fitness tech

Buying men's suits online sounds risky, but a few fit geeks think they can get the right fit better than anyone else.

Two cousins with Las Vegas fashion industry ties, Mo Melwani and Vishaal Melwani, have teamed up with former space geek Raj Sareen to launch Sareen's new tech fit algorithm. Their site sells men's business wear and are aiming for the customers who don't like to shop, so a better fit means less returns and more repeat business. The technology, powered by Sareen's startup Styku, helps consumers find their correct clothing size online with … Read more

If you've been inspired by Jeremy Lin's story and want to work on honing your basketball skills, Nike has a new solution to help motivate you and track your progress.

The sportswear giant expanded its Nike+ line today with the introduction of Nike+ Basketball. The solution includes a new line of sneakers with pressure sensors strategically placed throughout the soles to measure how hard you're playing, how fast you're moving, and how high you're jumping (as if I need an app to tell me my vertical sucks).

The sensors then wirelessly transmit this data to your iPhone via Bluetooth, so you can see the results and track your progress. Social networks also play a big part of Nike+ Basketball, as you can share your stats with friends on Facebook and Twitter, or compare them to other users via the app's global leaderboard. There's even a showcase mode that lets you superimpose the data onto a video of you working your magic on the court. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Those who scoured the health and wellness zones at CES both this year and last may be wondering why they came at all in 2012. Many of the gadgets and services were either already in the works last year or being held behind the curtain for future reveals.

Within the designated Fitness TechZone in the North Hall, a few sub- or satellite genres were nearly empty or devoid of cutting-edge tech. Being six months pregnant, I had a personal interest in Mommy Tech this year. Yet when I approached BabyPlus(one of the only booths in the tiny Mommy … Read more

LAS VEGAS--When it comes to working out, we all need a little extra motivation at times, and the Sportiiiis takes care of that by getting in your face (literally) and telling you to step up your game.

The Sportiiiis is a heads-up display that you can attach to any pair of sunglasses to give you visual and audio cues about your workout performance. There are actually two components to the device. The first is a software client for your computer and/or mobile device through which you set your target heart rate, cadence, and pace. You can then transfer this information (via USB) to the second part of the Sportiiiis, a small accessory that features a multicolored LED boom.

With your workout goals stored, the boom can communicate with any of your ANT+ devices, such as heart rate monitors, foot pods, and bike sensors, as you're training to see if you're meeting your targets.… Read more

Magellan isn't afraid to get a little sweaty, as the GPS manufacturer is getting into the fitness tech game.

Known for its in-car navigation systems, today Magellan introduced its first pair of GPS fitness watches for runners, cyclers, swimmers, and triathletes. The Switch and Switch Up will be on display at CES 2012, with expected availability for spring 2012.

The Switch is designed primarily for runners, according to Magellan, and offers a 1.26-inch monochrome display, a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, and embedded ANT+ technology, so you can connect to third-party heart-rate monitors, foot pods, bike sensors, and so forth. … Read more

It's not often that the worlds of technology and surfing collide, but when they do, the results can be pretty epic.

On a recent trip to Nazare, Portugal, big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara was able to paddle into a 45-foot wave--a feat that would be difficult to achieve on arm power alone--thanks to the help of jet-propelled surfboard.

The high-tech surfboard is the creation of a San Diego-based company called WaveJet. WaveJet is actually a pod that can be attached to any surfboard, kayak, or other personal watercraft and features battery-powered twin jet drives that produces 20 pounds of thrusts and can propel the board up to 12 miles per hour. A wristband worn by the surfer allows him or her to control the twin jets wirelessly and also provides information about battery life, which stands at around 40 minutes if used continuously. … Read more

The ski and snowboarding season is upon us, and there are a number of tech products out there that let you track your runs, keep in touch with buddies, and listen to music, but the Recon Mod Live just might be one of the coolest gadgets for skiers and snowboarders yet.

Developed by Recon Instruments, the Mod Live uses a micro-optic display (hence, Mod) to project real-time information about your run, such as distance, speed, altitude, and vertical drop, right inside your ski goggles. The product consists of a mini computer on the right side that includes a GPS chip, accelerometers, a mini LCD, and 600MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, which is connected to a battery on the left side through a single cable. Users then insert the Mod Live into their goggles to view a virtual dashboard of stats. … Read more

With many of us spending more than 40 hours per week at work, you might be having a hard time fitting exercise into your daily routine, but a company called Revo Innovations thinks it has the solution with a contraption called the FitDesk.

The FitDesk is a foldable stationary bike that brings the gym to your office. Instead of traditional handlebars, the bike features a padded deck, where you can place your laptop and continue to work, surf the Web, or play games (in case you're not a treadmill fan), all while pedaling away the calories. Resistance controls also allow you to intensify your workouts as you pore over those Excel spreadsheets. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--CES 2011 was the first to group sports and fitness tech into a dedicated zone, appropriately named the Fitness TechZone. The overarching theme throughout these booths (and those at the neighboring Mommy Tech zone) has been about mobile monitoring (of heart rate, memory skills, anxiety levels, sleeping babies, and more).

Unfortunately, even among the coolest booths, it was hard to find any truly new and exciting tech. Everything felt like a spin-off or extension of previous years' unveilings. It seems that we're still a few years off from, for instance, heart-rate monitors that don't require those finicky … Read more