Danielle Belopotosky, admittedly more gadget-geek than runner, does a nice job explaining the pros and cons of the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, but the most informative part of this short piece is the comment section, where readers who are more runner than gadget-geek offer their two cents.
First, what exactly is a Nike+ iPod Sport Kit? As Belopotosky tells us, it’s a sensor that is inserted into a slot in a Nike+ ready running shoe, and when used with an Apple
iPod Nano or Touch, it sends information, such as running pace, distance, duration and
calories burned, to the device. The Times reports that the sensor can also sync to Nikeplus.com, a Web site that tracks progress over time and lets runners create a running plan. Sounds excellent, and Geezer can’t even complain about the price: $29, as much as he would like to.
Belopotosky’s biggest gripe is that runners must be wired to a computer to upload data. She also wonders why the Sport Kit
isn’t compatible with the Apple iPhone– a drawback for those
runners who don’t want to buy another device.
And the readers? They too want iPhone integration. They also want free, one-click GPS upload to an online training log which includes
maps, statistics, run histories, and a great community of dedicated
runners, with no ads. They want a heart-rate monitor, like that included in the competing Garmin Fore-Runner system. They want greater accuracy in measuring distance, they want, they want….
Read more about what runners want from the Nike iPod Sport Kit in the New York Times.