TomTom Touch Cardio Announced

TomTom Sports today announces the TomTom Touch Cardio. With this launch, TomTom extends its Fitness Tracker range and reinforces its commitment to continue to launch Sports Wearables that inspire people to get going.

“We know that many people don’t necessarily see exercise as an activity as such, but rather as an integrated part of their daily lives. They try to stay fit and healthy by walking, taking the stairs and doing groceries. We are extending our TomTom Touch range with this accessible fitness tracker to help more people understand how fit they are and inspire them to take that first step towards a more active lifestyle,” says Corinne Vigreux, co-founder and Managing Director TomTom Consumer.

The TomTom Touch Cardio monitors your heart rate, tracks your steps, calories burned, sleep and active time. Heart rate monitoring adds to a more accurate calculation of calorie burn, measures the true intensity of your efforts, and provides insight about your fitness level.

The TomTom Touch Cardio boasts a new elegant design for everyday wear. It comes after the successful launch of the TomTom Touch Cardio + Body Composition which was launched in September as the first fitness tracker on the market that combines body composition analysis with steps, sleep and all day heart-rate tracking, right from the wrist. TomTom Touch Cardio will be available in March priced £89.99.

To get the best out of your TomTom Sports fitness tracker, you can use the new TomTom Sports App to find stats such as steps, HR and calories as well as activity trends and comparisons, and rich social sharing functions. For more information go to tomtom.com/sportsapp

World's first iPhone powered bike trainer, the Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer launches in the UK

Wahoo Fitness, the leader in iPhone powered cycling, running and fitness, launches the Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer in the UK. The KICKR Power Trainer is the world’s first iPhone powered bike trainer, allowing cyclist and triathletes to set resistance, accurately measure power and complete App based workouts, all from their iPhone or iPad. Available now from wahoofitness.com/eukickr. 

Using Bluetooth 4.0 (Smart) and ANT+ technology, the KICKR Power Trainer connects to the iPhone or iPad, allowing full resistance control during a training session. While pedaling, users can increase or decrease resistance, structure interval workouts or even simulate real world bike courses all from their iPhone or iPad. Resistance adjustments are instant, making it easy to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course, to the coast down a hill after a hard climb. 

With a ‘wheel off’ design and super flywheel, the iPhone connected bike trainer is engineered to produce an ultra-realistic road feel. A direct power measurement at the hub provides consistent and accurate power readings for every grueling mile.

Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer features include:

• Resistance adjustment via iPhone or iPad for structured rides or real world course simulation using top cycling Apps and computer-based software including TrainerRoad, Kinomap Trainer, PeriPedal, PerfPro Studio, iMobileIntervals, and more. Please visit www.wahoofitness.com/KICKRPowertrainer for a list of the current compatible Apps and software programs
• ‘Wheel off’ design allows direct power measurement at the hub, providing the most
  accurate and consistent power measurement throughout every mile.
• In ride adjustments simulate across all intensities from coasting downhill to cranking up a
  15% grade (600-2000 watt resistance)
• Custom-engineered flywheel designed to provide an ultra-realistic road feel
• ANT+ and Bluetooth 4.0 compatible
• ANT+ compatibility allows for power, speed and distance data to be sent to your ANT+ enabled bike computer
• Quiet – tested to be one of the quietest trainers on the market
  

"Cyclist and triathletes will be blown away by the feel of the KICKR,” says Chip Hawkins, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. “We spent lots of time engineering the feel and fine tuning it for the most realistic ride we’ve ever experienced on an indoor bike trainer. With the wheel off design, there is no need for calibration; the power is consistent and accurate every single time. The electronic resistance is driven by your iPhone or tablet during a ride, you can go from hammering up a 15% grade to coasting downhill, instantaneously.”

Wahoo Fitness has fully integrated the iPhone into all aspects of cycling fitness. With Wahoo’s Blue SC Speed and Cadence sensor for iPhone, the Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and the KICKR bike trainer, Wahoo users can now track and power their cycling with their iPhone on the road, the trail and the trainer. Wahoo Fitness’ iPhone cycling system allows users to monitor all the vitals including power, speed, cadence, heart rate, pace, distance, location, course and more.

Pricing and availability

The Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer is priced at £999.99 and is available now from wahoofitness.com/eukickr. The KICKR will also be available from www.apple.com in early August.

Jony Ive Ordered Boxes Full of Nike Watches in the Mid-2000s

Bloomberg today published a story on the much rumored Apple smart watch, offering information on potential functionality and profitability. The article also hinted at possible design cues for the iWatch, highlighting Apple designer Jony Ive's intense interest in watches, specifically those manufactured by Nike in the mid-2000s. 

Apple design chief Jony Ive has long had an interest in watches. Besides owning many high-end models himself, he had his team visit watch factories and ordered boxes of a sports watch made by Nike Inc. in the mid-2000s, said Wilson, who was then Nike's creative director.

New information from Business Insider reveals that Scott Wilson sent Jony Ive the Nike Presto Digital Bracelets and the Oregon Series Alti-Compass watches, which were manufactured in 2002–2004. 

Both of these watches feature clean, simple designs. The Presto Digital Bracelet is a cuff-style wraparound watch with a translucent plastic body, while the Oregon Series Alti-Compass has an aluminum face.

Well, he didn't buy them. We just gave them to them as designer bro deals. He and others in the design group just requested them and we sent them a ton of Nike Presto Digital Bracelets and the aluminum Oregon Series Alti-Compass watches. Was flattered that they were requesting them.

Wilson goes on to say that after receiving the watches, Apple asked questions about materials and processes.

This meshes up with their research in watch manufacturing during that timeframe which has been documented in previous stories. They definitely drew upon watch industry techniques and manufacturing in their products since the first iPhone. Interesting that it may come full circle to an actual iWatch at some point.

A patent application found last week suggested that Apple might be looking at a watch with a wraparound design, a touchscreen, and a flexible glass display, but it remains unclear what the actual watch might look like. 

Apple is said to have a team of 100 product designers working on the watch. The watch isrumored to run the full version of iOS and though a release date remains unclear,Bloomberg has suggested that it could launch as early as 2013.

[Source: MacRumors]

Larklife fitness tracker syncs your data over Bluetooth, knows when you're running instead of walking

In case you haven't noticed, fitness gadgets are having something of a moment right now. The past year alone has seen the launch of Nike's FuelBand, the ill-fated Jawbone Up and a refreshed line of Fitbit trackers. Now another product is arriving that promises to do basically the same thing -- namely, track your activity, sleep patterns and food intake using a wearable gadget and mobile app. That thing you see up there is called Larklife and for now, at least, it works exclusively with iOS devices. It's a splash-resistant (but not waterproof) band that has a pedometer inside, counting your steps throughout the day. It can also tell how long you sleep each night, as well as how long it takes you to nod off. There's even a vibrating alarm built into the band -- something we first saw on the Up earlier this year. (As it happens, Lark's earlier products were sleep aids, so the inclusion of this feature actually makes a lot of sense.) As for monitoring your dietary habits, Larklife doesn't automatically track your food intake, but the app does include a food diary where you can manually enter your meals.

Additionally, Larklife uses Bluetooth Smart to automatically sync with your iPhone so that you don't have to plug the band into a PC just to update your fitness stats. (The new Fitbit trackers work this way this too.) Additionally, the band uses a proprietary technology that can discern when you're running or walking, which means the app will log workouts even if you forget to enter them. The last intriguing bit is that the app dishes out smart, contextually aware advice. Didn't get much sleep last night? Larklife will remind you to eat more protein than usual at breakfast, so that you have enough energy to get you through the day. The app also rewards good behavior in the form of iOS notifications and colorful on-screen badges, though competing products admittedly take a very similar approach when it comes to keeping users motivated.

Larklife is up for pre-order starting today, and is priced at $150 -- a rather large premium over the new Fitbit One, which will sell for $100. As for precise availability, all we know is that retailers will start stocking Larklife "before the holidays." Whether that means Halloween, Thanksgiving or some gift-giving celebration will be revealed some other day.

[Source: Engadget]