Minigizmo » Misc. Gadgets

Fitness Gadget Tech Roundup

admin — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:15:59 +0000

My mobile phone already wakes me up every morning, tells me to get a haircut via a reminder – I wouldn’t be surprised if it nagged me at each mealtime if I didn’t eat enough greens. One step closer to this vision, gadgets are now trying to be an integral part of your workout and fitness regimen. Here are some of the latest:

1. Samsung Adidas F110 miCoach

This slider phone looks innocuously like a mobile phone, but with the Adidas logo prominently located under the display, you know something special is afoot. The miCoach F110 has a heart-rate monitor and stride sensor which connects wirelessly, and the phone software creates custom workouts and prompts you via audio instructions. Once you’ve finished your workout, you can sync the training data with the miCoach website which allows you to track your fitness goals. Finally, you can listen to your favourite tunes while toning up.

2. Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch

The GPS manufacturer has usability to a new level by incorporating a unit into a watch – the Garmin Forerunner 405 measures and records your speed, distance, elevation and even your heart rate, while looking like an everyday sports timepiece. With touch controls, wireless connectivity and fitness tracking software on the PC, the Forerunner 405 is certainly an impressive addition to the workout arsenal.

3. Vital Jacket – wearable heart / ECG monitor

The Vital Jacket, apart from looking like a prop from the movie Tron, continuously monitors electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate for use in high performance sports and fitness applications. It comes in two models – the HWM100 stores data in a SD card for post-analysis on a PC, while the HWM200 sends data to devices via bluetooth.

Finally, we leave you with some tips to track your fitness progress with some free tools, courtesy of LH. Enjoy!

Inside a NewEgg Warehouse

admin — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:42:27 +0000

The major gadget e-tailer, Newegg.com’s goal is to be able to ship via UPS ground to its customers within 1 – 2 days, hence the creation of these warehouses across the US. The New Jersey warehouse is able to reach customers in NY within a day and most other places on the East Coast within two via UPS ground.

AnandTech takes us on an awesome tour of their New Jersey facility. If you’ve ever wondered how one of these high tech routing and shipping centres operate – here’s your chance!

Nuclear Fusion In Your Pocket

admin — Sun, 01 May 2005 03:51:00 +0000

Coming soon to a device near you – UCLA researchers have succeeded in creating a handheld device that can generate tiny nuclear-fusion reactions at room temperatures. “Not strong enough to produce either power or explosions, the new gadget produces at most about 800 neutrons each second, a puny amount. But the device may one day become a cheaper and more precise way to screen airport baggage or to propel small spacecraft, say the device’s creators.”

I’m looking forward to the day when we can not worry about recharging our fusion-powered laptops every few hours, or forget about putting gas into our fusion-powered cars.