reebok

Impact-sensing sports cap measures head injury

True story. A few years ago, I got a concussion at a baseball game -- and not because a ball hit me in the head. When my friend and I simultaneously turned and leaned in to talk, her head hit mine with such force I thought I had broken my nose. My doctor, however, said all signs pointed toward a concussion. Did I mention it was a Giants game? Go, Giants!

World Series aside, had I been wearing a new impact-sensing skullcap from Reebok and startup MC10, I might have immediately known whether I needed medical treatment or rest before resuming play, which in my case involved sitting on a bench trying to explain baseball to CNET's Swedish summer interns.

The sensor-laden mesh cap provides colored LED readouts that vary according to the level of impact, thus providing instant information on the gravity of the blow. It should be commercially available to consumers early next year, "essentially serving as an extra set of eyes on the ice -- or any other playing field," MC10 says. … Read more

Reebok backpack wants to disturb the peace too

Reasons behind the popularity of backpack speakers continue to elude us, but the trend has just gotten some additional validation. Not only are such products being peddled by smaller brands, but now a major player has weighed in with a version on the U.K. market.

Reebok is offering the "NXT Speaker Backpack," which is powered by two AA batteries and will blast tunes from anything that can connect to its 3.5-millimeter jack. There's no information indicating how powerful these speakers are, though we suspect they're made for the finicky audiophile anyway.

Tech Shout notes … Read more

Allen Iverson gets his own Zune too

Joy Division isn't the only one that's trying to get the timing just right for a special-edition Zune. Allen Iverson's people are apparently hoping to do the same with their own exclusive version of Microsoft's media player now that his Denver Nuggets have barely secured the last spot in the NBA playoffs.

An etching of the superstar will appear on the back of a limited-edition 8GB Zune packaged with a pair of Reebok shoes called the "Answer XI Zune," according to CrunchGear. Weird.

Only 60 of these special bundles will be sold at a … Read more