I got two new toys last week and have finally played with them enough to give them both a thumbs up. Last Wednesday, after Apple announced new iPod Nanos, I went to my nearest Apple store and picked up a silver 2 GB iPod Nano and the Nike+iPod Sport Kit. Again, both are great!
I first made the decision to get the Nike+ gadget. I read a great review on Cabel Sasser’s blog and was sold. The only problem was that it wasn’t compatible with my 5th Gen iPod so I needed a Nano.
Having been running with my 5th Gen iPod for a few weeks I already had thoughts of getting a Shuffle or Nano. Something about running with a 30 GB harddrive didn’t seem right. So with the Nike+ requirement of needing a Nano my decision was made.
That was about 10 days ago. After spending a few days trying to decide on which Nano to buy I realized that Apple had a big announcement planned for 9/12. I just decided I wait and make my Nano decision after that, hoping for a new and improved Nano.
Sure enough, last week Apple did announce new and improved Nanos. I’ll let you read all the improvements on your own, but the key to me was they doubled the storage capacity on the small unit to 2 GB. That was plenty for me, since the Nano will only be used for working out.
Enough on the Nano. Let me quickly say that the Nike+ is very cool. I love the feedback you get from your “coach” while running. I ran to 5Ks this past weekend and it was fun hearing stuff like “You have hit the 2.5 K mark. You are half way done”, and “400 m to go”.
Even better then the coaching you get, is the ultra-cool website Nike has developed for the data the gadget gathers. Take a look at this screenshot for a small idea of what you get to look at.
Lastly, I don’t run with Nike shoes and they aren’t a requirement. I used a couple velcro “zip ties”, that I use to wind up computer cords, to attach the shoe piece of the Nike+ to my shoe. It worked fine. I checked it after both runs and it was still secure. That said, I’ll have Katie make something that looks a little better to use, but for now the zip ties are fine.
hi,
my wife has bought one for me too, but i am having a little problem, when i attached the device to the nano, it say this accesory is not compatible.. do i need a firmware update or stg?
I did do a firmware upgrade, but I don’t remember if it was a requirement of using Nike+. I’ll check my documentation when I get home and leave another comment here.
Erik
“I love the feedback you get from your “coach” while running. I ran to 5Ks this past weekend and it was fun hearing stuff like “You have hit the 2.5 K mark. You are half way done”, and “400 m to go”.”
You have just turned me completely off to the product. When I go for a run or bike or swim, the last thing I want to have happen is my audio player breaking my concentration by yelling in my ear. I also can’t stand running with anything in my ears as well so for me, glad you like, each to their own but , No Thank you. 😉
Mark,
Good points.
I’m real picky about the headphones I run with. I’ve got some great Nike/Sony branded ones that are awesome. They wrap over my ear, and go in, but only half-fill the ear canal. Unlike the Shure in-ear headphones I use at work. They’re great for running because I can hear my music AND outside noise (cars honking at my slow rear).
Erik
You guys should checkout the shoes that came out from Nike with Ipod applications. Nike and Apple coming together is a perfect combination and if this can motivate a healthier lifestyle than more power to them.