Put It On!

Gadgets, apps, opinions, and terms from the wearables world

By Leslie Steere

March/April 2019

Nadi X

Pull on a pair of these ultrawearable yoga pants, and connect them via Bluetooth to the free Nadi X iOS app to get sensor-based feedback and help on your yoga poses. Nadi X guides your yoga practice through state-of-the-art technology, based on your body’s alignment. Listen to the audio instructor on your phone, and feel the guidance on your skin via the pants’ integrated sensors and haptic feedback (vibration). Detailed instructions break down each yoga pose step by step. The washable pants come in men’s and women’s styles and sizes. US$249. Wearable X

RunScribe Plus

Wearables: A Healthy Habit?

Wearable device adoption has jumped by 21% since 2016, according to a recent survey, and a majority of wearables owners purchased their device for health-related purposes such as disease management and fitness. The 2018 survey, which polled 826 US consumers between the ages of 18 and 65, also found that although users are keeping their devices longer and deriving more value from them, data accuracy remains a top priority.

Source: The 2018 “The State of Wearables Today” survey

Do you speak tech? Quiz yourself!

1. Qi (“chee”) is
   1. The universal standard for wireless charging of battery-operated devices
   2. The Chinese term for life force or energy flow
   3. The sound of a DBA holding back a sneeze in a dusty server room
   4. All of the above
   5. None of the above
2. Measuring body composition and water content by passing an electrical current through the body is called
   1. Qi Finder
   2. Bioimpedance
   3. Torture, as defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture
3. When you employ smart speakers, smart thermostats, wearable devices, and the like, you are
   1. Joining the industrial IoT revolution
   2. Really cool
   3. Using ambient computing

Answers: 1. D, 2. B, 3. C

Watch Yourself!

Smartwatch apps for tracking health and fitness

Lifesum

Boost your fitness routine with a personalized diet plan, food tracker, and calorie counter plus healthy recipes with this highly rated smartphone/smartwatch app. Scan barcodes to add calorie and nutrition information to your macro tracker, experiment with vegan and keto plans, monitor your water intake, track your activity via smartphone or smartwatch to get accurate feedback and advice, and more. Note: Although the app offers premium options, the free “classic” app works well without them. Free (iOS, watchOS; Android, Wear OS)

Strava

Billed as “the #1 app for runners and cyclists,” Strava has added wearables to the list of devices it supports. Track and measure every activity; record countless performance metrics; share your activity along with photos and captions; broadcast your location in real time to friends, emergency contacts, and coaches; tap into a road and trail network mapped by millions of athletes around the world; and sync data to a long list of compatible devices. Note: The latest release offers additional stats for wheelchair and handcycle activities. Free (iOS, watchOS; Android, Wear OS)

Seven’s Seven-Minute Workout

Workouts getting a bit stale? Add fun to your fitness routine with Seven’s personalized workout plans, based on scientific studies to provide the maximum benefit in the shortest time possible. Simply set your goals and fitness level, and the app provides tailored, seven-minute workout routines that you can launch from your smartphone or smartwatch and do anywhere, with no equipment required. The app includes interactive 3D guides, progress tracking, and achievement awards to motivate your advancements. Free (iOS, watchOS; Android, Wear OS)

Photographs courtesy of Wearable X and Runscribe