Adidas miCoach Smart Run: Sporty smartwatch packs GPS skills and heart rate tracking!

 

Nike just revealed its brand new FuelBand SE yesterday, and now it’s time for rival sports company Adidas to get in on the wearable tech action: meet the Adidas miCoach Smart Run, a smartwatch that packs in GPS skills and pulse-based heart rate tracking to help boost your running game. Who needs a FuelBand now?

Adidas’ new miCoach smartwatch is aimed directly at joggers, thanks to the inclusion of built-in GPS tracking to chart your runs and provide real-time coaching, plus you can keep on top of your heart rate thanks to optical technology. There’s also an accelerometer crammed into the watch to count your every step, while the GPS measures your speed so you know exactly how fast you’re running, how many steps you ran and the actual route you took. Handy.

You’ll also be able to load up your favourite tunes on the watch too, and push them via Bluetooth to a pair of wireless headphones, while you’ll also be able to receive training suggestions from your very own digital coach, who’ll tell you speed up or slow down. There’s also visual guidance for specific workouts on the watch’s 1.45-inch screen too, to help make sure you don’t pull a muscle and do each exercise correctly. That comes in the form of workouts and training plans listed on Adidas’ miCoach website, which the Smart Run watch can sync to over Wi-Fi, checking off different workouts when you’ve finished them.

If you were hoping for the miCoach to hook up to your smartphone or tablet, you won’t be in luck: the watch is a standalone gizmo to help with your heart rate-based interval training, meaning you won’t be reading your notifications, emails or text messages on the touchscreen display. And with the watch going on sale next month for $399 (£249.59), it might be a hard sell for those who want their smartwatch to do everything and anything, like with Samsung’s Galaxy Gear – and Nike’s new FuelBand offering is much cheaper at £129. Still, Adidas is offering a competitive package for runners who want to maximise their training, and with the addition of a heart rate monitor built right into the watch, it could be the next best thing since dedicated running shoes were invented, round about the same time as sliced bread and the wheel.

Are you interested in Adidas’ new miCoach Smart Run watch or are you more keen on Nike’s brand new offering? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Top 5 sports kit for summer of sport 2012

 

With the summer of sport in full swing, there isn’t a better time to feel motivated about getting fit. To help kickstart your fitness regime or enhance your existing routine, we’ve picked out five awesome bits of sports kit to help you stay active and keep in shape.

From trainers with performance-tracking sensors built-in to the cleverest pair of dumbbells you’ll ever flex a muscle lifting, here’s our top 5 sports kit to get fit. 


Nike LunarGlide+ 4 Premium

If you purchase a new pair of running shoes this year, make them the Nike LunarGlide+ 4 Premium. The trendy treads pack Nike’s ‘Lunarion’ cushioning for a softer, springier ride, and is made from threads that Nike say cradle the foot as you run. The best bit is the ability to pair the shoe with Nike+ and the Nike+ Training app that when combined, help you to get fit, and stay fit.

Adidas Transformer Dumbbells

Working out from home usually means stacks of dumbbells cluttering up your personal space, but not if the Adidas Transformer Dumbbells can help it. What makes these dumbbells so special is the ability to adjust from 3kg to 18.5 kg in 2.5kg increments to adapt to the increasing intensity of your strength training, helping you up your workouts, and save space. You also get a nice stand. 


Reebok Speed Rope

Skipping might be a playground pastime but it also happens to be one of the most efficient, and underrated methods of cardiovascular exercise and increasing ones agility. The Reebok Speed Rope has a 3 metre adjustable rope length and to aid in strengthening your grip, removable 50 gram steel bar to create added weight.

CamelBak 2012 M.U.L.E

The CamelBak 2012 M.U.L.E backpack is the perfect accessory to accompany you on your post-work jog or cycle back home. It has enough room to carry your work documents, and is designed for comfort and convenience. A drinking tube lets connect to a water source within the bag to keep you hydrated.

Swimovate Poolmate Pro


This waterborne watch tracks swimmers training by recording performance, before tracking it for feedback on a Mac or PC. The Swimovate Poolmate Pro will even recognise the type of stroke being performed to accurately track average strokes per lap, speed, distance, calories and efficiency. It might be too late to try for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, but if you want to see how you compare with Britain’s best, the Swimovate Poolmate Pro is just what you need. 
 Seen any other fitness gadgets you’d love to suggest to readers? Let us know.

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