The Amiigo fitness bracelet is clearly the most exciting personal fitness tracking device to hit the market in years.  The Amiigo includes the features that the Nike Fuelband and Jawbone Up simply left out.  I mean, do fitness enthusiasts really care about tracking sleep?

I don’t want to earn Nike Fuel points that are meaningless to my workout.  I want to track the exercises that I perform and see if I am improving. The Amiigo team knows that fitness isn’t easy and they are out to make it more fun, simple and social.  It isn’t enough to know how active you are if you can’t keep track of the data is a useful manner.  This device will sync up to your iOS or Android device via low powered Bluetooth 4.0 to track your workouts and activity in way that does more than just motivate you keep active.  It logs your data and allows you to run social competitions with your friends.  You can even wager points that can be used to get discounts on fitness gear and sports products.

The amiigo fitness bracelet

A simple wristband alone can’t give you enough data to really evaluate exercises properly.  Amiigo gets it right by adding a shoe clip that evaluates foot and leg data like no other device on the market.

Their team developed  a series of algorithms capable of converting acceleration data into descriptions of activities being performed.   It automatically recognizes the activities you perform and keeps tracks of reps, sets, speed and intensity of each exercise.  I can’t think of any consumer electronic device that offers this type of information at such a low price point. Once the API is opened up for developers we can expect to see the Amiigo working with our favorite fitness apps.

I’ve used my Nike Fuelband on my treadmill and when doing other activities and it doesn’t seem to gauge the intensity of my movements.  It is basically just a fancy pedometer with a nice display.  The Amiigo will be able to tell if I’m jogging on my treadmill or elliptical machine.  It can tell what type of weight training i’m am doing for that day.  This will pretty much eliminate the need for a log book.  This device is all about the details of the activities being performed.  This possibly the first device that offers a fitness experience that will do more that just motivate me to work out.  This device will provide me enough information to allow me to have a more effective workout.

They haven’t released any details as to how the device will be charged, but I expect it to be charged via mini USB.  I also wonder if they will offer the app and web experience as a free option or if we will have to go PRO with a premium subscription to “unlock” features.  I think it will be very exciting if the whole experience is free once you buy the band.

Visit the Indigogo site to find out additional information or to buy one for $99-$129.

The video above was NOT recorded with the Blue Snowball Microphone and it has major audio issues.

Due to a blown out hard drive, i had to crack open the mac to change it and I must have not connected the mic back properly. I wasn’t about to open that baby up again and I figured that It would just make more sense to get a mic that could handle sound better than the system mic could. I looked up a few options and found the Blue Snowball microphone to be the most affordable and best rated. It is now selling at between 50 and 65% of the original retail price of $99.

I’ve been testing it out for a few days and it is very nice for a beginner like myself.  I would say that it is good for someone just getting into the screencasting or podcasting game, but maybe not great for pure voice over people.  It is plug and play, so you don’t need to install any special drivers for the mac.  If you have an iPad with the camera connection kit, you can use that and the Blue Snowball will work with that too.  I have a 3rd party budget adapter, so I had a difficult time not having it fall out. I’m not sure if all Blue Snowball models can be attached to an ipad. I believe I read somewhere that only Blue Snowball mics built after a certain date can be used. The sound using the Wave Record app was simply amazing.  It was able to cut out nearly all of the background noise.

To get the mic running on a mac computer:

• Click on your system preferences
• In the Hardware section, click on Sound
• Click on the Input tab
• Select the Blue Snowball mic

Here is a sample recording using the Blue Snowball microphone and WavePad Editor

To have more control of how you edit your sound captured, I would suggest you use a program with a Waveform editor.   Here are a few free options that i found.  I don’t know if these are the best ones to use, but they did the trick for me.

• Audacity:  Audacity® is a free, open source, cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds.
• Wave Pad Audio Editor:  Wave Pad Audio is free(from what i can tell) for the basic version. This is a great program, but it almost seems too good to be true.  It does remind you that they have a Pro version available to purchase with more features.
• Wave Pad Audio Editor For iPad: Wave Pad Audio for iPad is free.

Other Options If the Blue Snowball Isn’t Your Thing:

• Samson Meteor:  Meteor Mic is the universal solution for recording music on your computer. Perfect for your home studio, Meteor Mic is also ideal for Skype, iChat or voice recognition software. With Meteor Mic, you can make incredible recordings that are out of this world.
• C-1 Studio Condenser Microphone: The C-1 is a cardioid condenser microphone designed to capture your sounds with incredible realism, sensitivity and accuracy. This condenser mic is an excellent choice for live and studio applications, and it’s available at a price that will leave you with enough cash left over to secure other recording essentials.

Fitbit One

The Fitbit One retails for $99 at most retail locations.

The FitBit One won’t make you faster or stronger, but it could provide the little extra motivation to be more active and healthy.

This devices monitors your activity and syncs it to your computer via a wireless dongle,an android device via an app or an iOS device via an app.  The sync only takes a few seconds and gives you a quick glimpse of how active your are.

The One™ automatically syncs your data to PCs, Macs, the iPhone 4S, 5, the 3rd generation iPad, iPod touch,
and – coming soon – select Android phones. All you need to do is sign up for your free account on Fitbit.com and
registeryour device (which you can also do via select smartphones). After that, voilà. Your stats will sync
on their own,giving you real-time access to all that outstanding data on your Fitbit dashboard.

FitBit describes the product like this:

Monitor your day with the One™ – this tracker’s aim is to empower and encourage you by delivering real-time feedback that helps you be more active. Why not take the stairs instead of the elevator? Or go for a quick walk after lunch? Those steps will add up fast.

Powered by Fitbit’s leading-edge accelerometer and altimeter, the One™ accurately captures all-day activity that old-school pedometers can’t handle. It bases calculations like calories burned on your personal
profile – reflecting your stats, not any average Joe’s.

Here is a promotional video created by FitBit:

This device is small and comes with a clip on case and armstrap that you can use at night.  It is much smaller than I thought it would be.  The Fitbit One can fit in your change pocket.  It is easy to clip on to your waistband or basically any piece of clothing you have.   If is very user friendly and not difficult to incorporate into your daily run or workout routine.

I think that this device is geared mostly towards women, but I think that men could benefit from using it too.

I personally was interested in the sleep monitoring feature, but i don’t really know if I can say that I think it works. I don’t know how the device can claim to know when I wake up at night.  I think that it just monitors severe movement and possibly counts me turning in my sleep as having my sleep interrupted.  I wasn’t very impressed with the sleep data that it provided. Maybe I was hoping for too much, but I wanted some advanced data and stats.

The One™ doesn’t nap, even when you do. Slip it into your wrist band at night, and it’ll measure your sleep cycle. Once the data syncs, graphs on your dashboard will reveal how long you slept and the number of times you woke up, giving you a sleep quality score. Over time, you can apply what you learn to help you sleep more soundly. The One™ also has a silent wake alarm that gently vibrates to wake you at your desired time, without disturbing your partner.

The step and stair tracker were much more accurate that I had expected.  I even tried to trick the device and mess it up by skipping and jumping, but it was great when it came to counting steps and stairs.  The calories burned seemed fairly accurate, but I think that it mainly works on algorithm based on height and weight because it logged calories even when i forgot to put on the device.   I started the morning off with 1200-1400 calories burned in the morning.  I am not saying that this is a bad thing because many of the devices don’t account for calories used by the body when not moving.

The device is comfortable to wear and maybe even too small for its own good.  I could see myself accidentally tossing it in washer by mistake.

The GadgetWhore editorial staff gave the fitBit One a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and retails for $99.  You can buy it here.

Related Products

Nike Fuelband

Up by Jawbone

Finding content for a gadget blog is tough, so I often try to test/borrow gadgets that belong to friends and family.  In some cases I go to retail stores to test gadgets and write about them here.  In this economy we all can’t afford to get every cool gadget that we want.  The saving grace is usually that every year technology advances and this year’s top gadgets can be purchased next year at a fraction of the initial price.

I was visiting a friend and hanging around the garage area when I noticed a cool exercise bike in the corner.  As I walked over I quickly realized that this wasn’t a normal exercise bike.  The bike was ProForm’s Le Tour De France (2012 Model) that was fully equipped with iFit Live.  The iFit Live subscription allows you create maps and fitness programs to suit your needs.  If you have a normal bike route where you ride your road bike, you can recreate your ride on your ProForm Le Tour De France.  That alone sounds very cool, but this training bike offers a simulated incline and decline feature that makes the experience seem more authentic.  I should stress that this isn’t really an exercise bike like I originally assumed.  This is more of a road bike race trainer for the more serious bike enthusiasts.

I don’t ride road bikes ever, but i occasionally ride mountain bikes and I rode BMX bikes as a child.  This ProForm Le Tour De France offers a great simulation with the comfort of using it indoors.  I ask my friend some details because i was very impressed by the machine.  He had many things that he liked about it, but he did have a few things that he didn’t like about it.  I was really enjoying it, but i didn’t dish out the nearly $1500 for the thing.   He stated that the readings for cadence and speed were off compared to what his tech gear on his road bike tells him.  He also felt the the incline and decline were a bit understated.   My buddy felt that it did do an excellent job training him for events and using when the weather is unpredictable.  He enjoys that it is fairly quiet and he can get a near silent early morning workout without having to put on his cold weather gear.

I’m never going to do a long distance bike ride so i was more impressed with the technology behind the scenes.  The 20% incline and decline offered was amazing and fluid in motion.  The ‘data’ in regards to Watts, RPM, Time, Calories, Distance and Speed were a nice feature.  The technology behind iFit Live offers some extra bells a whistles.  The iFit Live service is an added feature that is offered for an annual subscription fee for around $100.  It tracks stats, friends, customized routes/maps , allows you to input data from Garmin GSP fitness watches if you have them.

I can’t afford $1500 for this, but maybe in a few years if it drops down to $400 I would consider it.  My friend is happy he spent the $1500 because he feels that it offers him an edge.

Amazon has the ProForm Le Tour De France 2012 model on sale for $1499.

Check it out here.

I didn’t think to make a video, so i grabbed some YouTube Videos that demonstrate the assembly and demo of the device.

Cloud storage can get expensive once you fill up the 5 GB free storage that services like Dropbox, Box and iCloud offer.  You can expect to pay at least $5 a month those services charges can quickly rise up to $20 a month for personal solutions.  Costs can rise even more if you want a business plan that offers team collaboration and unlimited storage and bandwidth.

Pogoplug Series 4 is a cloud storage and personal cloud storage device.  What is the difference between the two?  When you have a personal cloud storage solution, the Pogoplug Series 4 is connected directly to your router and you host your data on a hard drive, USB media storage device or SD Card. The Pogoplug servers are not hosting your files, but they do provide a cloaked link your file and access to settings and file sharing options.  You can’t 100% bypass logging into Pogoplug’s servers when using this device.

The cloud storage solution that Pogoplug offers for a free is a premium service like Dropbox and Box where your files are hosted by the service.  You can also choose to use Pogoplug’s service as an offsite backup solution.

In short, if you set it up correctly you can buy a Pogoplug hardware device, supply your own hard drive and never have to pay additional fees to host your files. Pogoplug is now offering you a free 5GB of cloud storage when you sign up for an account.  You can use the free cloud storage and your own hosted cloud storage together using the web interface.

Why would a Pogoplug Series 4 be a useful tool for you?  If you have a mobile Android or iOS device, you can download the Pogoplug app and save files(Pictures/Videos) from your device to your hard drive connected to your Pogoplug.   You can do this from home using wi-fi or on the road using 3G or 4G.  The wi-fi solution works best, but the 3G and 4G solutions work too.  You can clear space from your iphone or ipad by backing up your pictures and videos to an external drive connected to these devices.  You can also stream home videos to your iPad, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3(this works best when you are connected via your home network and you may have spotty results if you are using 3G connections).  If you have tons of pictures on your computer, you can easily save a copy to your Pogoplug’s connected storage.

I’ve read several reviews of the Pogoplug Media device and the reviews have been mixed at best.  The main problem that people seem to discuss is the multiple software applications involved in running the service.  Users also complained about the company’s push to have users upgrade to Pogoplug’s premium cloud storage solution.  Users complained that they feel like they are using a trial version of the program until they upgrade.    I tested the Pogoplug Series 4 using  OSX Mountain Lion, the mobile Android and Ipad Apps and have only had slight issues.  The only annoying thing that happened was when I removed the hard drive without properly ejecting it first using the Web Access.  The Pogoplug Series 4 locked up and I had to unplug it from the router and pull the power cable from the device and re-insert it before it worked again.

I like to use it as a network connected drive rather than a way to backup my computer. Here is how I use it:

I named the hard drive connected to my Pogoplug as “enabled device”

When you start the Pogoplug Companion Software(on a mac computer), the Pogoplug drives will show up on your desktop.  To use it as a Dropbox alternative, just double click on it you can browse the files and add files without using the web access interface.  You will have to login with  your Pogoplug web credentials the first time to login. Note that even your Pogoplug Cloud Storage shows up as a hard drive and you can also upload files to their Cloud Storage Solution from your desktop. We are going to browse our ENABLED DEVICE that is part of our personal cloud storage solution.

Once you double click on the drive you will be able to browse the files from the hard drive connected to your Pogoplug Series 4. You can drag and drop files here to add them to your personal cloud server, but you must use the web access to the Pogoplug website to manage your device settings and sharing options.

From within the Pogoplug companion software(at least in the OSX version) you can click the Web Access button on the top left corner to automatically be

logged on to your account, device and sharing settings.

You will be logged into the web service and you will see both your Pogoplug Cloud

and your PogoplugMobile(this is similar to the Pogoplug Series 4).  Click on your

“enabled device” to browse your files.  We are going to select a file to share with a family member or friend.

Select the file you want to share.

Click on get click to share.

Here are the link details for the sharing options.  You can tweet out a link, Google + a link, Send a link to Facebook or

email the link.   The assign password feature is only available with an upgraded account.

Unchecking the ALLOW DOWNLOADS check box with block downloading.

The Pogoplug Series 4 can be a nice alternative to Dropbox, but it does have some tradeoffs because you do have to use the Pogoplug Mobile Apps, Companion Software or Web Access to use the device.

It works for what I need it for, but Dropbox may be the only solution necessary for casual users.  It is a great device to use to shares pictures and home videos with family or friends.

Here is a link to buy Pogoplug if you are interested.

Here is a video presentation about the Pogoplug:

Another interesting hardware solution on Kickstarter is the Transporter.  It basically does everything that the Pogoplug Series 4 does and more.  I am including the link here for you to check it out.  This device has a really great auto sync feature with unique sharing capabilities.

Here is a video that explains how the Transporter works:

In doing research for this post I found a free software application that can handle all of these tasks with a little time spent messing with the settings.  The program is called Crashplan and they have paid and free services.  I believe the trial part of the software is for the paid cloud backup.  I might be wrong, but i think the backup to computer, hard drive or family/friend computer is always free.  It sounds like they offer most of what the Transporter offers for backup purposes.

Video tutorial Crashplan:

Jawbone UP fitness lifestyle wristband – $129

The new improved Jawbone up retails for $129

Track your movements and sleep with this clever wristband with some serious CPU under the hood.

It connects to an iOs app and soon an Android app to display data and lets you add meals and your moods.

The sleep mode tracks small movements while you sleep and provides valuable data on how many hours you slept, time it took you to fall asleep and your light vs. deep sleep.  It also had an alarm feature that will vibrate to wake you up in the morning.

It is a cool gadget to give you info on your lifestyle that is packed in an awesome and simple design that just looks cool.

Great for that guy or gal who is interested in fitness and lifestyle gadgets.

Jawbone – Big Jambox – Bluetooth speaker and speaker phone -  From $285 to $300

Jawbone Big Jambox $285-$300

Gone are the days of cranking up your Hi-Fi Stereo system to play music. Today, we have our music with us on our phones and mp3 players all the time.  The simple way to connect is via bluetooth and the BIG Jambox may be the easiest way to do that.  Fill the room with music for a party or just to play some of your favorite music and relax.

This is the big brother to the original Jawbone Jambox that was released several years ago.  This model offers a much louder sound that may even be more crisp than the original.   The voice-prompts and rechargeable battery offer high end features that most products don’t.

Anyone with a smartphone or tablet will love this device.

Roky XD – HD Streaming Media Player – $58 to $79
This isn’t the best streaming device available, but it is one of the best for the price.  It offers streaming from Amazon Prime video, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu and HBO Go.

My main problem is with the simple interface because it is not as slick as you will find on the Xbox 360, Sony Playstation, Google Tv or the original Boxee Box.  It offers a no bells and whistles UI(User Interface), but some people may find that more appealing than a super slick interface.  I guess it is a personal preference.

We tested this device and it streams flawlessly and with great clarity.  It was a simple connection once you get your wi-fi security code entered.

The Jensen SMPS-650 is a $48-$52 portable bluetooth speaker solution. It can be compared to the more recognized Jawbone Jambox. At 1/3 to 1/4 of the price, it is a great choice for the money. The speaker comes with a USB cable to charge the unit, a carry bag and speaker jack cable. The construction is solid and feels to be an aluminum or hard plastic case. The front grille is textured and diamond embossed like the black version of the Jawbone Jambox.

In comparison to the Jawbone Jambox, the Jensen SMPS-650 does not offer as rich of a sound quality. Many people say that it offers around 80-85% of the clarity and loudness of the Jambox. The Jambox also offers cool voice prompts and the ability to add apps. The Jensen only has beeps and flashing lights to confirm the power is on and that the device is in bluetooth pairing mode.

Both the Jensen SMPS-650 and the Jawbone Jambox offer speakphone capabilities for cell phone users. It also offers an AUX IN port to input audio from non-bluetooth enabled devices.

In our tests the Jensen offered great sound quality at low and mid range volumes. The quality was degraded slightly at the higher volume levels, but we feel that it had to do with the low quality of some of the MP3′s that were tested. The higher quality mp3′s held up much better in the higher volume level range.

The speaker is very nice looking and at first look can pass for the more expensive Jawbone Jambox. It doesn’t have many of the advanced features of the Jambox, but it performed very well in our sound tests and it looks good enough to want to show off.

On a negative note, the Jensen does NOT come with a dedicated wall charger.  The only thing that comes in the package is a USB cable that needs to be plugged into a computer.  Try AT YOUR OWN RISK, but we were also able to charge using a USB power charger for an ipad/ipod. The charging cable is not a standard mini usb cable that most devices come with.  If you lose this plug, you are going to have to pay to order a new one.  We suspect that you may be able to bypass the USB charging entirely if you purchase a standard DC 5V  1000mA plug that powers many electronic devices out there.

Another slightly negative thing is the amount of time it takes to fully charge the unit. It takes over 4 hours to fully charge the device.

We still think this is one of the best deals of the holiday season for the price.

For the Guys:

Guys love to get DVD and BLU RAY MOVIES and TV SHOWS as gifts.  The only things that guys love more than DVD and BLU RAY movies are zombies.  Why not combine the two with the 3-Disc Special Edition of THE WALKING DEAD. This show is for adult audiences, so don’t grab this for your 12 or 13 year old son.  The Walking Dead – Season One is possibly one of the best zombie televisions shows ever made.  I haven’t met a guy who doesn’t love this show.

THE WALKING DEAD -  SEASON ONE

VERDICT – UNDER $30 – $24.99 at the time of publishing

Also available for $15.99 for 2-disc DVD Regular Edition and $21.99 in Blu Ray 2-Disc Regular Edition

GREAT BUY FOR MEN AGE 18-50 Years Old

Here is what the show is about:

Outdoors/Sporting Edition

2011 Holiday Deals - Gifts For Men

Buy Garmin Forerunner 410

The Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS enabled sports watch and heart rate monitor - $299-$375 – Amazon Reviewers gave this item 3.5 stars out of 5

The Garmin Forerunner 410 heart rate monitor will help you take your training to the next level. This powerful GPS-enhanced watch accurately records time, pace, distance, elevation and heart rate.

• High-sensitivity GPS receiver stays locked onto satellites, even near tall buildings and under tree cover; HotFix® satellite prediction locks onto satellites quickly
• Included premium heart rate monitor chest strap aids you in optimizing your performance while training
• 5 customizable heart rate zones help you improve your fitness by ensuring you’re working out at a level that provides the most benefit
• Touch bezel around display allows users to easily scroll through function screens with a single finger while running; touch bezel has been enhanced to work well when moist
• Forerunner 410 features an advanced calorie-consumption formula that calculates calories burned based on changes in the user’s heart rate during aerobic activity
• Customize the data that is displayed on up to 3 training pages; you can determine how many fields are displayed on each page—1 big field, 2 fields or 3 smaller fields
• Virtual Partner® allows you to set time, distance or speed goals and then compete against a runner icon on the 410 display
• Mark locations, save locations or navigate back to the starting point with the basic navigation capabilities
• ANT+ wireless technology lets you automatically transfer data between your computer and Forerunner without even taking the watch off; compatible with Mac and PC computers
• Use the Garmin Connect community website to track your time, speed, distance and calories burned; store and share routes with other Forerunner users on the website
• In Garmin Connect, you can see the route you traveled on a map, view a summary of your run, create goals and find new courses to run
• You can also share workout information and compete against other users’ recorded courses by wirelessly transferring data to other Forerunner 410 or Forerunner 405 units nearby
• Sleek design allows the watch to be worn during everyday activities; or, power it down completely to conserve battery power
• Built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 8 hrs. of use in training mode and 2 weeks in power save mode
• Water-resistant construction meets IPX7 standards (submersible to 1m for 30 min.)
• Includes the standard wrist strap and 2 fabric replacement straps that fit a variety of wrist sizes
• Optional foot pod (sold separately) transmits speed/distance data without the use of satellites, so the Forerunner 410 can also be used indoors
• Forerunner 410 tracks your cycling workouts when paired with a GSC 10 Speed and Cadence Sensor, sold separately
• Includes Forerunner 410, USB ANT+ stick, premium heart rate strap, 2 fabric replacement wrist straps, charging clip, AC adapter, owner’s manual on disk and quick start manual

The Boxee Box by D-Link has been out for over a year now.  The initial reviews of this device were poor, but i decided that I should check it out for the sake of the website.

Most of the early problems connected with this device have been corrected.  The Netflix application works like a charm and I think that it may be the best implementation next to the Xbox 360′s built in app.

Connecting media via a USB external hard drive or USB Flash media drive could not be easier.  It plays nearly any format that you throw at it.  It even plays FLV files that can be downloaded from You Tube or other Flash streaming sites.  Many devices require you to re-encode media to enable playback, but the Boxee Box team has done an excellent job on including the most popular playback formats.

The other great thing about this device is that it is constantly being updated with tweaks , patches and applications.  The seamless integration with Facebook and Twitter is also a plus, but we haven’t gotten around to wanting to post all of our media watching on social media just yet.

The user interface is nice and may just be a little less attractive that the second generation Apple TV.  The user interface is easy to navigate and explore.  The search capabilities are a nice added touch. The list of apps is impressive and each offer a unique viewing experience.

Considering that you can purchase a Boxee Box for approx. $150 on Amazon or maybe even cheaper locally on Craigslist, I think that it is a real steal.  After testing most of the major streaming devices, we would have to say that is the device to select if you are not an Apple fanboy.

Boxee supports the following file types and container formats:

Physical media: CDs, DVDs, Video CDs (including DVD-Video, VCD/SVCD and Audio-CD/CDDA)

Container formats: AVI, MPEG, WMV, ASF, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, M4A, AAC, NUT, Ogg, OGM, RealMedia RAM/RM/RV/RA/RMVB, 3gp, VIVO, PVA, NUV, NSV, NSA, FLI, FLC, ISO, and DVR-MS (beta support)

Video codecs: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (SP and ASP, including DivX, XviD, 3ivx, DV, H.263), MPEG-4 AVC (H.264, including Nero Digital), HuffYUV, Indeo, MJPEG, RealVideo, QuickTime, Sorenson, WMV, Cinepak.

Audio codecs: AIFF, WAV/WAVE, MP2, MP3, AAC, AACplus, AC3, DTS, ALAC, AMR, FLAC, Monkey’s Audio (APE), RealAudio, SHN, WavPack, MPC/Musepack/Mpeg+, Speex, Vorbis and WMA.

Digital picture/image formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, MNG, ICO, PCX and Targa/TGA

Subtitle formats: AQTitle, ASS/SSA, CC, JACOsub, MicroDVD, MPsub, OGM, PJS, RT, SMI, SRT, SUB, VOBsub, VPlayer