Tag: Bluetooth

The World Could be Feeling Bluetooth

According to a report from Research and Markets titled, Bluetooth 2011: Rapid Growth for Established Interface, the demand for Bluetooth-enabled devices worldwide is expected to exceed 2billion by 2013. The wireless protocol has continued to gain design wins over a wide range of applications, with Bluetooth device shipments increasing by 23 percent between 2009 and 2010.

It was noted that this growth has been due to the continued success of the so-called “Classic Bluetooth,” which includes all Bluetooth 1.x and 2.x standards. Bluetooth has been further bolstered in the past year by the emergence of two new standards, which include Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed (HS) and Bluetooth 4.0.

Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed combine classic Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transmit large data files. It was introduced in mobile phones in 2010, whereas Bluetooth 4.0 offers much lower power consumption than Classic Bluetooth and is targeted at medical and fitness devices, as well as PCs and mobile phones. Bluetooth 4.0 can also accommodate the HS option found in Bluetooth 3.0. The first 4.0 devices will ship in late 2011, and is primarily targets new BT markets: medical, fitness, and security devices.

The world could be a blue place in the near future.

Interbike 2011: Wahoo Fitness On the Run

The company that brought you a cycle computer on your iPhone via ANT+ now has a run and gym solution. The Wahoo Run Pack from Wahoo Fitness is ideal for cyclists looking to cross-train in the colder winter months. Of course it also works quite well for those who simply run or go to the gym, even if they don’t ride a bike as part of training. Continue reading Interbike 2011: Wahoo Fitness On the Run

Magellan Introduces RV GPS Device

Getting to a good place to ride or hike might take you off the beaten path, and Magellan has you covered. The GPS maker has teamed up with The Good Sam Club to bring out a GPS unit designed for recreational vehicle enthusiasts. The RoadMate Pro 9165T GPS features an HD 7-inch touch screen with heavy duty extension mount, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling through a speakerphone and free lifetime traffic alerts.

The new GPS device combines the core strengths of Magellan, the Good Sam Club, the world’s largest RV Owner’s organization and the Trailer Life RV Parks & Campground Directory. The Directory, a must-have tool for RVers, provides over 11,700 comprehensive listings for the U.S. and Canada which includes: WiFi and internet access, pet-friendly campground locations, the Good Sam Club discount locations, Trailer Life’s exclusive triple rating system, and other points of interest specific to RVers. Continue reading Magellan Introduces RV GPS Device

Polar Brings Out WearLink+ Bluetooth

This week Polar USA announced the release of the new WearLink+ transmitter with Bluetooth, which seems to be the hot new thing in heart rate monitors this week. And the Polar version will work with Anrdoid and Symbian smartphones, allowing users to have the ability to use their handset to track their heart rate and fitness progress.

The Polar WearLink+ will work with mobile training applications including RunKeeper, Sports Tracker and Endomond, and get precise data while working out. After each training session, users can share workout data and examine their heart rate and training intensity in greater detail through the web services of their application provider.

Continue reading Polar Brings Out WearLink+ Bluetooth

Bluetooth Goes For the Heart

Heart rate monitors are great devices that truly can aid and improve training. But I’m one who has been called “heartless” and it has nothing to do with my sinister demeanor. It has to do with the fact that traditional RF based heart rate monitors just don’t work well with me. This happens to some of us, and it is downright annoying.

But now The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced the finalization of two new developer specifications for connected vital sign monitoring devices that will make use of the short range wireless technology. The specs call first for a health thermometer profile, and more importantly for me, a heart rate profile

Both of these will be part of the upcoming Bluetooth 4.0 release, and will feature Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) as well as increased transfer speeds. SIG has also noted that Bluetooth could enable connectivity in medical device technology that provide vital sign monitoring and interaction with wireless devices, including Bluetooth 4.0-enabled smartphone.

Recently Dayton Industrial unveiled a heart-rate monitor that will leverage Bluetooth 4.0, and this low energy heart rate chest belt features energy efficiency technology that the company claims will enable it to run an average of 1.5 years on a single coin cell. That’s a real plus, because while I might not be so heartless I am pretty cheap!

Dayton Industrial Official Website
Bluetooth SIG

BodyMedia Announces new API

BodyMedia, the maker of body monitoring devices, has announced a developer API (Application Programming Interface), which should encourage developers to explore and discover new applications to help people know their bodies and improve their lives.

To meet these goals BodyMeida has partnered with Mashery, an API management and strategic services company, to create new apps, either within the existing lifestyle management platform or to apply the unique BodyMedia technology into new spaces, which could include gaming, fitness, entertainment or social networking.

“We want to take our unique data right from the Armbands of our consumers and put it directly into the hands of developers to discover new uses and markets,” stated Ivo Stivoric, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, BodyMedia, Inc. “Our goal is to enable more people to leverage the powerful BodyMedia tools to expand the positive impact of body monitoring.” Continue reading BodyMedia Announces new API

Bluetooth World Cup Kicks Off

Time for the world cup, but it isn’t football or rugby. It will however, likely change the playing field of technology, as it is the Innovation World Cup.

This week the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced that it is once again looking for ideas and prototypes in the areas of health care, sports and fitness, automotive, entertainment, and more, that use Bluetooth technology version 4.0, for this year’s edition of the Innovation World Cup (IWC). This competition is now in its third year, as the trade organization contest calls on developers, entrepreneurs and students to submit concepts for applications making use of the low energy feature of Bluetooth v4.0. Continue reading Bluetooth World Cup Kicks Off

Carbon Fiber Headset Offers Style and Balance

We at KineticShift love carbon fiber. It is the space age material that just makes everything better, lighter and stronger. OK, maybe not everything can benefit from carbon fiber, but we like it with bikes, tennis racquets and other sports and fitness gear. We also see that what works for fitness is translating into other sectors as well.

We also like Bluetooth, the wireless technology that is great for near area communications. So this week we saw something that turned our heads, namely a Bluetooth carbon fiber headset!

At the Hong Kong Electronics and Global Sources Fair this week Bluetrek Technologies introduced the CARBON, the world’s first Bluetooth headset made of carbon fiber. It promises to be equipped with the best in class audio enhancement technology so both the user and receiver can have crystal clear audio. . In addition, the patented mechanism embedded in the carbon fiber tube allows extended talk time, yet reduces weight to less than 6grams while retaining a slender aesthetic to the ear piece, warranting long time wear with superb comfort.

While CARBON might not be the most ideal fitness headset, we hope that this will just be a proof of concept. Bluetrek are you listening? If you had CARBON as a headset we think you’d hear us loud and clear.

Bluetrek Official Website

ANT+: Wireless Protocol For Fitness That Promises More With Less

With wireless technologies as prevalent as they are today, the thought of connecting two gadgets using a wire is almost unthinkable. File transferring between computers can be done over-the-air through Wi-Fi, while many headsets and headphones can connect to portable devices like cell phones via Bluetooth. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are just two of the technologies available, all in the name of helping you cut the cord.

In the health and sports/fitness sectors, you may start hearing more and more about products adhering to the ANT+ protocol. This proprietary wireless protocol allows devices like heart rate monitors, speed sensors, blood pressure monitors, and blood glucose meters to talk to another device like a computer, smartphone, sports watch, GPS-enabled trainer, or exercise equipment (e.g. treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.), provided they are also ANT+ enabled. For example, while you’re exercising on a ANT+ fitness equipment, the data is wirelessly transmitted to the ANT+ sports watch you’re wearing, without the need to physically attach the watch to the fitness equipment. All this info can be transmitted and stored on your computer or in the cloud (such as Microsoft’s HealthVault or Garmin Connect), allowing you to analyze and track your progress. (At a gym we use, the Life Fitness elliptical can only download our workout info to a USB thumbdrive or a connected iPhone or iPod with Nike+, but would be much more useful if it could wirelessly transmit that info.)

ANT+ was built upon the ANT wireless sensor network technology, which is owned by a subsidiary of Garmin. A group of companies that include Garmin, Stairmaster, Timex, Microsoft, Adidas, Star Trac, Trek, Suunto, Nautilus, Sony Ericsson, and Specialized comprise the ANT+ Alliance, which oversees the standard and its branding, and ensures interoperability. The low-power technology is similar in functionality to Bluetooth, in which it allows two devices to pair and exchange data. Also, like Bluetooth, an ANT+ product connects to only one other product at a time, even though there may be several ANT+ devices in the area; this mean you won’t accidentally receive data from another product, say a treadmill that’s next to but isn’t being used by you. Although both Bluetooth and ANT operate on the 2.4GHz spectrum, the two technologies are not the same. Interestingly, a new feature of Bluetooth 4.0 called Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) will most likely compete with ANT+ in the future if it receives adoption as widespread as ANT+.

So why go with ANT+ at all, especially if Bluetooth can do the same thing? Well, the problem so far has been that Bluetooth has made many promises but in essence failed to deliver, and while it is possible to upgrade existing Bluetooth networks to the BLE, most experts say this isn’t so cut and dry. In the end it is all going to come down with support from product makers – and given that ANT+ has lined up many partners in the fitness space it is a safe bet that the ant will more can than can’t.

ANT Official Website

Mobile World Congress: New Chip Could Aid Fitness Devices

This week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Broadcom announced the development of  a new wireless combination (combo) chip designed to support more media and data applications without impacting the size or battery life for various devices including smartphones and tablets.

The BCM4330 integrates Broadcom’s 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless technology with Bluetooth and FM radio technologies all onto a single silicon die. This will be the first combo chip solution certified with the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, and it further will feature dual-band capabilities to allow Wi-Fi users to leverage the 5 GHz spectrum. This could be particularly useful for wireless sensors in fitness and medical applications.

We have seen a lot of development with Bluetooth in the fitness gear space, and now Broadcom’s new chip could further allow for all sorts of combinations thanks to its combo chip.

Broadcom Official Website

Will ANT+ Give Bluetooth a Run for the Money in the Fitness Market

This week Sony Ericsson introduced a YouTube video that shows off the benefits of ANT+, a wireless communication standard used in a variety of fitness devices including heart rate monitors and pedometers. This wireless technology is software based, and it work with devices such as mobile phones. The question is now what ANT+ could mean for Bluetooth in the fitness space? We see a battle brewing between the blue and the ant!

SIA: Bluetooth Comes to Googles

If you’re having a working vacation on the slopes, or just think you can do serious multitasking, the Recon ski goggles with Bluetooth might be for you. The company has added the wireless technology to its latest line of Transcend GPS-powered alpine goggles, and these can connect with a smartphone to access playlists, caller ID or even to read text messages.

The new goggles, which were shown last week at the SIA (Snowsports Industries of America) trade show in Denver, can also connect to a video camera, with the LCD screen within the eyewear lens acting as a viewfinder. These Transcend goggles further feature a navigation system with buddy-tracking and even integrated trail maps.

Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for these.

Recon Official Website

Fitness Journal: Wearing the BodyMedia Fit

Trade shows, especially for journalists, are a time for getting work done. Meeting exhibitors and seeing product. It’s easy to lose sight of your fitness routines. As the Consumer Electronics Show approached and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) approached me to wear an activity meter and compete for the journalist who takes the most steps, I was intrigued. There are a few shows including CES and the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) where I know I log a lot of steps because I’m running (sometimes literally) back and forth between several spread out halls to get to appointments and to see the show. I’ve always been curious just how many steps I’ve taken and calories I’ve burned at these shows. Now I had the perfect tool to give me the answer. Not only that, but immediately after CES I was headed to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, and was curious to see how that show compared in steps and energy output. Continue reading Fitness Journal: Wearing the BodyMedia Fit