I'm usually somewhat jaded when I see technology, and I was skeptical this would be much better than an equivalent $10-15 pedometer. However, Apple has once again proven that details matter.
I bought this for my wife (forget about having to have Nike+ shoes - it works fine slipped into laces or in a shoe wallet). She plugged it into her first-gen (1G) Nano, and instantly the Nike+ menu option appeared. There's a little calibration that has to be done, but once you get going, it's just neat. You can specify your workout type (distance, duration, just go), and then select a playlist (or shuffle, or something else) and you are off!
There's even a built in voice that will give you a verbal run summary at the touch of a button (and at scheduled intervals).
I run with a fourth-gen (4G) big (disk) iPod, and no, it doesn't work with my iPod. Too bad. I might have to get a Nano just for running - this is too cool, and saves the time off of keeping a running log - it keeps one for you, which you can upload.
Good:
-don't need Nike shoes
-works amazingly well out of the box
-easy to use
-neat features (like voice alerts about pace, distance, etc)
-ultra-light
Bad:
-only works with the Nano
-supposedly can't replace the battery in the shoe transponder - we'll see about that
-some calibration required Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G
First off this is a great addition to all the weekend warriors out there. It can help keep you motivated via the headphones or the internet (when you get home)
There are some minor things you should know about when owning one of these kits.
1. You have to have an iPod Nano, not a video, iphone, classic, shuffle, whatever... I plugged this into my ultra cool iPod touch and it did not work.
2. Put the disk inside your shoes tongue or get one of the lace kits. Dont buy the shoes built for this. (see next)
3. If you are not headed out the door DO NOT HAVE THIS IN YOUR SHOE! The battery will die and youll need to buy the sender unit (the red thing) again. If you run out to get groceries in your car make sure this is out of your shoe. Having one in your shoe and not having the iPod on will not save all your walking data.
Motion (of any kind even riding in your ash tray) will use up the battery! Take it out and place it on your dresser. Unless you live in a volcanic area it should last a long time.
4. Get a good belkin or other nano type running case. This will help.
All in all a great product. If you treat it well it is a great help for your fitness routine.
edit:
Just figured this out, if you use an ellipticle machine you can tape the sensor to the arm at the farthest point back. It is not 100% accurate but it does read fairly close. Basically you will lose 1/10th the run (or so on my em)
Hope this helps! You can check my progress: http://runnin2lose.blogspot.com
I can't say enough good things about this product. I got mine at Christmas and I love it. Let me start by saying that I hate running and walking. I find walking to be boring and running to be no fun at all. In the six weeks that I have owned this device I have run/walked almost 80 miles. I can say for a fact that this is probably more than I have run/walked (directly for exercise that is) in my entire life leading up to this point. I love bike riding and swimming but I can't swim at any time of the day and as much as I love biking you have to go so much further to get the same results and there just aren't enough places to bike near my house.
The main reason that this is so motivating is the Nike website. When you sync your iPod your information is uploaded to the Nike website where you can view great charts and graphs of your runs. It tracks your records as well (fastest mile, furthest run, etc.) It allows you to set goals (run 40 miles in 4 weeks, burn 10,000 calories in 4 weeks, etc.) It also allows you to challenge other people with this device. Well, my best friend got one for Christmas as well. He lives 250 miles away and we are already on our second challenge. The first was who can run the most miles in 30 days. The current is who can run 60 miles first. The website keeps track of your progress and shows you how far each participant has gone so far. So you can see if you are ahead or need to pick up the pace. It is great and makes you want to run further and more often.
I always knew I was competitive but I never realized how competitive I was! The other day I ran 7 miles (further than I have ever gone at one time in my life) just so that I could get a good headstart on my friend!
Fun piece of kit but if you are a serious runner expecting accurate results there are some major flaws in the product.
1. starting and stopping your workout is not a push one button job - you have to scroll through menu's - so if you are on the starting line looking to do your best 10km and then the gun goes off, everyone will be long gone before you get through the menu's to start your workout. Stopping too is not simple - if you are just out having fun then it is not a major issue.
2. Accuracy - though you can calibrate the sensor it is not 100% accurate - typically my wife and I have both found that if you can get around 90% to 95% you are doing well - however that is a 1km or at least 500m out every ten. So again not that useful if you want to measure your best 10km time
3. Downloading to Nike has its problems too - you just need to read the forums to see how many problems people have with their best times not being recognised, not been given their trophies, distances and times not matching up etc. etc. etc.
Bottom line - fun for keeping a more or less record of what you have done - useless as an accurate log of your times and distances - Nike Plus - Nike - Ipod Nano - Ipod Accessories'
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