The Hoop Tracker is a different kind of smartwatch. Instead of talking to your smartphone, it talks to a lever that sits inside a basketball hoop and registers whether or not a shot has gone in.
The shot detector has a handle that allows you to attach it magnetically inside any standard basketball hoop. When the ball goes in, the detector registers it as a successful shot and sends the information to the watch. You then can track your improvements from various locations on the court over time.
After a shooting session, you can review your performance on the watch itself or get more details on your progress by uploading the data online at the Hoop Tracker site. This lets you view charts and graphs of your shooting sessions to see if you're getting any closer to being like Mike.
The watch comes with built-in training programs and games, like seeing how fast you can rack up 100 points. That should help to alleviate the boredom of shooting practice.
Wireless Sports, the makers of Hoop Tracker, envisions it as a motivational device for amateur "hoopsters" and a training device for pros. Coaches can keep track of how players are improving and zero in on where they need extra work, like shooting from beyond the arc or improving free throw percentages.
The Hoop Tracker isn't scheduled to hit the market until the beginning of 2014. Wireless Sports has a working prototype up and running. The final device has an anticipated price tag of $199. Whether you fancy yourself a basketball phenom or a mediocre weekend player, the Hoop Tracker will show you the cold hard stats.