Hit the Streets Running With Nike+ SportWatch GPS
Summer: the perfect time to lace up your kicks, head out the door and get moving.
Nike+ SportWatch GPS, a new wrist device that delivers more than just the time, can help keep you running. In fact, recognizing that “data is a great motivator,” Nike designed the ultimate training watch, says Michael Hailey of Nike’s digital sport division. Having already hit the wrists of Michael Johnson, Lance Armstrong and Dathan Ritzenhein, it’s a sure bet to get you psyched for running.
Features
Forget complex watches with hordes of buttons and settings. Simple and inventive are the key ideas behind the Nike+ SportWatch GPS’s user-friendly features: just three buttons and a tap screen that powers a backlight during dark runs. And weighing in at 66 grams, it’s not only lightweight but also thin [16 millimeters]. Best part: it’s sleek and durable.
Another great thing: the watch is sweat resistant—making it perfect for summer training. Because no matter how early you wake up and run to beat the heat, you’re still going to sweat. Will it damage the wrist gear? Not a chance. Hailey says, “It goes through five atmospheres [for] water-resistant rating, so you can use it in a variety of different environments.”
Featuring TomTom technology, the SportWatch’s GPS receiver delivers location information and distance data on a high-res display screen—helpful if you have trouble figuring out how far you’ve run or if your goal is to keep incrementally increasing your mileage. The SportWatch also brings you accurate pace info, which is great if you want to run at an even pace, develop negative splits or simply run faster. Simultaneously, it calculates calories burned—nice to know if you’re trying to lose weight.
Customizable Options
Any of the data features can be set as primary metrics on the SportWatch’s customizable screen. A secondary stat loop allows you to cycle through other data. Personalize your run with the tap of a finger—one on-screen tap marks a lap—and manually control interval training. Listen in as Hailey explains the customizable features using Nike+ Connect software.
Post-Run Capabilities
End a run simply by tapping the neon lemon-lime side button. Along with a post-run pat on the back, your workout data summary is displayed on screen. Flip the SportWatch clasp, uncovering the USB drive, to read the details.
“We wanted to make it really easy for people to just plug the SportWatch into a computer. You don’t even need the cable,” Hailey says. Insert the drive into a Mac or PC USB port. Your run data is automatically transferred to nikeplus.com, where you can access more specific data, including the route you ran, elevation data and pace of each mile—all while the watch simultaneously charges. Listen here as Hailey details the value of using nikeplus.com as a source for training motivation.
From a completely empty battery, the watch charges fully in an hour and a half. It can continuously grab GPS data for up to 10 hours. And when you’re not using it during a run, you can sport it around for up to two months without having to recharge.
“We focused on trying to make a watch that would be really capable and would have lots of great features that runners would love,” Hailey says. The idea was to “make something everyone can wear around all the time—something that’s attractive and appealing in a way that you’d want to wear around as a normal timepiece.”
Preview the video below to see the watch in action.
The Nike+ SportWatch GPS, retail price $200, will be available nationwide in July.
Photos: Sarah Gearhart
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MOST POPULAR
Hit the Streets Running With Nike+ SportWatch GPS
Summer: the perfect time to lace up your kicks, head out the door and get moving.
Nike+ SportWatch GPS, a new wrist device that delivers more than just the time, can help keep you running. In fact, recognizing that “data is a great motivator,” Nike designed the ultimate training watch, says Michael Hailey of Nike’s digital sport division. Having already hit the wrists of Michael Johnson, Lance Armstrong and Dathan Ritzenhein, it’s a sure bet to get you psyched for running.
Features
Forget complex watches with hordes of buttons and settings. Simple and inventive are the key ideas behind the Nike+ SportWatch GPS’s user-friendly features: just three buttons and a tap screen that powers a backlight during dark runs. And weighing in at 66 grams, it’s not only lightweight but also thin [16 millimeters]. Best part: it’s sleek and durable.
Another great thing: the watch is sweat resistant—making it perfect for summer training. Because no matter how early you wake up and run to beat the heat, you’re still going to sweat. Will it damage the wrist gear? Not a chance. Hailey says, “It goes through five atmospheres [for] water-resistant rating, so you can use it in a variety of different environments.”
Featuring TomTom technology, the SportWatch’s GPS receiver delivers location information and distance data on a high-res display screen—helpful if you have trouble figuring out how far you’ve run or if your goal is to keep incrementally increasing your mileage. The SportWatch also brings you accurate pace info, which is great if you want to run at an even pace, develop negative splits or simply run faster. Simultaneously, it calculates calories burned—nice to know if you’re trying to lose weight.
Customizable Options
Any of the data features can be set as primary metrics on the SportWatch’s customizable screen. A secondary stat loop allows you to cycle through other data. Personalize your run with the tap of a finger—one on-screen tap marks a lap—and manually control interval training. Listen in as Hailey explains the customizable features using Nike+ Connect software.
Post-Run Capabilities
End a run simply by tapping the neon lemon-lime side button. Along with a post-run pat on the back, your workout data summary is displayed on screen. Flip the SportWatch clasp, uncovering the USB drive, to read the details.
“We wanted to make it really easy for people to just plug the SportWatch into a computer. You don’t even need the cable,” Hailey says. Insert the drive into a Mac or PC USB port. Your run data is automatically transferred to nikeplus.com, where you can access more specific data, including the route you ran, elevation data and pace of each mile—all while the watch simultaneously charges. Listen here as Hailey details the value of using nikeplus.com as a source for training motivation.
From a completely empty battery, the watch charges fully in an hour and a half. It can continuously grab GPS data for up to 10 hours. And when you’re not using it during a run, you can sport it around for up to two months without having to recharge.
“We focused on trying to make a watch that would be really capable and would have lots of great features that runners would love,” Hailey says. The idea was to “make something everyone can wear around all the time—something that’s attractive and appealing in a way that you’d want to wear around as a normal timepiece.”
Preview the video below to see the watch in action.
The Nike+ SportWatch GPS, retail price $200, will be available nationwide in July.
Photos: Sarah Gearhart