iPhone gains Heart Rate monitoring and Fitness Tracking
We received a press release last week from ITMP Technology, inc., who claim to have released the first series of Apps capable of actually listening to your heart (and receiving other fitness data).
This is due to to SMHEART LINK?, a small device which links up to many different sensors in exercise machines - such as cycling sensors and heart rate monitors from a lot of big-brand exercise sensor manufacturers.
This means that data from your favourite heart-rate listening device can be passed along to the SMHEART LINK? and passed on to the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Here's where it starts to get a little more complicated: depending on which device or service you use for fitness tracking, you'll need to use a different app. Currently there are iRPM+ (Free, App Store), iSpinning (Free, App Store and iNewLeaf (Free, App Store). It should be noted the latter two apps are just demos, with the real deal "expected to be available soon".
It seems a shame to break up the functionality into different apps instead of integrating them into one app, but what some might find even more of a shame is that on top of the apps, you will have to buy the SMHEART LINK? itself for $154.95 at their website. I'm not going to claim that I know anything about their production costs, but a price like that seems a bit steep for what is essentially a wifi dongle.
That's not to say that many fitness fans will not find this a valuable tool for their fitness-tracking needs. One of the great things about the App Store is the sheer variety it has to offer, whatever your interests are, and IMTP Technology seems to be taking care of at least one of those interests.
This is due to to SMHEART LINK?, a small device which links up to many different sensors in exercise machines - such as cycling sensors and heart rate monitors from a lot of big-brand exercise sensor manufacturers.
This means that data from your favourite heart-rate listening device can be passed along to the SMHEART LINK? and passed on to the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Here's where it starts to get a little more complicated: depending on which device or service you use for fitness tracking, you'll need to use a different app. Currently there are iRPM+ (Free, App Store), iSpinning (Free, App Store and iNewLeaf (Free, App Store). It should be noted the latter two apps are just demos, with the real deal "expected to be available soon".
It seems a shame to break up the functionality into different apps instead of integrating them into one app, but what some might find even more of a shame is that on top of the apps, you will have to buy the SMHEART LINK? itself for $154.95 at their website. I'm not going to claim that I know anything about their production costs, but a price like that seems a bit steep for what is essentially a wifi dongle.
That's not to say that many fitness fans will not find this a valuable tool for their fitness-tracking needs. One of the great things about the App Store is the sheer variety it has to offer, whatever your interests are, and IMTP Technology seems to be taking care of at least one of those interests.