Xbox One owners who purchase an Xbox Live Gold Membership and the app will be available until December 2014.

[Via T3.com]

Sep 26 2013
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Apps, Fitness, Running, Walking, Wireless

Strava Run will be first fitness app to utilise iPhone 5S’ M7 motion coprocessor

Strava Run is available to download for iPhone 5S users now

We’ve previously written about how Apple’s new iPhone 5S, with a new and powerful M7 coprocessor, will change the way that fitness apps are designed and operate, focusing particularly on the Nike + Move app featured in the device’s reveal.

But now we’ve had news of the first app that will be released that properly utilises this functionality, courtesy of Strava.

The app, unsurprisingly entitled Strava Run,  is similar to many other fitness running apps, as it allows you to track your distance, speed and numerous other variables of your run. What makes it unique for now, however, is the fact that it pulls data from the M7 in addition to GPS.

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Sep 20 2013
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Apps, Fitness, Running

Newest update to MY ASICS brings personalised training plans to your phone

The new version of MY ASICS allows much more targeted goal setting for your workouts

Asics has announced that version 2.0 of its MY ASICS app is now available to download.

Supplementing the shoe manufacturer’s online web service, the app lets you sign up for and manage your training plan entirely from your phone. Whether you’re aiming for a full marathon, 10k, or just a gradual improvement in fitness, Asics’ promise isn’t just a personalised training plan; it’s that the app can find the optimal length and distance for your workouts based on your current ability, constantly tweaking parameters to find the best fit.

“This whole quantified self-movement only tells you where you are, not where you’re going,” says Asics project lead Alex Mrvaljevich. Unlike its best known competitors, starting a new plan in My Asics begins with you filling in your best race time and target.

It then comes back with an optimised personal training program (never more than four runs a week) along with your forecasted speed at the end of the training.

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Aug 26 2013
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Apps, Fitness, Running

Hot5 fitness app looks to get you fit for just five minutes a day

The app offers you a choice of eight trainers to guide you through your workout

For many people, finding time to exercise these days is pretty tough, as work, social, and family demands all taking up a significant amount of our time – meaning that personal fitness often takes a back seat.

Enter a new fitness app that promises great results in return for just five minutes of your time, every day. It’s called Hot5, and it could be the answer to your prayers.

Following a growing recent trend, the app looks to move users toward high-intensity interval training – that is, rather than doing a bunch of slow exercises over a long period of time, condensing exercises into short bursts with little recovery time in-between.

In the case of Hot5, that means a daily regimen of five exercises, each lasting just a minute. These exercises are guided through a series of videos with real-life trainers showing users how to do them.

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