Samsung Adidas F110 miCoach personal trainer phone

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.