pedometer

The 404 315: Where we undo our top button

Yeah, we're not sure what the title of our show means today, but it's what happens when you let the chat room run the show. We think they want us to take off our clothes. Anyway, we're back to our old antics today: Bittr, Wii, Wolverine, iPhone, and pedometers.

As you can see, Slate.com already stole our idea for a skit mocking Twitter. We were going to shoot a video about a one-character status update. Some times, "F" is the only character that describes exactly how we're feeling at the moment.

On today's show, we talk a bit about how Nintendo is almost literally printing money with its Wii console. Apparently, it costs Nintendo 45 percent less to make a Wii than when it first came out. Nintendo is also trying to make more bank by releasing a pedometer, a device that measures foot steps--not an alarm for child predators. Also, we've got some info on a new iPhone app called Bad Decision Blocker that blocks your ability to make drunk phone calls. Seriously, though, if you need an iPhone app to stop you from making drunk calls, you need to 1) stop drinking 2) leave your phone at home, and 3) go see a therapist about your lingering girlfriend issues.

Finally, we get to our favorite "It came from Fox News!" segment. This time around, a Fox News commentator was fired for reviewing a pirated copy of the new "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie. Yeah, smart one. Fortunately, Jeff stopped selling DVDs of "Two and a Half Men" a few months ago. And a reminder, please call in with your most death-defying story to win your copy of "To the End of the Death: Our Epic Journey to the North Pole and the Legend of Peary and Henson" by our guest, Tom Avery. Yeah, long, long title.

EPISODE 315 Download today's podcast | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe in RSS… Read more

Burn calories with this phone

Toshiba and KDDI, the second-largest mobile operator in Japan, have teamed up to squeeze a calorie counter and pedometer into a mobile phone.

The result? An unusual-looking mobile phone called the Sportia. Not only does this mobile looks "fat," its weird-looking buttons are almost too small to use. Furthermore, the directional buttons are placed on the left side of the phone instead of the usual top central position. The overall design is simple and unattractive, not what one would expect of normally fashion-conscious Japanese phones.

According to Softpedia, the Sportia will be available in mid-June, but only in … Read more

Wayfinder Active is a way cool GPS app

The full product launch of Wayfinder Active is arriving in North America just in time for seasonal outdoor pursuits. This free edition of the premium GPS phone navigation system, Wayfinder Navigator, includes goodies that are just right for outdoor enthusiasts taking their phones on a stroll, jog, hike, or geocaching expedition. There are tools for monitoring your speed, distance, and caloric burn, for mapping routes and points of interest, for pulling up a dynamic compass, and for sharing routes or stats. For solo wanderers, there's also a panic button for calling out your location to an emergency buddy.

Appropriately, … Read more

'Slim Stick' is a fashionable way to stay fit

Pedometers are probably among the oldest digital fitness gadgets around, continually morphing into new forms for both man and beast. But we didn't think they'd have any potential as fashion items until we saw these latest models from Japan.

The "Slim Stick" seems fairly mundane so far as features are concerned, with the requisite tracking for calories burned, miles walked, and the like. Where it stands out, according to Gizmodiva, is a sleek design in silver, gold, or pink that resembles some kind of high-tech Pez dispenser. Function and appearance aside, this takes represents an important … Read more

Exercise like it's 1984

The original Adidas "Micropacer" was a bit ahead of its time when it came out in 1984. Back then, few could have predicted that running shoes would eventually be home to GPS devices, iPod transmitters, and their own MP3 players as they are in 2008.

But today the 24-year-old line can hold its own as the fitness/apparel/technology trend shows little sign of abatement. The Micropacers have a device built into a special tongue that includes a pedometer, range finder, and stop watch, Uncrate says.

Pictured here is the "Venice Carnival Edition" from the line'… Read more

Turning NPR "driveway moments" into "walkway moments"

Looking to get more exercise into your life? New research from Stanford Medical School reports that people who use pedometers walk about 2,000 steps more every day than those who don't. That translates to an extra mile of progress each day.

So that's one little gadget that can help. Walking has been on my mind lately because one strategy that has really worked for me is to listen to public radio shows on my iPhone iPod while I walk the dog. I know that if I walk my way through an entire 40-minute podcast each day, broken up into two or three segments, I have met my exercise goal.

But even better than that, I often walk farther than I had planned because I get caught up in a compelling show--turning public radio "driveway moments" into "walkway moments." … Read more

Get that lazy hamster in tip-top shape

There's a great line in The Truth About Cats & Dogs, when Janeane Garofalo's character--a veterinarian radio talk-show host--dispenses this advice to a caller: "You can love your cats and not love your cats." That scene came to mind upon viewing this hamster pedometer that actually keeps track of wheel rotations to ensure your pet furball is in peak physical condition.

Sadly, it's not the first such product. As Tokyomango notes, a dog pedometer has been on the market for some time. (And don't get us started on those pet translators.)

If people were … Read more

When laps dog your lapdog

Humans can be so inconsiderate. There are tons of fitness products made for people, but what about animals? One item that at least beings to address this glaring disparity is this doggy pedometer from--where else?--Japan, of course. The gadget, as Tokyomango notes, "kills three birds with one stone by being a pedometer, a timer and a dog tag." In our next installment of Crave's Canine Chronicles, we'll discuss personal trainers for your pooch.