fit

Reporters' Roundtable: Sit up straight! Exercise more!

On today's show we're covering an emerging tech trend: The Quantified Self movement, or the collection of data streams about what we do, how we feel, how we move, and so on. Why? That's one of the big questions. The best answer is probably: to live better lives. And today we're talking with two entrepreneurs who are working on a subset of the quantified self movement: body monitoring. Both their companies have the goal of making us more aware of ourselves. Using that knowledge, hopefully, we can live more healthy lives.

Our guests are Monisha Perkash, CEO of Lumoback, which I covered this week from the Demo conference, and Jef Holove of Basis, which I wrote up in July.

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Polk ships UltraFit sports headphone line

In case you missed it, Polk Audio, which made a name for itself in the speaker world, announced a new line of UltraFit sports headphones back in June. Now all four new models have started shipping to retailers and should be available by the end of this month, if not sooner.

The line includes a mix of in-ear, on-ear, and in-ear-canal models that come in a variety of colors and range in price from $49.95 to $99.95. The three in-ear models look fairly similar but simply get swankier (and presumably sound better) as you step up in price.

Polk is touting the 'phones sturdy design, good sound quality, and touches like "tangle-free contrast-colored cables for instant left/right recognition" and an iPhone-friendly integrated three-button remote control and microphone (should work with Android models, too). No models, however, offer wireless Bluetooth connectivity.

Here's the basic rundown on all the new models courtesy of Polk:… Read more

iHome and New Balance ship fitness headphones

iHome and New Balance have teamed up for a new set of "fitness evolved" earphones that come equipped with a detachable in-line unit that features a built-in chronograph, pedometer, and heart rate monitor. Here's the quick details for the NB639, which is available now for $99.

Chronograph workout timer Pedometer (tracks total number of steps and distance traveled) Heart rate monitor (measures heart rate beats per minute and calories burned) Real-time voice-over feedback (heart rate, caloric burn, steps taken, and distance stats, without pausing your music) Includes HeartPal graphing software to chart and parse your exercise data … Read more

NewYu fitness monitor tracks wide range of activities

Wearable, connected fitness monitors are a dime a dozen these days. But developers of NewYu, a monitor that will be available in September, claim they've got an edge on their competition.

The device, which is meant to clip to clothing on the torso or to a pocket, is purported to provide a more accurate view of calories burned by tracking, and differentiating between, all movements throughout the day.

In other words, NewYu knows if you've been running or walking, cooking or cleaning, shopping, or (presumably) mating...You get the idea. Actually, Van Krueger, CEO of parent company Wellcore, tells me they decided to steer clear of the "mating" category, but that it will register as low-, medium-, or high-impact aerobics, depending of course on the intensity of the, shall we say, heat of the moment.

Krueger says the fitness monitor is able to differentiate among activities by using advanced pattern recognition technology. This works much the way voice recognition does;… Read more

Plan your workout in 3D

iMuscle helps you work out by showing you a 3D representation of the human body with the musculature exposed and animations of the muscle groups used for specific exercises. The app offers over 450 3D animations to show how stretches and exercises effect your body--a great workout aid when your at the gym and want to know how to best focus on specific muscle groups.

The interface of iMuscle lets you choose an area of the "Muscleman" you want to work on and then zooms in on the area. You then get a list of thumbnails that work … Read more

Jawbone launching Up, a fitness bracelet

Bluetooth audio accessory company Jawbone is extending its line into health and fitness. Later this year the company will launch a motion-recording wristband called Up that will connect to smartphone apps. It will be able to discern when its user is exercising, sleeping, or eating, Jawbone founder Hosain Rahman told me.

Rahman announced the product at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Tuesday. It was, he says, more of a concept launch than a product release. He did not disclose when the product will be available or how much it will cost. Rather, he was hoping to generate interest … Read more

The 404 857: Where we tripped over a zombie (podcast)

Does anyone else not understand Google+, or are we just getting too old for the Internet? After a week of using Google's new social network, we're not ready to leave Facebook, so let us know if we're missing something here. In other news, Jeff and Wilson met a real zombie, YouTube upped its video time limit to 10 hours, and Google might be tracking your sexual activity online, yikes.

The 404 Digest for Episode 857

Google+ invitations no longer so scarce. YouTube ups video time limit to 10 hours. iPad rumors suggest new iPad 2 with better screen this year. Sexual activity tracked by FitBit shows up in Google Search Bay Area from Eric performs our first ever user-submitted Tang That Tune!

Episode 857 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1503: FTC needs to put that probe somewhere else (Podcast)

Today on Buzz Out Loud, we preview tomorrow's "awesome" Facebook announcement -- and we hope it's not just Skype integration. Microsoft is getting in bed with Baidu in China, but Cisco is getting in a much dirtier bed with China's government, helping build a massive surveillance system that we're sure will just be used to hand out traffic tickets. Plus, is #antisec officially in a world of hurt? We'll see.

Android Atlas Weekly 55: Over 4.5 billion served (Podcast)

How is the Android Market like McDonalds? What's up with all of the missing Gingerbread updates? and What does Google Plus mean for ye Android faithful?

News

Rumor: Samsung Nexus Prime to be first Ice Cream Sandwich phone http://cnet.co/mfqF1M

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G up for preorder http://phandroid.com/2011/06/29/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-4g-now-on-pre-order-at-verizon-starting-at-529/

Yet another Facebook phone http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20075421-251/htc-status-announced-for-at-t-and-facebook-fanatics/

T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide is all about the camera http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20074689-251/new-t-mobile-mytouch-4g-slide-ready-for-close-up/… Read more

New Hyundai Accent boasts 40 mpg highway

When you think subcompact, you're probably thinking giving up horsepower, cargo space, tech options, and safety. But this isn't so for the 2012 Hyundai Accent.

The new Accent comes in a smart four-door GLS spec and a sporty five-door hatch, in GS and SE trims. With a direct-injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, the Accent offers 138 horsepower at 6,300rpm and 123 pound-feet of torque at 4,850rpm.

The Accent four-door is slightly larger than its predecessor (3.5 inches longer and a wheelbase that's 2.8 inches longer). It also bests the Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, … Read more