Get knackered with Nike+! (Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit)

Member Name: GuruOnAMountain

Product:	Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit
Date:	17/05/08 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great motivational gadget and quite well priced.

Disadvantages: Need to have a nano and can be inaccurate for cross country running.

Since I've been getting into a bit of a health kick right now, I was tempted by this nifty little device and eventually gave in and treated myself to it.

This device is compatible with an iPod nano only since the nano has a flash drive memory as opposed to hard drive memory and therefore, its less likely to be damaged by running.

You get a sensor and a receiver in the box. The receiver plugs into the bottom of your iPod, just like your USB cable. The receiver is very small: only about 2cm long and 1 cm high, so it doesn't get in the way too much. The sensor is designed to be placed in a pair of Nike+ trainers which have a space hollowed out for it inside the sole, but a quick Google search will reveal many cheap solutions that allow you to attach the sensor to the laces of any trainers.

So, you've plugged in your receiver, attached the sensor to your shoe and you're ready to go. You simply follow the Nike+ link on your iPod and can then choose your workout. You can choose to set your workout by distance, time or calories burned. Other settings can be changed, too. For example, a voice can give you an update on your progress of your workout and you can set this to be either male or female. Similarly, you can set it to record your workout in either miles or kilometers or set your 'Powersong' which is a song you can get your iPod to play when you start to flag.

Your progress is displayed on screen , telling you how far you've went, but you also get updates through your headphones and can get such an update on demand by pressing the middle button. It will also record how fast you're going and how long you've ran for.

You can also calibrate the Nike+ kit to be sure its accurate for your stride length, although I've left mine at what it was pre-set out as this seems to be fairly accurate for me, anyway.

Once you've left your sweaty trainers at your front door and got yourself comfy on the sofa after a hard workout, then you can proudly plug your ipod into your computer and record your workout information online at the Nike+ website. Here you can not only store a record of your workouts, but you can also set and sign up for challenges to give yourself an extra bit of motivation.

For someone like me, who needs all the motivation I can get, its good to be able to be able to visually chart my progress like I can with the Nike+ kit. However, I am aware that it pretty much is a glorified pedometer. Running along to my favourite music while having spoken encouragement is something I find that helps me, though. You can also download workout mixes from iTunes just by typing Nike+ into the search bar.

At only £20, though, you can't go wrong if you already own a Nano. However, with Nanos coming in currently at around £100 for 4GB and about £120 for 8GB, it could certainly work out expensive if you don't already own one.

There is a couple of disadvantages I can see, though. First of all, the battery can't be changed in the sensor and so you'll need to buy a whole new Nike+ kit when the battery dies. Also, its pretty much necessary to buy a sports armband to secure your Nano and keep it away from rain or sweat which will set you back about another 20 quid. Also, if you don't own a pair of Nike+ trainers, you might not feel satisfied that the sensor is firmly attached to your trainers which might be a bit of a distraction.

Another fault is that if you run cross country or aren't running with a regular stride, it can make the Nike+ unable to accurately predict the distance ran, although it shouldn't make it totally inaccurate.

All in all, I've found this a great motivational tool for me and at only £20, it didn't break the bank. Being able to link it with the Nike website to give you that added bit of encouragement is a great touch as well, and all in all, I'd recommend this piece of kit for any runners or potential runners out there!

Summary: Record you speed and distance on your runs.