If you are like most amateur athletes, you probably believe that if you just work harder and longer everyday, your performance will improve more rapidly. Rest days are for lazy people right? Well Restwise is looking to change your mindset and help you to see that through understanding what recovery time your body needs, you will ultimately perform better.
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Data is becoming the name of the game as more people are turning to devices to help improve sporting performance or prepare for their upcoming adventures. Following the trend, Garmin has recently launched BaseCamp, the free software download that will give GPS users loads of new interactive data feedback with their device.
BaseCamp lets you view and organize topo maps, waypoints, routes and tracks then sends them all to your GPS device. The topo map can be viewed in 2-D or 3-D on your computer, includes elevation profiles and lets you rotate the maps to view from any angle.
One of the most useful features is the ability to estimate the difficulty of your hike before you even start. BaseCamp Track Draw allows you to draw your intended route then feeds back the elevation profile. Once you have completed your hikes, the software will show an animated playback of all your routes and tracks over time.
The BaseCamp software enables the transfer of photos to and from the Garmin device in order to geotag or add a photo to any waypoint on the map. The software also offers advanced Geocaching support and can import data directly from Geocaching.com
The software is available free for PC and Mac users from the Garmin website.
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If you happen to be traveling to the Jungfrau region this summer, be sure to check out the Jungfrau Climate Guide application for the iPhone.
The application acts as a hiking guide, including information on the subject of climate change. The guide includes audio files which take you along seven paths in different parts of the Jungfrau region where you can listen to information about scientists’ current state of knowledge on climate change and at the same time see the impact it is having on the landscape in front of you.
A bonus section includes additional interviews, videos, slideshows and a complete documentary film. Dozens of illustrated texts allow you to go more deeply into topics that you find particularly interesting. The application also includes a plant identification key for species in the region you may encounter along your hike.
An iPhone complete with the Jungfrau Climate Guide can be rented for CHF 20 at each of the tourist offices in the region. You can also download a shorter version of the guide directly onto your own iPhone from the App Store for $9.99.
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According to a patent filed four months ago, Apple appears to be working on an activity sensor aimed at skiers, snowboarders and mountain bikers. Similar to the Nike + iPod and MotionX concept mentioned here earlier, a sensor attached to a boot or bike would determine the amount of air time and height, speed, activity time, distance traveled and power output of the wearer.
The key differentiator in the Apple patent is air time or loft which is yet to be measured in any application. "A loft sensor senses a first condition that is indicative of the vehicle leaving the surface, and further senses a second condition indicative of the vehicle returning to the surface," the patent filing explains. "A microprocessor subsystem, e.g., a microcontroller, determines a loft time that is based upon the first and second conditions, and the loft time is thereafter displayed to a user of the apparatus by a display, e.g., a LCD or LED display."
The activity sensor is a prime example of Apple grabbing an idea developed by a third party and taking it up a notch. I always thought that the "open" App Store was simply a testing ground for Apple and if a third party application proved to be popular, Apple would develop and market their own, improved version.
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A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Patagonia using the commuter management platform from Goose Networks. Now it seems that everyone is looking to offer some sort of bike commuter application.
REI recently launched a customizable Bike Your Drive iPhone application that allows users to view their biking progress, pinpoint and save their bikingmileage, upload geotagged photos to document their ride and measure gas savings as well as individual CO2 offset. This free interactive tool helps cyclists track, view, and share their bicycling experiences.
Minnesota's Civia Cycles launched Greenlight, a free online community where users can track their rides, set goals and compete with fellow commuters to see who can rack up the most miles or save the most in gas money.
Commuting it seems is big business in more ways than one.
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