I recently purchased one of the most awaited gadget for ipod nano- The Nike+ipod. Actually, it was launched long ago in 2006, but was made available in India recently. It costs Rs 2000 in India and is available in Nike showrooms, Thought of buying it, but finally ordered it from US thru a friend. It costs 30$ in the US. The product is quite a hifi gadget for ipod users, but the catch is, it works only with Ipod Nano. And, There's a catch from Nike too ! it fits in selected Nike Shoes. The gadget consists of a small sensor and a receiver. The sensor goes inside the shoe's sole and the receiver fits to the ipod. Thats it ! you are ready to run and track your workouts.
I had recently purchased new Reebok shoes worth 3500 rs, and I was not ready to pay more to buy those Nike+ compatible shoes. So after a little research, I found a wokaround. Instead of the sensor fitting inside the shoe's sole, It works quite accurately if it is slipped between the shoe and the shoe lace. So, along with the sensor, I order for a shoe pouch too ! It cost me 8$ and I cursed myself why did I spend 300 rs on this stupid pouch ? anyways, it is quite reliable and once you fit your sensor, you can forget about it.
So, finally i attached the shoe pouch to my reebok shoe, inserted the sensor, plugged the receiver to my ipod and I was ready. My ipod automatically detected the sensor. I got audio feedback in a female voice. This was the best part. It seems as if you are in some outer space and you are guided by someone. In addition to the audio feedback provided by a generic male or female voice (user's choice), there are pre-recorded congratulations provided by Lance Armstrong and Paula Radcliffe whenever a user achieves a personal best (such as fastest mile, fastest 5K fastest 10K, longest run yet) or reaches certain long-term milestones (such as 250 miles, 500 kilometers). This "celebrity feedback" is heard after the usual end-of-run statistics.
After I finished my run, I connected my ipod to my computer. Itunes automatically detected my run and sent the data directly to Nikeplus website. Here I got my statistics of the run, graphs, comparisons with previous runs, my position among other fellow Nikeplus runners around the world, in india, in Bangalore. Also, I downloaded a smal widget which will let you know how much I have run. It is placed in this very blog in the left hand side. There are a very few users of Nike+ipod in India, but I am sure, people who are fond of jogging/running, this one is a must have. existing ipod nano users, you have just another reason to do a workout.
I have already surrendered before this gadget.
