Nike+ SportWatch GPS Powered by TomTom

By Eliane Fiolet on 01/06/2011, filed in Home > Gadgets

[CES 2011] Nike launched its Nike+ SportWatch GPS at CES, and I saw a quick demo. Powered by TomTom, the watch captures the runner’s location and display the time, distance, pace and calorie burned its monochrome screen. Featuring only three buttons for ease of use during runs, the watch works with the shoe embedded Nike+ Sensor to deliver accurate pace and distance data. Thanks to its connector (picture below), the watch can be plugged to a computer to upload data at www.nikeplus.com, the Nike running community counting over 4 million members. Via a user friendly interface, runners can keep track of their running history, see their runs on the map with color coded speed information, and share with their friends on the website.

The Nike+ SportWatch GPS is scheduled to be at retail stores and online in the U.S. and the U.K. beginning April 1. Broader distribution is scheduled for July 1. Pricing is not defined yet.

Features include

On-watch features include:
• Tap Screen for setting laps and activating backlight
• Run History with data from past runs
• Personal Records including those imported from Nikeplus.com
• Quick Start with optional shoe-based Nike+ Sensor
• Heart Rate Monitor compatibility

Some of the unique motivating factors the Nike+ SportWatch GPS offer runners on-screen include:
• Recognition (or “Attaboys”) for personal records
• Run Reminders that appear after five days if a run has not been logged
• Post-run acknowledgement and encouragement

CES: CES is the acronym for the (International) Consumer Electronics Show, one of the largest consumer-electronics shows in the world. Although it is held in Las Vegas today, the first CES happened in June 1967 in New York City and Bob Gavin, the CEO of Motorola was the opening keynote speaker for that first edition. Subsequently, CES was held twice a year: the summer edition was in New York, and the winter edition was in Las Vegas, that is, until 1998 when CES became a once-a-year show. CES has been the introduction place for key products and technologies, including: Pong (1975), Nintendo NES (1985), Tetris (1988), Compact Disc (1991), HDTV (1998), Xbox (2001), Blu-Ray (2003), OLED TV (2008). Check our latest CES Coverage

GPS: Global Posting System: The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite system (space-based) that provides geographical location and time information in all weather, anywhere on Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver

About the author: Eliane Fiolet is the co-founder and editor of Ubergizmo.com where she writes about smart devices, web applications, design and usability. In her parallel life, she owns a Corporate ID design business that helps companies create great brands. Prior to opening her own agency, Eliane worked for a top design firm, Minale Tattersfield Design Strategy, where she created identities for Fortune 500 companies. She also worked in the video game industry as a designer for an award-winning adventure game. Eliane holds a master degree in visual communication and design from the “Art Décoratifs” college and she majored in mathematics and physics in high school. Follow the author on Facebook, Twitter

Join a great community!