Sporting Gadgets to keep you on track..fit and healthy

The best sporting gadgets to keep you on track

February 02, 2009. By Stephen Fenech, The Daily Telegraph. A friend sent me this article from Australia and I thought many of my readers would be interested. Check it out.

IF exercising more was your New Year's resolution, these gadgets may help keep you on track.

Nike + iPod Sport Kit
Price: $48
From: Nike or Apple, 13 36 22
Web: nike.com.au

NOW there's a way for iPod runners to keep track of their performance. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit consists of a small receiver that connects to Apple's iPod Nano, and a small sensor that can be placed inside a range of specially designed Nike running shoes.

During your run, the sensor sends data to the Nano to record the time, distance travelled, pace and calories burned. Users can set open-ended runs or select a workout with specific goals. And because it's connected to the iPod, Nano runners can also listen to their favourite tunes and even program a power song for motivation.

Once a workout is completed, runners can dock their iPod to a PC to upload the data to nikeplus.com, where the information can be viewed in chart form for analysis and comparison.

Sony B Series NWZB133FR Walkman
Price: $49
From: Sony, 1300 720 071
Web: sony.com.au

IT'S not always ideal lugging a large music player with you when you go to the gym or out for a run.

Sony's new B Series has 1GB of memory, which is plenty of room to store hundreds of tunes before setting out. And because it weighs only 29g, it can easily be stored in a pocket or, thanks to its elongated shape, held comfortably in your hand.

It also has a rapid charger so three minutes of power can provide up to 90 minutes of playback.

Also on board is a bass booster and an FM radio, so users can hear live radio and even record their favourite songs to the device.

Casio Riseman G9200
Price: $399
From: Shriro Australia, 1300 768 112
Web: www.shriro.com.au

SWIMMERS who like to keep track of their laps in the pool or the length of their ocean swim can rely on Casio's Riseman to keep time, even at a depth of up to 200m.

But the Riseman is just as much at home out of the water with an altimeter that can measure time along with differences in altitude – a function that can be useful for sports such as rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing.

The Riseman also comes with a thermometer, barometer, solar power and an electroluminescent backlight with automatic illumination.

It tells the time, not just where you are but across 33 different time zones – a handy feature for frequent travellers.

The Riseman incorporates atomic timekeeping, which means it is calibrated with signals from atomic clocks in the US, Germany, England, Japan and China.

Wii Fit
Price: $129
From: Nintendo, 9730 9822
Web: nintendo.com.au

CAN a gaming console get you fit? Well, in the case of Nintendo's Wii Fit the answer is a definite yes.

The Wii has been a runaway success with its widespread appeal to gamers of all ages and skill levels, thanks to its movement-sensitive controllers and imaginative application into the games.

Wii Fit introduced a balance board that gives the user an all-new way to interact with the console by reading your body movements.

Players can get up off the couch and into shape and have fun at the same time. There are games to develop your sense of balance, along with yoga, strength training and aerobics.

It's like having your own digital personal trainer and it keeps track of your progress on your way to achieving your fitness goals.

The more you train, the more Fit Credits go into your Wii Fit Bank. As your Fit Credits increase, they can be used to unlock more games and activities.

Casio Pro Trek
Price: $629
From: Shriro Australia, 1300 768 112
Web: www.shriro.com.au

SAYING the latest watches can tell the time is like hearing the latest mobiles also make phone calls – we already know that.

It's the extra features that really make these products stand apart and that is definitely the case with Casio's Pro Trek watch. It's an ideal companion – with 200m water resistance and solar power for gym junkies or those people who just enjoy the great outdoors.

Pro Trek provides moon phases, tide graphs and a timer for yacht racing, which will go down well with swimmers and sailors alike.

There is also an altimeter, barometer, thermometer and digital compass so you can have the latest information, whether you're mountain biking, mountain climbing, bushwalking or relaxing on the beach.

(http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,24995664-5014239,00.html)