Nike+ used to only count your footsteps, so if you were not a runner you were out of the fun. But the new version comes with a whole new interactive 'personal trainer' in your iPhone. Two new extensions, Nike+ Training and Nike+ Basketball, use pressure sensors to record your workouts. The Nike+ Training acts like a mobile personal trainer, integrated with more than 100 different drills used by the brand’s top athletes. The Nike+Basketball measures vertical jump, quickness, and "hustle". Both extensions enable interactive social behaviors such as sharing your achievements and competing with your friends.
Improving upon its original sensor that was slipped inside your shoe and measured only contact time, the new Nike+ sensor can measure pressure through a hyper-thin mylar pad that mimics the shape and tucks inside your sole. This pad has sensors at 4 pressure points--under your toe, heel, and the first and fifth metatarsal head connecting to a central spot with an accelerometer that processes power, and a radio to collect and combine data via Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) into your phone. Together with the Nike Fuelband, both technologies work with NikeFuel, Nike's proprietary scale for measuring total physical activity. It seems that Adidas' micoach, Fibit, and Jawbone, will have some fierce competition.
We also recommend watching: "Nike Fuelband: Personal Wristband Trainer" and "Scanadu Tricorder: Check Your Health as Often As Your Email".
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$18.6 billion in its fiscal year 2008.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$18.6 billion in its fiscal year 2008.
Nike+ 2.0: The New Era for Personal Mobile Training