Samsung Adidas F110 miCoach personal trainer phone
Pint-sized Mr Motivator
Review Many of us spend a fortune on gym membership only to join the gang of guilty no-shows after just a few weeks. So is a mobile phone capable of putting you on the fast track to personal fitness?
Samsung and Adidas think so. They’ve teamed up to produce the miCoach mobile phone and integrated personal coaching system. It’s a sophisticated attempt at putting a virtual personal trainer in your phone, offering tailored training regimes to suit your fitness levels and goals.
Samsung's Adidas F110 miCoach: ahead of the field
Other manufacturers have attempted to combine a handset with a training device, but the Samsung and Adidas combo is way ahead of the field. The full miCoach package comes with a heart-rate monitor and a stride sensor that connect wirelessly to the phone. On-board software lets you to create a wide range of workouts, while audio instructions provide updates and training advice during runs. A quick couple of taps on the phone screen will also give you instant bulletins on how you’re doing.
The phone's music player is woven into the fabric of the miCoach training software too. You can listen to tracks while you’re running, and with a quick button press get one of your pre-chosen motivational songs when you need a boost.
By hooking up the phone to a PC, you can also sync the miCoach phone’s training data with the miCoach website. You can set training goals, download your own personalised training schedule, and monitor your progress on a comprehensive display.
Unlike other training-music combos, such as the Nike+ iPod package, the miCoach has the natural advantage of mobile phone functionality. Samsung hasn’t gone for the most hi-tech handset for this collaboration, offering quad-band GSM GPRS/Edge connectivity rather than 3G.
COMMENTS
Looks Smart
As an all in one device that looks impressive, the heart rate monitor etc is very good.... i wonder what it does if you get a call whilst running though :D
I agree it's not going to be up there with the Garmin products (though i think the 305 must add 30lbs to your wrist, it's a brick!!!), but by the looks of it it moves the game on a little from the Nike+ system.... it won't be quite as accurate without GPS (neither is the Nike+) but it's all one place.
Shame neither of them have bloody Mac software though. Grrrrrrrr
@Joe K
I have been skeptical of such products. However your description of mapping a route with HR data has changed my mind. I don't know that I'd drop a ton for it but it is an excellent idea.
Running
There is no other training than running. If you want to get fit, you start to run. And when you run, you'll get fit. Or injured.
What?
No scripted-motion bespectacled black dude in flourescent yellow lycra cycle shorts and wife-beater?
I DON'T WANT ONE WITHOUT MY HOMOEROTICISM!
A nice idea...
..sadly, without GPS this thing appears next to useless once you've used a Garmin Forerunner. You can get a 305 for a little over a ton nowadays.
Nothing like seeing your routes in Google Earth, along with speed and HR data overlaid in a on-map 3d graph detailing HR , speed and elevation at whatever point.
Once you've used that, this phone appears little more than a nice HR watch.
