Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $33.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $14.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G
Customer Review: Best thing to happen to my runs
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe this product can be accurate. I ran a half marathon a few months ago, and assuming the course was accuratley measured to 13.1, my little Nike+ was only off by .3 miles, saying I had run 13.4 miles. Sure, it was a little disappointing to think that I was nearly finished when I still had a third of a mile to go, but think about it...it's a stinkin' pedometer, not a GPS, and over 13.1 miles it was off by .3...normally when I run for 3 - 6 miles it's pretty dang accurate.
I did have to do two things to get to that level of accuracy, however. The second is the obvious one: calibrate it. The first thing, though, needed to be first in order to get an accurate calibration. And it was less obvious.
I do not have Nike shoes. At first I heard all sorts of reports of Nike+ success with non-Nike shoes, so I was optimistic. My first few runs, though, were definitely not accurate. I suffered the same inaccuracy bemoaned by other reviewers here...a 3 mile run according to Yahoo maps clocked in at 0.25 miles. And half of that was an "intensity" of 0. Yeah...not so good.
But that's when I started experimenting with how I attach the transmitter to my shoe. I found that placing it at the bottom of the laces, on top of my foot, in as level of a manner as I could manage, produced more reliable results.
What I believe happened was that my early attempts involved putting the transmitter in my shoe in such a way that it was angled in one direction or another. And the transmitter doesn't like that. The Nike+ shoes allow the transmitter to be flat in relation to the sole...I think the transmitter works best if it's level like that.
Also, it seems that if I ever don't secure the transmitter down well enough and it has some wiggle room, I'm also liable to get inaccuracies.
So, figure that out first -- I'm definitely thinking of just buying some Nike shoes. But once that's taken care of, calibrate the thing, and do it carefully. Go to a track so you can be assured of the distance. Also, calibrate a few times, because when you actually start calibrating and when you actually stop calibrating involves several button presses. I found it helpful to put some music on that matches my stride speed, get it started, run half a lap to get "in the groove", be ready to calibrate, which as I mentioned involved several button clicks so get right up to that last button click, then press that last button at a lap marker. Then be ready to stop calibrating in the same way; it takes a few clicks, but try to figure it out so that you'll hit that last click RIGHT on the lap marker. It took me a few tries, but once I got it, it's been really accurate.
The Nike+ website is the best part of all. It's really fun and encouraging for me to look at my runs in that way...I can watch my progress. I can set goals, such as "I want to run faster, so I want to run 4 runs in the next month that are X:XX per mile or faster." Plus you get little "awards" for various milestones. Oh, and Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe might congratulate you at the end of your run if you hit some personal record.
All in all it's the best $30 I've spent on my running (I already had the iPod).
Customer Review: Great Product!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Nike Ipod is a great tool for keeping you on track for running. I'm a biker as well as a runner and I never ride bike without my faithful cateye odometer keeping track of milage and speed. Naturally I was attracted to the idea of having a way to keep track of speed, milage and frequency of my runs.
I bought this expecting to find a complicated setup process but was surprised to find out it's actually very easy!
The best thing about this is that it's like having a companion to run with. I would like to suggest when using an ipod do this little trick I discovered on some of my mountain bike excursions. Get a set of sport headphones that have the wrap around ear things. Don't bother with the ipod earphones, they are fine in a seditary possition, but they tend to fall out when running. The sport earphones stay in your ears. In addition to this I suggest taking the cord of your earphones and instead of having them in the front of your chest, run the cord down that back of your shirt or jacket from your ears to ipod. This keeps the cord from dangling down in front of you and gives you the music you want with less annoyance.
Also one more thing, invest in the Nike Ipod Soundtrack. I have to say, I bought the "Original Nike Drive" music with The Chemical Brothers and it's fantastic. I think I have a bit of that "Clockwork Orange" mentality now, because I've been listening to the music for over a year now, only when I run and when I hear the first crash of sound from it I instinctively start running.
Other than that I suggest taking advantage of the great online community. Nike developed a "mini-me" concept that includes an animated charactor designed by you. One you sign on (Free) you can save the info as a screen saver and they were smart enough to put all your milage and last run info on the screen saver. They really thought of everything! Also the funny part about the Avitar is that he actually adjusts to your running habits. If you are running alot he is happy, jumping for joy happy. If you miss a few days running you'll find him board, playing paddleball, looking bummed out and playing video games saying things like "I sure could use a run etc..." It's actually fun and a great psycholocial reminder to get off the couch and run!
Highly recommended!
Customer Review: Love this thing! Great use of the Ipod for training
Summary: 5 Stars
I just got back into running (doctor's orders to lower cholesterol and blood pressure) and wanted something to help me train for a 5K I'm going run in December.
While the Ipod is a great MP3 player, on its own it does not provide any motivation or help one gauge workout progress. Adding the Nike+ sensor to your running shoe (you don't need Nike shoes btw) and the included receiver to your Ipod basically gives you your own personal trainer.
Get yourself a heart-rate monitoring watch like the Nike Triax C6, which I use, and you have all you need to monitor your health and track your fitness.
With the Nike+ I like how you can set different workout goals by calories burned, distance or time-length of your run. And here's the cool part: once you've finished a workout, iTunes will send your workout data to Nikeplus.com, which one can use to set weight or distance goals and track progress; the site also offers social features such as sharing your workout/getting-in-shape progress w/friends and family members -- so my wife actually KNOWS I'm working out now and doesn't have to take my word for it.
Only gripes: once you've started a workout, it's a pain to try to switch or skip songs during your work out. Volume control is still easy however. The product designers had a difficult problem to solve here, and for the most part, they did the best they could with the Ipod interface. But I can't help but think how much easier to use the Nike+ would be to use with Bluetooth voice commands. So here's my wish: Apple creates an Ipod with built-in BT with voice recognition (this could also make navigating the Ipod menus in your car that much easier).
Also, as other reviewers have pointed out, when you're done w/a workout, turn the sensor off on the back (I do this with the connector end of my earphones). If you don't, you'll be buying another one in 3-4 months (there's no way to swap the battery that I'm aware of).
Overall, for ~$29, this is probably one of the best investments in your health you'll ever make. Now get out there and RUN!
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: 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?