Tag: Exercise »

Runtastic PRO, the running app that seems to do it all, has released a new update to keep their fans motivated. Runners can now try to beat their best times with the new "Challenge a Run" feature and keep things exciting with 2 new story runs: Alcatraz 2 and Weight Loss.

Runtastic PRO is available on the App Store for $4.99.

It can sometimes be tough for people to make time for exercise. Maybe they work long days or have to spend too much time sitting at a desk. Perhaps there are other physical limitations that are preventing them from going for a jog or a bike ride. Well now there's TAO to consider as an alternative.

The TAO Wellness fitness program, along with the TAO WellShell, promote a brand of exercise know as Isometrics. Isometric exercises are basically the application of pressure at certain points of the body, for certain lengths of time, and at certain strengths, in order to improve circulation and tone muscles. The WellShell and Tao Wellness system work together to not only present you with Isometic exercises but to create an entire program for you to follow; complete with reps, coaching, and so on. "Variobics(TM)," they call it.

The WellShell will measure and track your progress, then give you the results through the TAO app (coming soon) and allow you to see how far you've come. What's so interesting about it is that the exercises are largely comprised of squeezing the device from various angles - all of which will work different groups of muscles - so there's nothing really holding you back from using it whenever you have a spare moment but can't manage any major physical activities such as running, pushups, and so on.

If you're headed to CES you can check out the TAO Wellness system and the WellShell January 7-10 at Booth #26712 in South Hall 2. If not, you'll have to wait a bit longer (and keep an eye on the website) to get your hands on it.

Today, Fitbit announced the Force, an evolution in their excellent line of activity monitors. The Force builds on their previous wristband monitor, the Flex. The Force adds an accelerometer and OLED display. This allows the Force to track the number of stairs climbed as well as provide better feedback right from the device on progress. When not in active use the Force can also function as a watch showing the time. A future update will also allow the Force to show incoming call alerts direct from an iPhone.

The Force will be out soon and is available now for pre-order.

Nexercise, the app for tracking exercise among friends, has always been about gamifying the workout tracking experience. But for the recent 2.0 revamp, Nexercise has undergone major changes in order to make it more game-like, and to hopefully make its users more effective in getting out and exercising. With multiple rewards systems like Kiip and Pocket Change, President and COO Gregory Coleman hopes that his app can be a smashing success. I spoke with him recently about what his company is trying to do with Nexercise.

148Apps: With the major revamp to the app, what were your goals in changing and improving the experience?

Gregory Coleman (GC): We wanted to make the entire experience easier, more intuitive, and more elegant. We want new users to quickly figure out what to do and how to do it. We felt like some aspects of the old version created some confusion and friction points.

148Apps: Many of the new features resemble the kinds of rewards and tactics that a lot of free-to-play social games use. Was this intentional? And if not, did you do any further research into how they could help you out?

GC: This is intentional. The key to casual games is that they are quick to use, easy to learn, and fun to play. Our goal is to accomplish the same thing with Nexercise and we deliberately tried to tie into the same psychological components.

148Apps: Have you seen actual users taking advantage of the rewards and social features?

GC: Absolutely! According to surveys of our users and our own internal data, those are two of the most popular aspects of the app.

148Apps: How do you ensure that users don't try to cheat the system?

GC: If a user allows us to use the smartphone sensors to actually track the exercise session, we give them bonus points. This also allows us to do some pattern matching on the backend to validate the activity and reject cheating. As far as self-reporting, it is an honor system. However, our community tends to police itself and is pretty quick to call out cheaters.

148Apps: Do you encourage certain behavior patterns for users?

GC: Yes. Our mechanics are based heavily on the psychology of exercise. We reward behaviors that are scientifically proven to make people more successful in living an active life (exercising first thing in the morning or on Monday for example).

148Apps: What are your plans in the near future for the app?

GC: We're looking very heavily at integrations with the other tools that our users use. We currently integrate with the RunKeeper app and are evaluating what, if any, other tools we want to connect with.

Thanks to Gregory for his time.