The Apple Nike+ iPod system is a great way to track your workouts. All you need is a iPod Nano, the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, and a pair of Nike+ compatible shoes. Wait. What if you don’t like Nike sneakers or want to use the system for other sports like hiking?
Marware has developed an answer to these questions. The Sportsuit Sensor+ is a pouch that slips over the laces of of your own shoes or boots.
Easy, but how well does it work?
To get an accurate reading with this adapter you need to do the following things.
1. The sensor must be placed face down inside the pouch.
It doesn’t matter if the sensor is placed in the Sportsuit Sensor+ before or after threading through the laces of the left shoe.
2. You must calibrate the Nike+ Sensor. Each person walks and runs differently and the statistics will vary upon your weight and height. No cheating. There are instructions on how to do this at : http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/
3. If you change shoes, you will need to re-calibrate.
Once calibrated, the system works as if you have Nike+ shoes. I tested mine on an outdoor track so that I could verify the distance measured using the Sensor+ against actual distances:
Walking 1000 meters: 987 Meters reported via sensor (98.7% accuracy)
Running 1000 Meters: 972 Meters reported via sensor (97.2% accuracy)
Easy to use, accurate and cheap. Three things I like in a gadget.
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I checked out the Nike site and have a few questions. So I would understand why different people with different weights and strides would have to recalibrate this device, but why would you have to recalibrate it when using a different shoes?
Do you know if there a way to view or store your data without accessing the Nike site? I would guess that if enough people start buying this device instead of Nike shoes, you could expect to see a monthly fee or documented purchase of Nike shoes to continue using their site.
And as far as using the device, in general, if you do a workout that is half walking and half running, can it handle that properly? For example, does it handle varying stride lengths or is it better to start and run two separate individual workouts?
And last question, would you know if the people that have this device seem to stick with it, or do they find they end up just using the iPod for music and not bothering with the Sport Kit for most runs?
I might be able to help with a few of your questions. I’ve been using the Nike+ and the Marware Sportsuit Sensor for a while now. Great gadgets!
You can view some of your data right on the nano. Check out the HISTORY section. Other than that, you can only view your data in various summaries on the Nike website. Great marketing ploy for Nike, don’t you think? Now they know how often we run, how far, how fast.
I often do some short bits of walking in my longer runs. It still seems to record the distance and pace pretty well.
I find that I use this device much more withOUT the music but don’t go out for a run without it. It has taken the place of my sport watch because now it doesn’t just record my running time but also the distance and average pace. Also I can look down at any given moment and get an idea of the pace I’m running at. I don’t use the music because often I run with a friend and we chat. If I go alone I will use music and it’s great with the cues it gives you.
By the way, don’t worry about the distance you put in before you start your workout if you’re not using the headphones. It’s only purpose as far as I can tell is to give you those audio clues about how far you’ve gone, how much of the run you’ve completed, when you’ve reached your goal, etc. Otherwise it will record what you’re doing until you tell it to END.