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Nike + iPod now shipping

AlBDamned said:
The reason why they don't work with video iPods is quite clear - video iPods are not designed for running.
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meh. i've run with my wallet, i've run my iPod mini (fairly close to the weight of an iPod video), i've run with a lot of stuff throughout the course of my life. running with my video iPod isn't terrible if I'm doing moderate speed cross country stuff. so is it possible to hack around and make this work with my 5G?

Flowbee, you got some nice shoes. I love my saucony's! They're so light:)
 
supremedesigner said:
That is frackin' awesome! I mean, this is good news for us non-nike! I just bought my new shoes for my workout even before Nike shoe just announced!! Thank you for your coolest invention!!! Hope Apple Legal is not gonna sue you for it!!! ;) :rolleyes: :p :D :eek:
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I for one cant wait until Sunday, Ill be picking up a pair of those nice nike moire's (the black and red ones), and a nike kit from the apple store in the same mall, King of Prussia. Cant wait!:D
 
QCassidy352 said:
No, I wouldn't. I don't mind paying a decent price for something that lasts. I hate this disposable mentality.

With the older nike accelerometer I have, you have to calibrate it before the first use. You start it, run a measured distance (a lap of a track, say), and then tell the unit how far off it was. Is this calibration necessary/possible with this unit?
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It is automatically calibrated, but you can also adjust it manually if you want. I checked it vs. my pedometer and without calibration, the iPod was more accurate. (I know the actual distance from driving.)

I agree with the disposable mentality nowadays ,but I just don't see it in this product.

If you run an hour a day, every single day of the year, it will last you 2.7 years. You'll go through many pairs of sneakers before the batteries run out on the device.

And I think we can agree that most people aren't going to run that much. I think in practice, it will last for many years for most folks. Of course, there are always exceptions.

I can't say enough bad things about the ethics of Nike, but for the most part, Apple is a reasonably responsible organization.
 
BWhaler said:
If you run an hour a day, every single day of the year, it will last you 2.7 years. You'll go through many pairs of sneakers before the batteries run out on the device.
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How'd you get to that calculation then?

2000 hours divided by 730 days is 2.7 miles a day. Most people walk at 3-3.5 mph. If you're running that would go up to 4.5 - 6.5mph average. That's not 2.7 years if you run for an hour every day.

You're right on the throwaway thing though. Anything with replaceable batteries and a serious amount of use will cost more than $29.

Of course you have to factor in the cost of the iPod too.
 
AlBDamned said:
How'd you get to that calculation then?

2000 hours divided by 730 days is 2.7 miles a day. Most people walk at 3-3.5 mph. If you're running that would go up to 4.5 - 6.5mph average. That's not 2.7 years if you run for an hour every day.

You're right on the throwaway thing though. Anything with replaceable batteries and a serious amount of use will cost more than $29.

Of course you have to factor in the cost of the iPod too.
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Distance has nothing to do with it.

1. Battery lasts for 1000 hours.
2. If you run an hour a day, you can run 1000 days.
3. 1000/365 = 2.7 years.

Again, it's an estimate. Some people will run more than an hour a day. But most people won't run 365 days per year.

So it's a good ballpark number to demonstrate that for 29 bucks you are getting somewhere between 2 - 4 years of battery life (depending on the type of runner you are.)

And I think 2 - 4 years for a $29 product is more than reasonable.
 
AlBDamned said:
Where does it say that? :confused:
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There are two good FAQs on Apple's site:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303933
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303934

From the Technical FAQ:

Is the sensor battery replaceable? How long does it last?

No. The sensor’s battery has a life of over 1000 active hours. The sensor sends a low battery signal when there is around 2 weeks of life remaining (based on usage pattern), indicating that the sensor needs to be replaced.

Most Nike + iPod runners and walkers can just drop the sensor in their Nike+ shoes and forget about it. When inactive, the sensor enters stand-by mode to save battery life.
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So if this number is accurate, you could run for about 10 hour per week for 2 years before the battery dies. And in two years, we'll probably all be upgrading to the Nike+iPod2 with built-in GPS and heart rate monitor (a guy can dream, can't he?).
 
Just wondering: If the nano language settings are in french, does the nike ipod menu will be in french too?? maybe one kit owner could try this..thx! :rolleyes:
 
Flowbee said:
I received my kit today, but have only had a few minutes to "test drive" it. Set up was extremely simple, just make sure you have the latest software update on your nano. I slipped the transmitter under my shoe laces (see below). When you plug the little dongle into your iPod, you get a "Nike+iPod" menu item on the main screen. From there you can choose what type of workout you want (time, distance, calories, etc.). Once you choose that, you can choose a playlist. Then the voice tells you to walk around a bit to activate the transmitter. After a few seconds, the voice tells you to begin your workout and the first song fades in. You can press the center button on the nano to get your time and distance at any time during the workout (the music fades and the voice speaks) and every 5 minutes the voice announces how much time has elapsed. I haven't played around enough to see how customizable all of these setting are.

Since I'm a bit busy today, I ran on my treadmill for 10 minutes instead of going out for a proper run. The time updates were nice, and the distance was two-tenths of a mile off of what my treadmill said at the end of the run. I don't think we can read much into it, because I have no idea how accurate my treadmill reading is. I'm sure there will be many people who will test the distance accuracy in the next few days.

As for using it with non-Nike shoes: The transmitter tucked nicely under the laces of my Saucony Hurricanes and didn't fall out during my 10 minute run. Before I take it outside, though, I'm going to sew a piece of velcro to the tongue of my shoe and stick the other piece on the bottom of the transmitter. Between the laces and the velcro, I think it will be pretty secure. I couldn't feel the transmitter against my foot while I was running. It would be easy to forget it's there. FYI - I wear a size 13. If your feet are significantly smaller, or you use a different shoe, I can't really speculate if the transmitter will fit under your laces or not. [EDIT: I just remembered that I'm married and my wife's feet are much smaller than mine. The transmitter fits perfectly under the laces of her size 6 Mizunos.]

I'm also not sure if the orientation of the transponder affects its accuracy. I'll have to do more testing over the next couple of days.

Another FYI - I won't be online much for the rest of the day, so don't get annoyed if I don't respond to your questions.
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When you find out more on the accuracy of your workaround, can you please update us. I would like to use non nike+ shoes.

Thanks in advance.
 
737 said:
Just wondering: If the nano language settings are in french, does the nike ipod menu will be in french too?? maybe one kit owner could try this..thx! :rolleyes:
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Oui.
 

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ThX Flowbee!! and as u answered "Oui" i got another question following: when ur setting language is french (for example :D ), is the "voice" speaking in "synthetic french" or still in "synthetic english"?? ;) thx for your patience...
 
737 said:
ThX Flowbee!! and as u answered "Oui" i got another question following: when ur setting language is french (for example :D ), is the "voice" speaking in "synthetic french" or still in "synthetic english"?? ;) thx for your patience...
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The spoken voice remains English. However, the instructions it gives at the start of the workout ("walk to activate the sensor" "press the center button to begin your workout") are written on the screen in French as the voice is speaking.
 
oki; thx for ur fast answering :cool: No pb about this (was just wondering...) and that could explain the reason why the kit is just available at the moment in US & UK only... Unless they don't plan to make available others spoken languages on the kit in foreign countries..... :rolleyes:
 
Flowbee said:
There are two good FAQs on Apple's site:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303933
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303934

From the Technical FAQ:



So if this number is accurate, you could run for about 10 hour per week for 2 years before the battery dies. And in two years, we'll probably all be upgrading to the Nike+iPod2 with built-in GPS and heart rate monitor (a guy can dream, can't he?).
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that makes more sense than 2000 miles. A man with the answers.
 
737 said:
oki; thx for ur fast answering :cool: No pb about this (was just wondering...) and that could explain the reason why the kit is just available at the moment in US & UK only... Unless they don't plan to make available others spoken languages on the kit in foreign countries..... :rolleyes:
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It will be interesting to see if they localize the speech for different countries. The user manual that comes in the box is printed in French, German, and Japanese, in addition to English (surprisingly, not Spanish).
 
AlBDamned said:
that makes more sense than 2000 miles. A man with the answers.
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Looking forward to seeing what people's real-world experiences are with battery life. With all of the statistics that this thing tracks, it should be pretty easy to figure out, both time-wise and mileage-wise.
 
Flowbee said:
It will be interesting to see if they localize the speech for different countries. The user manual that comes in the box is printed in French, German, and Japanese, in addition to English (surprisingly, not Spanish).
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The kit which will be sold in France Apple virtual/real stores & Nike stores with French speech i guess... same for Germany with german speech. In fact i hope it will be this way, otherwise this product will not succeed.
From my point of view i would have been deligthed to be able to buy the kit on the French Apple Store no matter if english spoken only :(

PS: in France kit is awaited for September only :(
 
Question for those of you that run with your iPods. What type of headphones do you prefer. I like the earbuds but haven't ever tried running with them, thought they may fall out.

Thanks, Jason
 
Flowbee's Nike+iPod shoe mod

Here are a few pics of my shoe mod which lets you use the Nike+iPod Sport Kit with any pair of running shoes. [Please note: I haven't really done enough testing to determine that the system's accuracy is the same as with a pair of "official" Nike shoes. It seems pretty accurate, though.]

Basically, I cut a small piece of velcro with adhesive backing (available from any crafts or sewing store, as well as many large drugstore chains) and stuck the "hard" side to the bottom of the transmitter, being careful not to cover the sleep button. I then stuck the soft side on the outside of the tongue of my shoe near the toe. Make sure it's a spot where the laces will cross over the transmitter. Next I used a needle and thread to sew the velcro to the shoe (6-8 stitches). Pushing the needle through the shoe material and adhesive can be tough -- protect your fingers! Attach your transmitter and lace up your shoe (you may want to do this before stitching, just in case you need to adjust the placement). The whole mod took about 10 minutes total.

As I said in an earlier post, The shoe is still totally comfortable... I can't feel the transmitter against my foot, but depending on your shoes and foot, YMMV.

I hope to do some testing of this mod later today. Stay tuned.

[EDIT: I've posted some additional info on my Podophile.com site.]
 

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Flowbee said:
Here are a few pics of my shoe mod which lets you use the Nike+iPod Sport Kit with any pair of running shoes. [Please note: I haven't really done enough testing to determine that the system's accuracy is the same as with a pair of "official" Nike shoes. It seems pretty accurate, though.]

Basically, I cut a small piece of velcro with adhesive backing (available from any crafts or sewing store, as well as many large drugstore chains) and stuck the "hard" side to the bottom of the transmitter, being careful not to cover the sleep button. I then stuck the soft side on the outside of the tongue of my shoe near the toe. Make sure it's a spot where the laces will cross over the transmitter. Next I used a needle and thread to sew the velcro to the shoe (6-8 stitches). Pushing the needle through the shoe material and adhesive can be tough -- protect your fingers! Attach your transmitter and lace up your shoe (you may want to do this before stitching, just in case you need to adjust the placement). The whole mod took about 10 minutes total.

I hope to do some testing of this mod later today. Stay tuned.
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Wow! That looks, good, man! I really must give it a try after I get the nike+iPod software working on my 5G:D :cool:
 
the instructinon recommend calibrating the device.. it is designed to be used in the cener of the shoe, so I wonder if placement will throw off the results a little?? Mine now resides under my arch support on my asics, dug a spot with my pocket knife. It is close to the place it would be in the nike's and it is easier to get in and out

if you run every day, and the battery goes in 2 years.. it costs $.04 USD a day to use the device. and I predict that there will be replacement bottom halves in the future. so you don't have to buy the whole device.

I also think it is a matter of time till nike sells the shoes with the chip embedded in the sole. none of my running shoes have ever lasted 2 years.

on recharging -
recharding means it would be bigger, weigh more, have exposed parts, etc.
I think the all in one design makes more sense -- I am more likely to use it because I don't have to pull it out every day/week/month and recharge it. I'm not going to forget to wear my running shoes if I go running. I'm more likely to forget my keys then my ipod. If they need a plug in the shoe device, then the thing is no longer waterproof.. is it waterproof?
 
sketchy said:
the instructinon recommend calibrating the device.. it is designed to be used in the cener of the shoe, so I wonder if placement will throw off the results a little??
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Hopefully, manual calibration would fix any issues.

sketchy said:
Mine now resides under my arch support on my asics, dug a spot with my pocket knife. It is close to the place it would be in the nike's and it is easier to get in and out.
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I couldn't bring myself to dig any material out of my shoe... you're a braver person than I. :)
 
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