Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G
by Apple Computer
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List Price: Our Price: $14.99 You Save: $15.00 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G
Customer Review: Great motivation!
Summary: 4 Stars
I am extremely happy with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit - after reading many reviews (mostly really good), I was incredibly excited to receive this product. I had been dealing with nagging running injuries for the past several months and found every excuse not to hit the roads once I started feeling better... well, that has changed. This kit is a lot of fun and provides the motivation you need to start running! It keeps track of your distance, speed, time, calories burned, etc (just hit the center button on your iPod and a voice will relay all this information to you while you run). The neatest "added" perk for me is the online interface - I am a geek when it comes to logging my runs, but the program does it all for you! It graphs your changes in speed and records data at each mile (or any time you click the center button). You can even compete with other runners across the world (while talking a little trash at the same time - great feature)!
If there were any cons to this kit, it would have to be accuracy. If you calibrate the sensor at your normal pace, be prepared to stick to that pace every time you run! I've noticed that when I run faster than the calibration, it underestimates my distance; if I go slower, it overestimates my distance. That said, based on a few runs of 3-5 miles, it's never been more than 10% off - not too bad for a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment! Furthermore, I am fairly certain it overestimates the number of calories burned - I can run a sub 6-min mile and burn "152 calories", or I can walk a 17-min mile and burn "140". I know I would burn way more calories running at that pace (especially with my 200 pounds), but I also know that in reality, it's probably closer to 120 calories.
At any rate, I highly recommend this product. And you don't need the special shoes to accommodate the sensor, just find a shoe pouch to attach to your laces and you're all set! So what are you waiting for?
Customer Review: Wonderful stopwatch
Summary: 2 Stars
Lets face it, you're not buying the Nike + ipod for its stopwatch feature, you're buying it for all the other wonderful calculations that it can do. After a couple of weeks, the system is pretty much a waste for me. I wear the sensor in a shoe pouch which was designed for the sensor (Nike will likely never make shoes to fit my 10EEEE feet). I have read reviews that the shoe pouch system works fine. Here are some examples of my results:
80 minute easy run, appx. 6 miles, the system reported that I had run 1.26 miles.
25 minute easy run, appx. 2.5 miles, the system reported that I had run .21 miles.
2 times around the same track, fast pace, the system reported that I had run .21 and .24 KM (same lane).
Nike admits that the system can be 10% off before calibration. I couldn't get it to calibrate because it kept indicating that I had not gone far enough (although I had). On the Nike + ipod forums, I've seen a good deal of complaining that the system is often off by 20 - 30% or more, even after calibration. My results seem much worse than average. I'm used to a good bit of "odd behavior" from electronics and software, so I'm willing to take a good bit in stride. The Nike + ipod, however, performed far worse than anticipated out of the box.
For me,the Nike + ipod is essentially a stopwatch that is linked to my ipod Nano (which makes it a good deal harder to use than the stopwatch on my wrist), that has a nice voice, and will give me feedback as to how much time I've been running or how much time I have left. Since many of the Nike + ipod website features have to do with the distance sensor (log your miles, challenge others, etc.) those features are worthless for me. I'll still use it until the battery runs out; why not? And I'll be glad to update this review if it starts working better. But so far, I think two stars is generous.
Customer Review: This thing is so motivating, especially if you have a friend with one also!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't say enough good things about this product. I got mine at Christmas and I love it. Let me start by saying that I hate running and walking. I find walking to be boring and running to be no fun at all. In the six weeks that I have owned this device I have run/walked almost 80 miles. I can say for a fact that this is probably more than I have run/walked (directly for exercise that is) in my entire life leading up to this point. I love bike riding and swimming but I can't swim at any time of the day and as much as I love biking you have to go so much further to get the same results and there just aren't enough places to bike near my house.
The main reason that this is so motivating is the Nike website. When you sync your iPod your information is uploaded to the Nike website where you can view great charts and graphs of your runs. It tracks your records as well (fastest mile, furthest run, etc.) It allows you to set goals (run 40 miles in 4 weeks, burn 10,000 calories in 4 weeks, etc.) It also allows you to challenge other people with this device. Well, my best friend got one for Christmas as well. He lives 250 miles away and we are already on our second challenge. The first was who can run the most miles in 30 days. The current is who can run 60 miles first. The website keeps track of your progress and shows you how far each participant has gone so far. So you can see if you are ahead or need to pick up the pace. It is great and makes you want to run further and more often.
I always knew I was competitive but I never realized how competitive I was! The other day I ran 7 miles (further than I have ever gone at one time in my life) just so that I could get a good headstart on my friend!
Customer Review: Better baby this thing
Summary: 2 Stars
I can't say I hated this thing by any means, in fact it's the only reason I dared to try an Apple product at all (after many unpleasant experiences suffered by my parents at the hands of this company). Anyway, I picked this up with a new Nano to try and track my runs. The first run it worked great; I had previously g-mapped my running routes and all of the unit's measurements were spot-on with the online pedometer's. I even uploaded the run stats to the Nike website without any trouble whatsoever. The product is designed well, with plenty of different display and run options, and it's fairly integrated with the music on the Nano.
Unfortunately, at the conclusion of my next 6.5 mile run, I noticed I had only traveled 3 miles according to the device. Hoping it was a fluke, I tried using it again the next day and discovered that the sensor was no longer registering with my Nano. My best guess is that some sweat must have gotten into the piece that plugs into the charger slot and corroded something, but I'm not quite sure. I'm probably going to buy another one because it's a truly innovative product, but I still couldn't believe it could be this easily ruined. I've owned two other mp3 players that can make it through pouring rainstorms without malfunctioning. At least the Nano still works.
As a quick side note, it's too bad the sensor has to be used exclusively with Nike shoes (since they provide the online site to manage your data). I did manage to squeeze the sensor between my laces, but that's not really an ideal situation for people who prefer other shoe brands or have too narrow of a foot for Nike products.
Customer Review: Why are you still FAT???
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the Nike+Ipod kit about 4 months ago, and have used it for every run since then (average 1-3 per week). If you've browsed through the other reviews then you're already familiar with the basics. You plug it into your iPOD nano, calibrate it against a known distance, and then run as far and as fast as you like while being soothed by your own music collection, and audible run data reports. As a former collegiate runner, and military officer I found this especially useful for monitoring the intensity of my workouts and my progress towards various fitness goals. If you are the least bit serious about running on pace, setting goals, or competing, this is the device for you. If you don't already have a nano, I would actually recommend getting one just for this function.
Some people have complained about accuracy, and I have had my run-ins with this issue as well. But there's a very simple fix for it. CALIBRATE it again. When I started running with the Nike+, I was in relatively poor shape for my fitness level. As I grew stronger and stronger I began to notice that the device said I was running the same speed. I hypothesized that as I grew stronger, my running form changed enough for the accelerometer to misinterpret my distance and speed. When I recalibrated the device against a known 1-mile distance, I found it to be accurate down to the .01 mile on the next run and reporting times consistent with my speed over the last 6-7 years.
In conclusion, this is a fabulous device that does it's job in helping you meet fitness goals. So with something like this on the market, why are you still fat?