Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family
Marware announces universal Nike + iPod sensor pouch
Aside from all the pioneering DIYers out there, we've already found one retail accessory from Nike themselves that lets you use the Nike + iPod kit with any shoe, but now Marware has joined the race with their Sportsuit Sensor+ (looks like the '+' is becoming a hot new accessory to accessory names). This tiny pouch is form-fitted for the sensor and can attach to any shoe's laces via velcro. As icing on the cake, the pouch also has room to store the wireless receiver when not in use, and it protects the sensor "from all the elements that serious runners encounter." I guess they could've said 'it's weatherproof,' but that doesn't have the same flair.The Sportsuit Sensor+ is a mere $10 and is available for pre-order now.
[via iLounge]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave Caolo said 11:15AM on 8-08-2006
Hmmm. From what I understand, the Nike+ sensor measures the velocity of your foot's impact with the ground. Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't that make this device useless?
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David Chartier said 11:24AM on 8-08-2006
#1: Dave, no that isn't quite accurate. I'm no expert, but a lot of people fooling around with the device are saying that it's more like a basic pedometer, which is capable of simply measuring changes in distance and speed. I don't quite know how all this works, but I've been using that original Nike pouch that I linked in the post, like many others, and it's been accurate for me. I've measured my speed and distance run with other tools and it seems to be right on the dot.
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nfidel said 11:37AM on 8-08-2006
it is 97% accurate out of the box WITH a + enabled shoe. Meaning a flat snug compartment in the mid-sole. You start adapting that system and yes, you will lose the accuracy. How much will vary. The Zoom Plus shoes are worth the $100.
All you Nike haters, wait till your favorite shoe company copies this like they always do with other Nike innovations.
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eugene said 12:28PM on 8-08-2006
$10 is a lot. yes trad shoe wallets are bigger, but nothing a little needle and thread can't fix to make a little pocket inside the shoe wallet. shoe wallets should be no more than $6. i've got two of them, that said, this is tempting to me bc i don't put anything in my shoe wallet save my nike sensor.
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Jay Serna said 6:30PM on 8-08-2006
Well in order to be accurate it needs to be places underneth the foot, because the sensor is a Piezoelectric sensor, not a motion sensor. If it was a motion senor the device would cost 2-3x more. But, by using the Piezoelectric sensor they were able to keep the cost down and consever battery life.
However the device measures your foot strike and the amount of time your foot spent on the ground. So if x is "the amount of time your foot spent on the ground" and y is "your foot strike," then x+y=z. Of course z would be the goal output results from the Nike Sports Kit.
So by strapping it to your foot you still can get some parts of x, but you do not have a complete picture. It was estimated to be around 65-75% accurate, by ipodsportkit.com on their site.
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Scott said 1:23PM on 10-24-2006
This works, and works as accurately as the Nike shoe. Granted, I'm only speaking from one tester (me), but it's darn accurate.
I'm one of those guys who made a small slit in the top of a pair of running shoes, slipped the sensor in between the layers of fabric (above the toe area, left shoe), put two stiches in just to make sure it wouldn't slip out, and went running. I have a well-marked set of 3 and 5-mile runs that I do (measured accurately along a marathon road) and my Nike+ comes in every time within 60 yard on a 3-mile run. That works out to about 60 feet per mile. I've tried this on hilly areas and flat. No difference.
Some other notes:
•• I've read that it's important to have the sensor line up North/South. Nonsense. Mine floats around in the fabric a bit so that sometimes it's pointing N/S, but sometimes East/West.
•• I've read that it's important to have your Nano in the opposite side of the sensor. Again, not from my experience. Both are generally on the left side, and the above accuracy remains.
•• I do think it's important that the sensor doesn't flop around too much. When your foot strikes, you want it to register one solid foot strike, not a series of smaller bounces.
•• I definitely needed to adjust the default distances. But that's easy. You go run exactly one-mile, and calibrate it the first time. After that, I've repeatedly gotten the same 60 feet, plus or minus.
Hey: just one person's experience.
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