Nike+

If you are a runner with an iPod Nano, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit is about to make your exercise much more enjoyable. Just put a wireless sensor in your shoe, add easy-to-use software on your iPod and it will tell you how many calories you are burning, how fast you are running, if you are meeting your training goals and more. Great voice feedback tells you how you are doing and keeps you on track. And you can programme which songs are for "sprinting" and which are for a more leisurely jog - you get the idea.

Concept
The Nike + Ipod Sport Kit works only with the iPod nano. The Kit consists of a small red and white wireless 2.4 GHz sensor/transmitter (with the Nike Logo), and an all-white iPod nano receiver which simply plugs into the dock connector on the bottom of the iPod.

Once connected, the Sport Kit can keep track of - and store - data about your exercise routine and your performance.

When you get home, just sync with iTunes and measure your performance against past workouts.

What's in the Box?
The Nike + iPod Sport Kit includes the wireless sensor and receiver. Think of it as Wifi for your shoes - both talk to each other wirelessly - which is sort of like magic. Each of the items is very small: the sensor measures 1.37in by 0.95in by 0.3in, and the receiver 1.03in by 0.62in by 0.22in.

Inside the box you will also find an instruction manual that takes you through the easy set up and installation. Before hooking everything up - just make sure your Nano has been updated to version 1.2 of its iPod software. I would also recommend downloading the latest version of iTunes (which is free).

How it Works
First off, put the sensor into your new Nike running shoes (most shoes have a little storage compartment in the sole). Just take out the "dummy" insert and put in the real sensor. Connecting the iPod Nano to the receiver is a snap. The receiver fits right into the Dock Connector port - which is at the bottom of the Nano. Once the receiver is plugged in - a new menu option appears on the Nano's main menu: Nike + iPod. When you select this option you see a very easy-to-use menu screen that lays out your options for your new toy.

The menu lets you choose from four workout options: Basic, Time, Distance, and Calories. Put in the parameters or your target goals and start running.

Spoken Feedback will kick in automatically during your exercise to give you information based on the criteria you input - for example, if you are halfway done with the distance you want to run, it will tell you that.

You can also pick whether to use Miles or Kilometers for on-screen displays, and you can calibrate the Sport Kit to your personal body settings.

The iPod will display your progress, calories burned, distance, and so on in very easy-to-read text on your screen.

When you've finished your workouts, the Nano displays a rudimentary analysis of your run.

Analysing your Workouts
Once you've returned to your computer, sync your iPod and you will bring up a series of new iTunes screens. The screens help you analyse your performance. Nike really did a tremendous job with the the user-interface. It looks great and it is simple to use and keep track of your workout data.

In the near future, the Nike + iPod site will also will allow you to do comparisons between your performance and that of other named runners around the world. Under Community, the site lists the total number of miles Nike + iPod Sport Kit runners have run to date, with top tens for distance, duration, fastest 5K run, and fastest 10K run.