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May 23, 2006

What next?

When Eric and I were in France on our honeymoon in 2001, we were surprised by this tiny little car, Smart, zipping around and parking in impossible places. Later we found out it came out of a collaboration of Swatch and Mercedes. Cute, fasionable, inexpensive watch maker weds automobile manufacterer.

Now, another collaboration looms, Nike and Apple -- what does a shoe manufacterer have to offer along with a computer company?

Nike Inc. said on Tuesday it is making running shoes that will tell the wearer how far and how fast he or she has run and how many calories they have burned.

The instant information will come from a miniature Apple Computer Inc. iPod and a new wireless system called Nike+iPod. [...]

Using a Nike+iPod Sports Kit, expected to sell for about $29, miniature versions of the iPod will be able to give audio data on time, distance, pace and calories burned on-demand through an attachable receiver that gets data from a sensor in the insole of special Nike shoes.

The new Air Zoom Moire line of running shoes -- priced at $100 -- are the first to have space for the sensor, but others will follow, Nike said. The removable sensor, about the size of a piece of bubble gum, can be used with any compatible shoe. [...]

Apple will also include a Nike Sport Music section on its iTunes music store, which will feature playlists of well-known athletes such as Armstrong, the companies said.

The Nike+iPod system will let runners call up a favorite song instantly and then instantly upload their workout information to a Nike Web site, www.nikeplus.com, where they can share the information with their friends.

I don't know. Do I really need nagging running shoes? Do I want my friends to know when I decide to spend more time at my desk instead of at the gym or on the track?

And will I be able to function if the computer in my shoe crashes and can no longer give me updates?

Though, it does add new meaning to the term "reboot."

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Posted by Darleen at May 23, 2006 09:03 PM

Comments

Re: Nag

Not me, after 34 years of marriage I've got all the nagging I could ever, ever want.

And then some.....

:-)

Posted by: Carl W. Goss at May 24, 2006 08:37 AM

Ah, but similar to the last House episode, think how easy it would be to slip someone else's data into yours, so that you could spend 3 hours on your x-box and take credit for your roomies' marathon training!

Posted by: epador at May 25, 2006 07:47 AM

I got a pedometer free at McDonald's with a salad and it does the same thing for not $100.

Posted by: Feisty at May 25, 2006 03:17 PM