Nike+ and iPod Sport Kit News and Reviews

Dissecting a Sport Kit Sensor

2008-02-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

SparkFun electronics has a nice write-up on dissecting a sensor. The article has lots of great photos and schematics. We also have an older article discussing why apple chose to use a piezoelectric sensor.

Thanks to Jeruim for the link!

Buy an iPhone Online

2007-06-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Despite people waiting in day-long lines, and ebay resellers adding a 100% mark-up, you can now buy your very own iPhone online directly from Apple.com. No lines, no crowds, no hassles. Shipping is even free!

Buy an iPhone from Apple for $499 with free shipping

20% off coupon for the Nike Store

2007-05-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The new code to use is 4JFSJUL7

Now through July 9th, customers will receive Free Shipping on any order at Nikestore.com by simply entering code 4JFSJUL7 at checkout.

From now until May 31 you can use the coupon code 2PLKBKEM7 at the official NikeStore at Nike.com to receive 20% off an order of $125 or more.

You can also print the coupon below and use it at any NikeTown store:

Nike Amp+ Remote Control Watch

2006-11-30T20:36:00.000-08:00

The Men's Health 2007 Tech Guide released some details on a new Sport Kit accessory -- the Nike Amp+. The Amp+ is a wristwatch-based remote control for iPods equipped with the Sport Kit. With the remote you can browse through your song library, choose new tracks to listen to, and view your running times. If you're a serious Sport Kit user, this sounds like a great tool. No more fumbling with your Nano to change tracks or see run info! The Amp+ will cost $80, but no release date has been announced yet. [via]

How does the sensor work?

2006-07-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

One of our readers, Allen, wrote in to ask how the sport kit sensor works. Recently I stumbled across a FAQ by Apple that explains a few things:

How does the sensor know how fast I am going?

A sensitive piezoelectric accelerometer monitors your footstrike when you walk or run and determines the amount of time your foot spent on the ground. This contact time is directly related to your pace.

With my seldom-used electrical engineering background, I have to agree that Apple made a great choice for a sensor for three reasons:

Price - Piezoelectric sensors are very inexpensive and simple devices. For example, a basic piezo shock sensor costs less than a dollar from Digi-Key.
Battery Life - Piezo sensors can be integrated into a very low-power design. Battery life of the sensor has been a main concern of users. It looks like Apple has done their work and the sensor's battery should outlast five pairs of running shoes.
Accuracy - By measuring the pressure of each step, the sensor should be able to measure the approximate pace of the runner. Apple claims that the sensor will be accurate for most users out of the box, with no calibration.

Previously many people, myself included, speculated that it might be possible to simply strap the sensor onto the laces of an existing pair of running shoes. This was based on the idea that the sensor would use a motion-based accelerometer to measure steps. However by using a shock-based accelerometer, the sensor must be placed underneath the foot so that it will feel the shock of each step. There have already been reports of hobbyists cutting holes in their existing running shoes for the sensor. So far, it seems that they've succeeded!

Some Great Photos of the Sport Kit

2006-07-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

AppleInsider has taken some great pictures of the Sport Kit:

iLounge also has a few good photos, including some of the clothing and the shoes:

The Sport Kit wireless transmitter thankfully looks very small. There's one thing that definitely has me excited -- the clothing with not only a holder for the Nano, but also holes for headphone wires. In the picture above, you can see a hole for the wire just to the left of the Nano. When running, the biggest annoyance for me isn't the iPod itself, it's the headphone wires. The wires swing back and forth, often pulling on me and getting in the way. I typically run the headphone wires through the sleeve of my shirt, but that only marginally helps. The new clothing may be just what I'm looking for. Not to mention that the shirts look very slick.

Launch Parties Galore!

2006-07-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today Nike and Apple hosted large launch parties in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston. They included concerts, sports stars, and of course -- running. AppleInsider has more details on the launch parties.

Available Tomorrow!

2006-07-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

Nike and Apple announced today that the iPod Sport Kit will be available tomorrow! It's been available for preorder since its announcement in May, however tomorrow it should be available in retail stores. Two styles of Nike shoes compatible with the Sport Kit will be available sometime in July, the Nike Air Zoom Moire+ and Nike Air Zoom Plus+. Of course the iPod Nano has been available for purchase for quite some time. :) [via]

Available in July

2006-06-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

As is usual, this past weekend I found myself in New York City. I decided to drop by the Apple Store and the NikeTown to see if they had any details on the release date. After talking with several employees at both stores, the response I received across the board was "in July".

On a side note, the Apple Store on 5th Avenue is a sight to see. The store is in the middle of a previously vacant square. The only above ground part of the store is a giant glass cube with a huge Apple logo suspended in the middle.

How long will the battery last?

2006-06-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Similar to iPods, the Sport Kit's battery will not be easily replaced. So how long will the battery last, and therefore how often will we have to replace the Sport Kit? Although there are no detailed specifications on the battery life of the Sport Kit, a May 24th article in BusinessWeek sheds some light:

Other technical challenges centered on the duration of the battery power (close to 1,000 hours).

A thousand hours of continuous operation is less than 42 days. The Sport Kit will certainly last more than a month or two. Therefore it's a safe assumption that the battery will only be drained while actually in motion and sending data. This theory is affirmed by a commenter on engadget.

Dr. Pribut, a Washington DC podiatrist, recommends getting new running shoes every 350 to 550 miles. At a modest 10 minutes per mile pace, this equates to 58 to 92 hours of running. I personally don't replace my running shoes this often, but perhaps I should. Doubling this time for warm-up and cool-down, we get 116 to 184 hours of time spent in each pair of running shoes.

In conclusion, it looks a Sport Kit will last through at least five pairs of running shoes. With only a $29 price tag, this sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Preorders now available!

2006-06-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I received this email:

Subject: Nike + iPod Sport Kit: You wanted to be the first to know.
From: "Apple"

Own it.
Preorder the Nike +iPod Sport Kit today.

On the Apple website, it now says that the Sport Kit will ship in 4 to 5 weeks. That puts the release towards the end of July. The previously rumored June 13th release date must have been the date that preorders would begin being accepted. Tomorrow I'll visit both the Apple store and the Niketown store to see if I can get any more details on the release date. Perhaps the Niketown will have some information on when the first Nike+ shoe will be available.

As of right now, you can preorder the Sport Kit through Amazon here.

iPod will control your tempo

2006-06-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Continuing with our patent analysis, the iPod Sport Kit may enable your iPod to truly change the way you run:

the music manger can slow the tempo, thereby causing the user to slow their pace or the music manger can speed up the tempo, thereby causing the user to speed up their pace

They also discuss the same idea, but with a heart rate monitor:

The user enters an upper heart rate as for example 160 and a lower heart rate as for example 120. Thereafter when the user is exercising and listening to music, the heart rate of the user is monitored. If the heart rate falls below the lower limit, the tempo of the song is increased either by selecting a new song with the appropriate tempo and/or by adjusting the currently played song. If the heart rate rises above the upper limit, the tempo of the song is decreased either by selecting a new song with the appropriate tempo and/or by adjusting the currently played song.

Although the iPod Sport Kit won't include a heart rate monitor, the above example could just as easily apply to the user's running pace. It'll be interesting to see if the change in the music tempo is subtle or rather obvious. I also wonder how directly a music tempo change will affect the user's running pace.

This idea might even be extendable to other venues outside of the exercise world. Perhaps dance clubs could monitor the energy level of the crowd and in response alter the music being played.

Adjusting the Tempo of a Song

2006-05-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Upcoming iPods may be able to dynamically adjust the tempo of songs. The following excerpt from the Apple patent gives a quick example:

For example, if the user selects 120 beats per minute, and the audio track has a tempo of 140 beats per minute, then the music manager 12 can decrease the tempo of the audio track 18 from 140 bpm to 120 bpm thereby matching the tempo of the audio track with the selected tempo.

Adjusting the tempo would enable your music to match up perfectly with your running tempo. Being a former musician, it annoys me when my feet movements don't quite match up with the music I'm listening to. Perhaps a new tempo-adjustment feature will fix this. We may even see a new menu on the iPod, similar to above graphic. It looks just like the volume, fast-forward, and rating controls, but would presumably adjust the tempo.

Current iPods have a similar functionality that enables audiobooks to be played at a faster or slower pace. This enables some people listen to audiobooks very quickly.

This Week: Analysis of Apple's Patent

2006-05-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Two days after the iPod Sport Kit announcement, The United States Patent and Trademark Office published Apple's patent on Music Synchronization Arrangement. The patent was filed in November of 2004. Interestingly enough, Apple and Nike started working together at approximately the same time -- November of 2004. The patent details a rich set of features that give insight into exactly what the iPod Sport Kit may be capable of. Over the coming week I'll be analyzing and discussing various features described in Apple's patent. Stay tuned, perhaps subscribe to my RSS feed, and hopefully we'll discover a few not-yet-announced features that will be in the Sport Kit.

Video of similar idea from MSFT

2006-05-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

As mobility pointed out, Microsoft Research came up with an idea similar to the iPod Sport Kit. The MPTrain appears to be a prototype of an ECG and accelerometer that communicates wirelessly with a smartphone. The smartphone would not only monitor your workout performance, but also play songs in response to the pace and energy of your workout. Below is a quick video on Microsoft's vision behind the MPTrain:

However, Microsoft never fully developed the product, and has not yet taken it to market. As is usual, the differences between Microsoft and Apple show through in how the two ideas differ. MPTrain is packed full of neat features, but has not yet come to market in a finished form. The Sport Kit has only the essential features, looks like it will be easy to use, and has a well-polished appearance.

Nike+ and iPod Sport Kit Announced

2006-05-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Nike and Apple announced Nike+ and the iPod Sport Kit. Reuters was the first to break the news. The iPod Sport Kit consists of a pedometer-like sensor and a data receiver for the iPod Nano. The sensor will fit into a new line of shoes produced by Nike. Data from the sensor, such as speed and mileage run, is sent wirelessly to the iPod receiver. The iPod will then be able to provide audio feedback in response to your run. It will also allow you to upload your run data to both the nikeplus.com website and iTunes. The data will enable you to track your progress, challenge other runners to virtual races, receive online training feedback, and make you a member of what will potentially be the largest running community in the world. I'm looking forward to the June 13th launch.