Product Review: Nike+ iPod

Are you a consistent pavement pounder, or looking to get into running? Now that summer is basically here, it is a great time to utilize the free space Mother Nature has given us and step away from the treadmill. As you prepare to run outside, here is an interesting tool that could help you out: The Nike+ iPod.

Never heard of it? Well, if you own an iPod, you have probably seen the Nike+ iPod app already installed on your device. If not, it is available in the Apple Store. For those who have seen the app and wondered how to use it, here’s where Eights & Weights comes in!

So first off, what is the Nike+ iPod? It is a kit that helps you measure your running or walking distance, time, and calories burned. If you’ve ever tried to run outside and then measure your run distance with Google Maps, you’d realize how difficult a task that is.

Now, the next question is how. How does the Nike+ iPod kit measure your workout information? It measures your distance and elapsed time as you run, and calculates your calories burned based on the predetermined weight information you entered when you set it up.

Just as with everything else, it is not perfect in calculating your distance, especially since everyone moves differently. However, I have found that you can get it near-accurate by calibrating. At the end of every run, the app gives you an option to adjust to an “Actual Distance”. So all you have to do to calibrate is run a distance that you already know perfectly, and then if the distance the tool calculates is different from what you know, adjust it to the actual distance. Going forward, it uses your calibrated entry to readjust itself. For example, you know you usually run a straight 2 mile road, and you have confirmed this with Google Maps. If at the end of your run, Nike+ iPod tells you it is 2.5 miles, you can simply calibrate it back to 2 miles. Pretty cool, huh?

Another cool part of the kit is that you can select predetermined distances. So if you wanted to run a 5K, you can simply select a 5K run, select your playlist, and start running. It alerts you of the distance covered at every kilometer. If you select your run in miles, it alerts you at every mile. I’m not sure if you can change the voice of your ‘alerter’, but I’m pretty partial to a man’s voice telling me how much longer I have to go with my run :)

There are tons of other tools out there, but I really like this one because you don't have to ‘wear it right’ or think about it while you’re running. It does the job for you as close to accurate as possible. I think it is a great tool. The one big negative about it is that you do need Nike shoes. I mean, it is a Nike and Apple tool so they have to use it to make money off of us somehow.

Now you know what the tool does and how it works. If you are thinking of buying it, here is what you’d need:

• A pair of Nike+ shoes (not all Nike shoes are Nike+). Technically you can use any shoe, but only Nike+ shoes have the compartment for the transmitter.
• A mobile Apple device (iPod, iPhone, Sportswatch, Sportband).
• A Nike+ iPod app on your Apple device.
• If you have a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Generation iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Nike+ Sportband or a Nike+ Sportwatch, all you need is the transmitter device to embed in your shoe.
• If you have an iPod nano, you need a Nike+ Sports Kit, which contains the shoe transmitter, and a receiver plugged into the iPod nano.
• If you have an iPhone, an alternative to the Nike+ iPod is the Nike+ GPS App, which does not require the shoe transmitter. However, it is not a free app.

Lastly, if you were wondering where the hell the transmitter goes in your Nike+ shoe, simply lift the inner sole of your left shoe, and you’d see a compartment pre-created for your transmitter. You’re now fully equipped go out and run as much as you can this summer. No excuses!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Apple.com, iLounge.com