When the
iPhone has so much traction and a hug following apps like the
RunKeeper are a sure win. Sure there are some drawbacks but being a pioneer like RunKeeper you have to accept those drawbacks, wooded areas, tunnels, tall buildings, etc. So the app is simple enough, have a 3G iPhone and for $9.99 you can have a full tracking GPS enabled fitness device. If you are saying well the iPhone cost $299 so the the real price is somewhere in the range of $310, still cheaper than the
Polar s625x and the
Garmin. Now the Polar is one of the best devices out their so yes their is know comparison, for the weekend warrior that is getting into the sport this is a great way to start. Also with
Health Currency getting ready to launch the tie in with RunKeeper is great.
RunKeeper FAQ
What is RunKeeper? RunKeeper is an application built for the new 3G iPhones that uses the built-in GPS to enable fitness tracking (duration, time, pace, speed, route on a map)
Can RunKeeper be used for any other activities besides running? While it was built primarily with running in mind, some of our testing has involved additional activities such as walking, cycling, and even driving. It appears to work fine for these other activities as well, although the majority of our testing has been running-specific.
How much will RunKeeper cost? The RunKeeper iPhone application will be a one-time download of $9.99 USD and will be available exclusively through Apple’s online App Store.
Will RunKeeper work with an original first generation iPhone? No. RunKeeper needs a GPS signal to determine accurate speed, pace and distance. The RunKeeper application will not work properly on a first generation iPhone.
Can I see my route on a map? Yes, you can see all of the routes you run on a map that will be displayed on your personal web dashboard at
www.runkeeper.com. You cannot see your route displayed on the RunKeeper iPhone app initially, but we are evaluating including this functionality in future releases. You will be able to see the route through the device’s web browser at
www.runkeeper.com.
Labels: GPS, iPhone, tracking
If you send more time off road, via running, biking, walking, hiking, etc., and you have a watch GPS that keeps you data then you might want to look at this software.
GPS Tuner is an off-road navigation software for Pocket PC devices. While most car navigation software gives you the possibility of planning your route based on a road network, GPS Tuner gives you the ability of navigation where the roads end.
GPS Tuner is an excellent tool for hiking, geocaching, boating, flying, driving and many other sporting activities, where the monitoring of duration, distance and speed can be important.
If you are in possession of our 'Geo license' with extended features, the Area Calculation function is available to you, which makes it easy to measure perimeter and area. All you need to do is activate GPS and walk (or drive) around the boundary. The created area (shape) can be saved, exported in DXF format and even reloaded.
Features:
MultilingualEnglish, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Dansih, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovakian, Russian, Hungarian, Finnish, Afrikaans, Romanian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean
Units and National Grids
Selectable Metric, Imperial or Nautical units
24 National Grids are supported (like WGS-84, British (OSGB36), NAD27, NAD83…)
MappingGPS Tuner supports JPG files as maps
Online map downloading from Google Maps, TerraServer, Open Street Map
Easy Calibration on Pocket PC or using Desktop Map Calibrator (free) program
Auto map loading feature
Zoom and Pan by pen or joystick
Flexible layer and track/route display
Distance measuring and route defining by drawing on map
Map image rotation according to your heading in 90 degrees steps
Blank map support
Navigation, Digital CompassReal time rotating compass with big target arrow
Sun's direction
Custom target from entered coordinate
Any waypoint, trackpoint or point of map can be selected as target
6 different types of Compass views
38 selectable Compass tools
Voice navigation and next turn indication for routes
Trip ComputerMonitor your whole trip
Save, Load and Reset is possible
31 selectable Trip Computer tools
Graph for Altitude and Speed
Selectable tool window size
Push track data into Trip Computer to get a full track analysis
Speedometer with speed limit warning
Waypoints, POIs, Track, RoutesWaypoint, POI: GPX, LOC, KML, SDF files supported
Track, Route: GPX, TRK, KML, SDF files supported
Data exchange with Suunto X9i/X9Mi GPS watch (wristop computer)
Track recording by configurable Auto, Time or Distance interval
View your waypoints and tracks in Google Earth directly (KML export/import)
Flexible waypoint management
You can easily convert track to route and reverse the direction of route
Area Calculation feature is also available in our Geo version
NMEANMEA recording
NMEA playback (with selectable speed)
You can jump to any position of NMEA file (skipping unnecessary data)
GPS ShareShare your position in real time with other users
See your friends position displayed in GPS Tuner
Monitor your (and your friends’) position on your web browser
Ideal for personal and vehicle tracking purposes
SMS interface
Labels: GPS, watches
Now
Polar has a great bunch of watches and their newest
RS800 is not lacking much, since does not have the GPS built in you have to attach somewhere on your body along with the foot pod for running stride and distance. A bit of a pain consider the
Forerunner 405 has it built in. Goods and bad to all this technology is that the Forerunner has a built in GPS, but like the Polar you need the foot pod. Mostly for the things mentioned above but if you don't like the weather outside and you want to record your workout, you need the foot pod for the treadmill. Sorry not everything can be in one neat package. Cost is $300 with out the foot pod.
Here is Garmin's verbiage:
"Watch Results
Loaded with serious training features, Forerunner 405 continuously monitors your time, distance, pace, calories and heart rate (when paired with heart rate monitor). Each run is stored in memory so you can review and analyze the data to see how you've improved. You can even download recorded courses to compete against previous workouts or race a Virtual Partner®. Customize Forerunner’s data screens for instant feedback while you train.
Use with Ease
Sport watch and personal trainer — Forerunner 405 gives you the best of both worlds in a sleek, stylish package. This high performance watch is easy to use and comfortable to wear when not training. Simply tap the touch bezel to change screens without fumbling for a button. Forerunner 405 comes in two color options — black or green — to fit your style.
Run, Sync, Store and Share
Once you’ve logged the miles, innovative ANT+Sport™ wireless technology automatically transfers data to your computer when the Forerunner is in range. No cables, no hookups. The data’s just there, ready for you to analyze, categorize and share through our online community, Garmin Connect or our optional Garmin Training Center® software. You can wirelessly send workouts from your computer to Forerunner, too.
Share Wirelessly
With Forerunner 405 you can share your locations, advanced workouts and courses wirelessly with other Forerunner 405 users. Now you can send your favorite workout to your buddy to try, or compete against a friend's recorded course. Sharing data is easy. Just select “transfer” to send your information to nearby units.
Track Heart Rate
Forerunner 405 is available with or without a heart rate monitor (see the versions tab) to help you make the most out of your training. Versions with a digital heart rate monitor continuously track heart beats per minute. Train in a certain heart rate zone to improve your fitness level or compare your pace and heart rate to past performance on the same run.
Cross-Train
Take your training inside with the versatile Forerunner 405. Pair it with an optional foot pod to track your speed, distance and running cadence indoors when a GPS signal is unavailable. This new design clips onto your laces for easy removal and automatically turns on when you start moving. You can also add a speed/cadence bike sensor to track the speed and distance of your cycling workouts.
Lock Onto Satellite Signals
Forerunner 405 sports a unique design that gives the GPS antenna a better view of the sky, so it can get a stronger signal during your run. And its high-sensitivity GPS receiver provides improved tracking under trees and near tall buildings."
Labels: GPS, tracking, watches
Wow times are moving fast in the
GPS world. Not only fast, but small and carrying a truck load of features. The
Edge 705 pulls out all the stops, this GPS-enabled cycle computer knows no limits. Get heart rate, cadence, turn-by-turn directions, power data (from ANT + Sport™-enabled third-party power meters) — the works. Even share your data with other Edge 705 buddies after your ride. All wireless with a color display, this is no ordinary cycle computer. When you start incorporating all the parts that make a
triathlete or athlete smile. Too boot it is all wireless.
You can:
Navigate Your Ride
Get the Data You Need
See Your Power
Measure Heart Rate and Cadence
Swap Rides Wirelessly
Share, Store and Analyze via
Garmin Training CenterAll for the price of an
iPhone!
Check it out..Labels: GPS, tracking, training software
As components get smaller companies are able to do amazing things.
Garmin just came out with a new watch
Forerunner 50:
Jump start your training with Forerunner 50. This sleek sports watch is ideal for running, cycling and other fitness activities, and is available with a wireless heart rate monitor or foot pod or both. Plus it automatically transmits workouts to your computer so you can analyze, store and share data using our online community, Garmin Connect™.
So when the
TrackStick released this new device, things are going to get interesting.
Check out specs:
"The Trackstick II is the perfect fit for personal GPS tracking. Bring it on vacation to keep a satellite scrapbook of all your travels and record your explorations. You can carry it along on all your regular outings from home to get a better sense of your daily surroundings through Google Earth’s cohesive 3D maps of your community. With Trackstick II a computer screen can guide your family and friends on a virtual tour of your vacation. Take it fishing and mark the catch spots to discover feeding patterns over time. Find a good camping spot and leave it to Trackstick to remember where it is and the path you took to get there. It’s a fun and immersive way to show others where you’ve been. You’ll even enjoy seeing the normal routes of your day breathe new life as you view them like never before with Google Earth’s 3D model of the planet. The possibilities are endless and our users are always finding new and interesting uses for the Trackstick."
Now go and get one, and get outside!Labels: GPS, tracking, training
Polar is adding to the US line it g3 sensor, which is a GPS unit for it's
RS800 watch. This is great for Polar who had been lacking in the GPS department, both
Garmin Forerunner 305 and
Timex Bodylink have been doing this for quite sometime, making an uphill battle for Polar. If Polar could incorporate it into existing watches through a software upgrade so users could just buy the g3 sensor that would be a slam dunk for Polar, and would catapult them over Garmin and Timex.
Here is what Polar is saying:
GPS (g3) vs. Stride Sensor (s3)
The RS800 training system was launched along with the s3 stride sensor. Both the s3 and the g3 units have distinct advantages for measuring speed and distance:
Worn on the foot (or in a cavity in the mid-sole of adidas adistar running shoes), Polar’s s3 stride sensor is the best choice for running; using sensitive inertial sensors to track the position of the foot 1000 times a second it is immune from signal dropout and gives accurate and highly responsive speed, distance, leg cadence and stride length measurements. s3 is the right choice for competitive runners who want to improve their technique and running efficiency.
g3 can be worn around the waist, the arm or even carried in a back pack and, as movement is tracked by the global positioning system, it tracks speed and distance across all terrestrial sports.
“Adding g3 to the RS800 training system enables athletes, who train and compete in sport categories additional to running, to benefit fully from the complete range of industry leading features incorporated in the wrist computer and accompanying Pro Trainer 5 PC software.” says Marco Suvilaakso, Product Manager, Polar Electro Oy.
On sale through authorised Polar resellers during the second half of 2007, g3 will be available for purchase as an upgrade for existing RS800 owners, or as a complete set in the RS800g3 Training System.
Let's hope we don't have to buy a new watch...Check it out! g3 SensorLabels: GPS, tracking, watches
So the
iPhone has released the date June 29, and I can't wait, now how are they going to work the
Nike Plus into this little puppy, if they even have too. If or when they can connect the two boy will things get interesting, or should I say more interesting. A GPS,
Google maps,
Nike Plus tracking your millage,
Map My Run so you have a place to store your runs and share with friends and community, wow I am sure I could keep going. Also they are opening it up to outside developers, so my idea of
Virtual Tri can really take off (if you are interested in learning more, contact me at
usiskin(Youknow)healthcurrency.com).
So embrace this new standard set by
Steve Jobs and the team at Apple, if anything love 'em, hate 'em, they have set the new standard many are trying to catch. From here on in how we store information and communicate and listen to music has changed.
Labels: GPS, iPod, tracking
GPSORTS, The world leader in sport GPS solutions, have some great products that monitor your body in motion, real time. When athlete should push themselves, hang back or is bonking, play a vital role in the success and longevity of an athlete. Being able to track that is the best thing going.
"Knowing how fast and far an athlete has travelled in training is vital to the correct development of the athlete's energy systems. Not knowing or poor analysis leads to poor athletic performance. The overriding goal for the sportsperson is to improve his/her performance and competitive edge.
GPSports provides the athlete the crucial tools for understanding his/her physiological responses under different training and competitive regimes, and over time."
Here are the key components to GPSorts products.
1. The SPI family are the performance monitoring products of choice by leading sports science institutions and elite athletes around the world (see GPSports client list)
2. The technology is multi-sport usable without reconfiguration (walking, running, cycling, rowing, etc).
3. There is no calibration of the technology required. Switch on and Go.
4. GPSports SPI products are the only systems available that are "TUNED FOR HUMAN MOVEMENT". They are the most accurate & reliable systems on the market.
5. The unit captures multiple performance variables including kinematic (speed, distance, etc) as well as physiological (heart rate).
6. External devices can be "plugged in" to the SPI products (eg cadence, stroke rate).
7. Comes complete with powerful analyser software.
8. Replaceable software capability to allow for exercise programs to be uploaded.
9. Access to online training diary for assistance in program generation and monitoring.
Their current products are:
SPI10SPI EliteAnalysis SoftwareGPSports PerfectSession.com- Perfect Session is the first online Periodisation* diary that incorporates advanced training program theory to help the user plan, monitor and modify training programs to achieve their goals. * Periodisation: Cyclical structure of long and short term training programmes, to maximise performance and reduce the risk of injuries and illness.
Check them out!
GPSORTSLabels: bluetooth, GPS, tracking, training
