Philips DirectLife Activity monitor

Posted in Exercise Gadgets by Conner Flynn on October 21st, 2009

Philips DirectLife Activity monitorPhilips DirectLife Activity monitor is exercising the geek way. As a geek, I don’t understand fancy concepts like calories or body mass index or push-ups. What I do understand is status bars. I know when something is fully loaded, half loaded or almost there. And that’s all I need.

I depend on status bars to tell me how close I am to a goal. Philips knows this. The Philips DirectLife Activity Monitor looks like a pedometer and has the status bar in green LEDs on the front. Using the software that comes with the device, you enter your fitness goals and then go about your day. Then just look at it to see how close you are.

Walky Dog: You ride, the dog walks

Posted in Pets by Conner Flynn on August 6th, 2009

Walky Dog: You ride, the dog walksDogs are man’s best friend, though they don’t act like it, forcing you to take them for walks and clean up their poop. Screw that. Why walk the dog when you can ride along side of him with Walky Dog? This Italian-designed dog walker allows you to just take it easy. Let the dog worry about how he’s going to keep up while you peddle away.

This stainless-steel dog leash attaches to your bicycle seat post to provide a safe, shock-absorbing connection.

Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation With Built-In Treadmill

Posted in Exercise Gadgets by Conner Flynn on June 15th, 2009

Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation With Built-In TreadmillWho says you have to leave the office to go to the Gym? Or leave the gym to go to the office. Well, with the Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation, maybe you won’t have the entire gym at your disposal, but at least you’ll have a treadmill. That’s because the Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation is a workstation and a treadmill in one. So the question becomes, what will give you a heart-attack first? Your impending deadline or all that running at your desk?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle while being an office worker isn’t easy, but now you will have an edge. The Sit-to-Walkstation from Steelcase is a 2-in-1 workstation that allows users to walk, stand or sit while on the job. Instead of just sit.

Fujitsu F-09A with exercise monitor

Posted in Fujitsu by Conner Flynn on June 4th, 2009

Fujitsu F-09A with exercise monitorIf you find that you can’t get in shape on your own and need the help of a gadget, the F-09A handset from Fujitsu will help by nagging you into shape. It features a large 3.4″ touchscreen panel which is capable of sliding and rotating to access different functions, while offering an integrated Exercise Monitor that lets you know how much physical activity you’ve engaged in.

Some other features include GPS navigation, an 8.1-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, 1Seg TV and the ability to keep you connected to the net wherever you are thanks to its high-speed FOMA, 3G and GSM compatibility.

Jog A Dog: Rid your pooch of that paunch

Posted in Pets by Conner Flynn on April 26th, 2009

Jog A Dog: Rid your pooch of that paunchYou know who you are. You people with your little dogs that have big stomachs dragging on the floor. Whether it’s from too many treats or a serious lack of exercise, the Jog A Dog doggie treadmill will shape your pooch up in no time.

It comes in 4 different versions, for toy dogs all the way up to your giant beasts. The treadmill will do between 1 and 10 mph, are very quiet and supposedly maintenance free. Well, you’ll have to clean up the puke. Your little guy is so out of shape, it probably thinks this is astronaut training. The treadmill also features an easy grip surface and the running surface can be removed and cleaned.

Personal Trainer: Walking for Nintendo DSi

Posted in Nintendo DSi by Conner Flynn on April 6th, 2009

Personal Trainer: Walking for Nintendo DSiThe Nintendo DSi just launched and already we can show you some hardware to buy for the new handheld. The folks over at Joystiq sat down with David Young, the assistant PR manager for Nintendo of America. Mr. Young said that DSi interaction with the Wii was “certainly a possibility,” but he didn’t say anything else on the matter.

He did let one thing out of the bag though. That the DSi will soon be interacting with some new peripherals in the form of a pair of pedometers that will ship with the Personal Trainer: Walking title. Apparently the devices connect wirelessly with the console. The game will be the first title where you can import a Mii character from the Wii. You can even attach one of the pedometers to your dog if you like, to gauge it’s exercise habits/needs.

Garmin 405CX and 310XT Forerunner watches with GPS

Posted in Watches by Conner Flynn on April 2nd, 2009

Garmin 405CX and 310XT Forerunner watches with GPSGarmin is offering up two new watches in the Forerunner lineup. They look a tad, uh, fugly. The waterproof 310XT and the 405CX, which is the successor to the 405. Fugly they may be, but they pack in a lot of functions.

The 310XT features a tough waterproof shell rated for a depth of up to 50 meters, and 20 hours of battery life. Both the 310XT and the 405CX include GPS, wireless, data syncing and will track your burned calories. These are great watches for Athletes looking for a personal trainer on their wrist.

Takara Tomy launches Minutes Gym digital video trainer

Posted in Exercise Gadgets by Conner Flynn on March 30th, 2009

Takara Tomy launches Minutes Gym digital video trainerTakara Tomy wanted them some of that sweet Wii Fit action, so they launched the Minutes Gym Digital Video Trainer which is a pretty simple looking device that plugs into your TV or display with a composite video input. Just give it some basic info and use the integrated body fat sensor to measure your current state of flabbiness.

After that a bunch of animated figures will guide you through your fitness workouts. An incredible 100,000,000. That’s right 100 million 3-minute workouts. You’d have to be Jabba the Hutt to get through all of them and still be rotund.

Speedfit Treadmobile: The next gen Flintstones car

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on March 26th, 2009


Speedfit is a human-powered mobile treadmill invented by Olympic medalist Alex Astilean. Much like Fred Flintstone’s old rod, it uses people power to get it moving. The only real difference is that Fred’s feet no longer have to meet the road.

The version in the video is a one or two person model, but Alex wants to create a public transportation version of the treadmobile that will allow a large crowd to power their own mass transit. Sure, it looks silly, but I’m guessing it’s a hell of a workout.

Magic Mirror: See your muscles while you work out, or lack of

Posted in Health by Conner Flynn on March 2nd, 2009

Magic Mirror: See your muscles while you work out, or lack ofResearchers at the University of Tokyo have created what they are calling a “magic mirror”. It shows you your muscular activity in real time so you can visually see how hard your muscles are working while you exercise. The system can currently monitor the activity of 30% of the body’s 300-some skeletal muscles.

Sadly the user has to wear all of those little balls etc, to get the readings. At the moment it’s a medical device, so it won’t be showing up at the gym anytime soon or on Wii-Fit. But one day soon you’ll be using your mirror as an actual health device. Not just a surface for your popped zit juice.

EA Sports Active for the Wii

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on February 21st, 2009

EA Sports Active for the WiiElectronic Arts wants to have more Wii cred, so they are unveiling the new EA Sports Active exercise package, and they hope that it soars past the Wii Fit as the best-selling fitness title on the console. EA claims that you will benefit from a more serious workout with Sports Active compared to Wii Fit.

EA’s exercise routine will focus on cardio and strength improvement challenges, and can be played by a single person or as a group. There’s also a new peripheral. A specially designed leg strap that will hold the Nunchuk while you hold the Wiimote in your hand. This lets the software track both upper and lower body movement with more accuracy.

Riiflex Weights for Wii Fit

Posted in Wii Accessories by Conner Flynn on January 21st, 2009

Riiflex Weights for Wii FitYou knew it had to happen. They actually intend to make us do serious exercise with this Wii-Fit thing. A patent-pending peripheral called “riiflex” will turn your Wiimotes into dumbells thanks to some 2lb and 5lb cases. The design is pretty interesting. These even feature a trigger port for access to all the Wiimote’s buttons.

They are available for preorder deposit. While the price is still undecided, they estimate that these weights will cost you around $30 per unit. I’m sure they are already planning a way to include the nunchuk. One question. Do serious weight-lifting meatheads even use the Wii?

jOG forces Wii gamers to move around more

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on January 7th, 2009

jOG forces Wii gamers to move around moreSure, you’ve flicked your wrist again and again playing Wii Tennis. You’ve swung your arms about while playing baseball. Now, prepare to run…jOG. The jOG for Wii (also compatible with PS2) only allows gamers to use their joysticks if they’re physically jogging at the same time.

The device works by connecting to your controller through a cable and then being attached to your pants. After that, if you want to use the controller’s joystick, you better be jogging fatty. The jOG-S21 will be available in the near future and will cost around $25. Below you’ll find a video demonstrating how the jOG works.

Hands On with the iTami FiTrainer virtual coach

Posted in Exercise Gadgets, Review by Darrin Olson on January 7th, 2009

iTami FiTrainer headsetReviewing a technology gadget is usually is fair amount of work anyway, but trying out the FiTrainer from iTami turned out to be a little more than I had bargained for. The FiTrainer is essentially a customizable, virtual fitness coach with direct access to your current level of exertion and your ears.

The device is essentially a pair of somewhat-large headphones with a built in heart-rate monitor, music and voice prompts to continuously keep you in the “right” zone for your workout. Users enter in the type of workout and their age and then start exercising. The voice inside the headset guides you through the rest.

Canine treadmill takes the dog for a walk while you play video games

Posted in Pets by Conner Flynn on January 2nd, 2009

Canine treadmill takes the dog for a walk while you play video gamesHaving a dog can be awesome. You are like a God to man’s best friend. Animals are even said to help keep you stress free. But they are pretty high maintenance, with the feeding and the walking. It can really cut into your gaming time.

Thankfully, this dog treadmill will help. No longer will you need to pause your game and go take Fido for a walk. He can do it his own damn self, while you continue fragging zombies. The Canine Treadmill comes in three sizes for three sizes of dog, and is priced at $550, $700 and $900, respectively.





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