May: Gadgets – The kit that gets you fit

Adrian Burgess / / Technology, This month's features

Staying trim can be a tricky business. With summer just around the corner, the restraints of a nine to five day don’t leave much time for the gym to sculpt your physique before your holiday. Fortunately though, the world’s tech developers are empathetic and have come up with a whole host of sporting gizmos to lend a hand.
Here’s our guide to: The kit that gets you FIT.

Mobile Apps


Endomondo
Endomondo is the app that can track almost any exercise, from running and cycling to snowboarding and kite-surfing. Using your phone’s GPS via Google maps, it records your average speed, distance travelled and route. The handy “history” tab stores all this data that can then be uploaded to Endomondo.com for more precise analysis. It can calculate how many calories burned during your work-out and if you buy the external monitor accessory – it can monitor your heart rate too. If you upgrade to the premium version (£2.99) there’s various coaching options, which push you that bit further. The Endomondo website allows you to upload your data and compare with other users; you can even link it to your Facebook page.

Verdict: Previous bugs have been worked on this latest version, although like any GPS device in a built up area, there can be blips. The online Endomondo community is a great source of motivation. Best value for money on the market.
Price: Free www.endomondo.com

 

 

Footwear


Nike Free+
Created for those who love the feel of barefoot running, the Nike Free Run+ is one of the lightest shoes on the market at just 238 grams. It provides the cushioning, traction and underfoot protection of a shoe but maintains a flexible and snug design that feels as though you are running barefoot. The Flex groove sole is designed for maximum flexibility and stability that allows your foot to move more naturally. The shoes sleeve has a breathable mesh on the upper that enhances the barefoot-like feel and as the name suggests, it’s compatible with Nike’s Nike+ software.

Verdict: A clever, lightweight design that still gives support to your feet. The flexible design is also handy for bag storage. The Nike+ is a great asset to such a streamlined running shoe so it loses no perks of other heavier Nike shoes, a great little runner.
Price: £69.99 www.nikerunning.nike.com

Fitness Machines


TrekDesk
They call the London underground the rat run, so is this the hamster wheel of the office? Although not the most practical solution to your get-fit-quick ambition, the TrekDesk fits virtually any treadmill and allows you to walk while you work. The simple folding mechanism allows for easy set up and storage and the desk has plenty of room for all your office stationery. You can also purchase an ingeniously designed chair that doubles as an exercise ball. However, this is just a desk so you will need to own a treadmill in the first place.
Verdict: In concept, it’s got its heart in the right place, keeping you active whilst maintaining your productivity, but we think the novelty would wear off fairly quickly. Unless you work from home the likelihood of your boss allowing it in the workplace is slim, and you’d need to bring a treadmill too.
Price: £350 www.trekdesk.com

 

Kettler ErgoRace / World Tours 1.0
For the serious pedal-heads among us, the Kettler ErgoRace has been designed to train professional racers and built to commercial gym-grade standards. A total of 48 programs with four heart-rate settings, user memory and guest options are stored and accessed via its on board computer and screen. It boasts fully adjustable triathlon handlebars and a saddle that ensures a comfortable ride for all. Its silent Poly-V drive belt, mains-powered Eddy current braking system and 18kg Flywheel – complete with safety freewheel feature – makes the Kettler a great indoor riding experience.

Verdict: One of the best looking and best quality indoor bikes. A favorite feature of ours is the Kettler World Tours 1.0 software, which can be purchased for an extra £150, allows you to connect to your pc and uses GPS data to provide real-world topography to ride any mountain trail you please.

Price: £1,299 (plus £150 for Worlds tours 1.0 software) www.kettlerdirect.co.uk

 

Watches


Timex Ironman Triathlon 150 Lap Sleek Tap Screen
Renowned timekeepers Timex have released the latest enhancement in their Timex Ironman range of sports watches. The Ironman Triathlon Tap-Screen range makes recording and accessing information easier and faster than ever by using the latest touchscreen technology. No more fumbling for tiny buttons as the watch allows you to access its arsenal of features, including everything from a lap counter and pace setter, to hydration and nutritional alarms, all from the main screen. Water resistant up to 100m, its large display is clear and bright and also has a powerful Indiglo night light for those late night runs. It comes in either full or midsize models in a range of colours.
Verdict: A truly remarkable bit of wrist wear from one of the world’s top watch manufacturers. With its extensive list of features this watch is for serious athletes, but a calorie counter or heart rate monitor would have been a nice addition.
Price: £74.99 www.timex.co.uk



Pacers


Adidas miCoach Pacer

The ideal solution for the budding smartphone-less athlete. The miCoach Pacer combines a pacer, stride sensor and heart-rate monitor; it uses sensors and the ANT+ protocol (wireless software) to provide you with audible feedback based on your predetermined goals. It can store up to 32 hours of data and can all be transferred via USB to a PC or Mac to upload to the miCoach website to track your progress.

Verdict: A great bit of kit if you’re not too keen on a smartphone. Uses similar software to Nike+ and the website has similar functionalities too. However, it’s a complex device so the reader manual may take you a while to get through to fully understand the system and running programs.

Price: £95 – £110 www.micoach.com

 

 

Cycling Gear


Garmin Edge 800

The essential on-the-go cycling enthusiast’s friend. The Edge 800 is a colour touchscreen GPS system that sits on your handlebars and will never let you get lost on that woodland trail again. It allows you to download cycling maps and trails from all over the country and has an adaptive route finder to dodge those tricky obstacles. It also shows landmarks and places of interest whilst tracking your speed, distance travelled and altitude.

Verdict: If you’re serious about cycling, then this is a must. Very reliable GPS connection and large touchscreen is bright, clear and very easy to use. It would be an expensive bit of kit to lose if you had an unexpected crash though.

Price: £449.99 www.garmin.com/ukshop

 

 

The Expert View

Gadget Show Guru and fitness fanatic, Ortis Deley tells us about his favourite future tech.

1. What is your favourite bit of tech you own right now? It was my x-series 32gig Sony Walkman, but I recently left it in a bar. It is now gone from my life and I miss it dearly.
2. If there was any bit of tech/gadget you could own what would it be and why?
Right now I’m very excited about the prospect of having wireless multi-room functionality in the house I’ve yet to buy. I’ve seen the tech work and I’m hoping it will find a place is my house, if ever I get round to buying said property.
3. What would be your top gadgets of the future and why?
A time-displacement platform for travel – obvious benefits to time management and a smaller carbon footprint; the Spatial Operating Environment for computing (see G Speak from Oblong) – just imaging interacting with your home computer ala ‘Minority Report’; a fully automated, voice activated home environment – ‘nuff said.
4. What is the most pointless piece of tech you think exists?
Flip-flop flasks. Absolute rubbish.
5. What is your top piece of sport tech, either present or future?
Any of the mobile personal trainer apps you can now get on phones. Some even come with motivational vocal phrases. I use Endomondo.

By Adrian Burgess

What is futurology?

Adrian Burgess / / Living, This month's features

Some would argue that nowadays you can create a profession simply by adding the suffix ‘ology’ to the end of a word. Although this is true in some cases, here at Future Magazine, we believe in an ‘ology’ that is quickly becoming one of the most essential areas of expertise in modern life. And no, it’s not another religion either.
Futurology at a glance is exactly what it says on the tin, a study of the future. However, it‘s not quite that simple. The term was first coined in 1946 by British writer Aldous Huxley and the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as: “The forecasting of the future on a systematic basis, especially by the study of present day trends in human affairs.”

There are varying degrees of futurology. To predict the future entirely would be a near impossible task, so many futurologists specialise within a particular time frame of years and then specialise further into a niche topic such as technology or economics.
Ian Pearson has been a futurologist since 1991 and has an accuracy rating of 85% at the 10 year horizon; “It’s by no means a uniform set of skills, I do a lot of technology based stuff and so a lot of science and technology research goes into it, but if you’re in political or social futurology, then there’s a whole different set of skills required to do that.”

Ian uses his extensive engineering background, a variety of texts and interpretations of other predictions in order to conduct his research. He has built up his accuracy rating through years of practice and can now draw from his experience to aid his predictions.
However, not all futurologists have the same outlook on their profession.
Author and futurologist Richard Watson has worked with industry giants such as Coca cola and McDonalds assisting them with market strategies and business forecasting through the use of scenario predictions.

“It’s an art not a science, it’s very intuitive. You can to some extent lay science on it but there are so many other factors to consider…I like to use predictions to cause debate; some of the more outlandish claims can sometimes create fantastic discussion points.”

Richard uses a lot of the same techniques as Ian; however, because of the nature of the business world, he only works up to 5 years in the future.

“Once you get much further out than 3-5 years you start to lose interest from big corporations, so it’s better to look at current factual trends that may be affected in that timescale.”

Futurology can be applied as a useful tool across most industries, and so it should be. Although not considered a science, it is definitely a skilled profession that takes a considerable amount of research and experience to master. There have been countless cases of accurate predictions made by futurologists that have helped steer us in the right direction into the future. With this in mind, it’s safe to say without the input from futurologists, the planet would be heading into the future with nothing more than blind faith and the likes of Mystic Meg.
By Adrian Burgess