Whether it’s tracking your “get up and go,” helping you to break your own record or adding a bit more fun to a daily workout, tech-infused wristbands, watches and sporting goods can help turn you into a peak performer.
By Marc Saltzman
If you think pedometers are the epitome of fitness technology, it’s time to wake up and smell the 21st century. From wireless “wearables” to the world’s first connected sports equipment, fitness gear is now chock full of smarts.
Walking, running, swimming, cycling, skiing or playing basketball—whatever your game, your performance can be measured, tracked, uploaded and compared. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get a few high-fives thrown in for the fun of it. There’s nothing quite like hitting the 10,000-step milestone and having your smartphone or tablet spray virtual confetti or a snazzy trophy onto its screen in celebration.
If you’re curious about what’s new and newsworthy, here’s a deeper dive into eight of the latest sports geek must-try items.
Wild about wearables
Wrist-mounted gadgets can help you track your fitness goals, and much more.
Garmin vivosmart
First there was the vivofit fitness bracelet ($149.99) and now there’s vivosmart, a far more versatile wristband that borders on a smartwatch.
Available in one of five great colours, the Garmin vivosmart ($169.99) has all the fitness features you’d expect—calculating your steps, distance, calories burned, exercise time and heart rate—and automatically syncs your data to the free Garmin Connect fitness community. This Bluetooth beauty also keeps you in touch and out of trouble by displaying incoming texts, emails and even calls from your nearby smartphone. Simply touch and swipe the OLED screen to make sure the office isn’t looking for you.
Time to move after sitting still for too long on your PlayStation 4? After an hour of inactivity, the vivosmart vibrates to let you know it’s time for a break—take the hint and head to the gym, or walk around for a minute or two to reset the timer.
The trusty sleep-mode monitors how restful your night has been and, if you wish, will wake you (not your partner) with a silent vibrating alarm. With a water rating of five ATM (50 metres), the vivosmart can be worn in the pool or shower, or when out for a jog in the rain.
Samsung Gear S smartwatch
Doesn’t it seem as if Samsung released the Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches only yesterday? Well, now the Korean tech giant has unveiled its latest—perhaps in an attempt to take the wind out of the Apple Watch’s sails (and “sales”).
Available by the time you read this, Samsung’s next smartwatch is the larger Gear S ($399). It’s bigger than the competition’s offerings, but wearers shouldn’t mind thanks to the gorgeous two-inch Super AMOLED display. In fact, it’s not only upsized but also curved (like the fancy new Samsung ultra-high definition televisions) for a more comfortable fit that matches the round contour of your wrist.
The biggest news, however, is that the Gear S doesn’t need a nearby smartphone as it packs its own cellular connection. Imagine popping a SIM into the watch, leaving your phone at home and still being able to see text messages and receive calls while you’re training for that half marathon.
For added functionality, of course, including app support, you’ll still need your Samsung smartphone on hand. As with its predecessors, the Gear S houses a pedometer and integrated heart-rate sensor, plus there’s now a UV monitor to tell you when you’re at risk of sunburn.
Apple Watch
Available in early 2015 and starting at just $349, the Apple Watch will let Mac-lovin’ active types stay in touch, access information and monitor their personal fitness goals.
Using the “Digital Crown” button on the side of the watch (for navigating menus and activating Siri) and “Force Touch” on the watch’s screen (distinguishing between a finger tap and press), you can send and receive messages, answer calls on a nearby iPhone (iPhone 4s or newer), pay for items and get real-time facts and figures, such as live sports scores from your favourite team.
Along with a pedometer to count your steps, the Apple Watch also comes equipped with an accelerometer, GPS (to gauge movement), barometer (stairs climbed), heart-rate monitor and other gadgets. The data gathered can be analyzed using a bevy of exercise-centric apps, such as Activity, Workout, Fitness and more…
Sports, of course
Lacing up for a favourite sport? The latest technology is here to help.
94Fifty smart-sensor basketball
Attention, ballers: You haven’t quite seen anything like this. While it looks and feels the same as any other basketball, the 94Fifty smart-sensor basketball ($249.99) sends near real-time information and game feedback to an app on a nearby smartphone or tablet. Super for a friend or coach on the sidelines, who will see data and graphics less than a second after your on-court action. A great way to review and improve!
Specifically, the free 94Fifty app will display all of the measurable forces applied to the ball—including spin, speed, arc and acceleration—as a player moves, dribbles and shoots towards the net. This water-resistant orange ball has up to eight hours of battery life between charges, upgradeable sensor software (adding new features as they are introduced over time) and a decent range of up to 90 feet (30 metres) to your app-enabled smart device.
Babolat Play Pure Drive
Tennis, anyone? While it looks and weighs the same as other tennis racquets on the market, Babolat’s Play Pure Drive ($399.99) is billed as the first to have integrated sensors that digitally monitor what’s happening on court. It can track your strike positions, backhands, forehands, serves, volleys and spins during practice or a heated game of tournament play.
In fact, this clever device is even smart enough to know the difference between a serve and a smash (presumably by the length of inactivity before the shot).
As you’d expect, all of the racquet’s captured statistics are sent wirelessly to a nearby smartphone or tablet, or can be accessed by plugging the racquet into a PC’s USB port.
The free app lets you follow other users, too, so it’s not only possible to share your performance with friends over social media, but also to compare your game with that of pros including Nadal (don’t be too crushed).
Quattriuum FWD Powershot 2
It’s hockey season—a vibe that’s quite noticeable in Canada—and this year, amateur and professional players might consider adding some brains to their brawn.
Similar to the removable Easton Power Sensor for baseball bats, Quattriuum’s FWD Powershot 2 ($144.99) is considered the “world’s most advanced sensor for hockey sticks.” Insert the thin black sensor into the top of the stick and hit the ice; your power, performance and amplitude and execution speed of your shooting motion will all be captured and sent to an Android or iOS app on a smartphone or tablet.
Consider it a scientifically accurate (and super-cool) way to improve your game—after all, information (not ignorance) is bliss.
The accompanying FWD Powerskate app not only displays your skating speed, but also your average and peak acceleration, time spent on the ice and the distance skated in each session.
Reebok Checklight
Sports concussions are constantly in the news and youth concussion clinics are opening across the county. So it’s good news that Reebok, after three years of testing in the lab and in the field, has launched the Checklight ($149.99), a head-impact indicator worn with or without a helmet during sporting activities (especially contact sports).
The thin, light, all-black skullcap has built-in sensors that monitor any impact experienced. While not a concussion diagnostic tool, the Checklight uses a red (bad), yellow (medium) and green (good-to-go) LED-based system to give parents and coaches a real-time display of the force of collisions. Instead of guessing whether a player experienced a blow, this product gives consistent, reliable and actionable data, and also logs the total number and severity of impacts recorded.
Oakley Airwave
Before you hit the slopes this winter, you might opt to don a pair of Oakley Airwave snowboarding and skiing goggles. ($649.99).
Inside the goggles is a crisp, widescreen heads-up display (HUD) that gives you a bunch of useful stats while you’re on the mountain or hill: Speed (accurately measure how fast you’re carving down the slope), jump analytics (number of jumps, airtime), performance figures (maximum speed, maximum air and so on), navigation (see your location on a resort map or point-of-interest), music control (tied to your Apple or Android phone), text messages, calls and more. Plus, a “Buddy Tracking” feature means you can find friends who are also wearing the Oakley Airwave or using the app.
Although you can see through the HUD—meaning it’s easy to keep an eye on where you’re headed on the way down the run—this probably isn’t one for the novices among us, or those who are easily distracted.
Marc Saltzman is a recognized expert in computers, consumer electronics, video gaming and Internet trends. You can see him on CNN, CTV’s Canada AM, and on Cineplex movie-theatre screens across Canada.
Follow him on Twitter @marc_saltzman.
Photos: Reebok, Easton, Garmin, Samsung, Apple, 94Fifty, Babolat, Oakley
