Nike + iPod

I've had this gadget for months, but never bothered to set it up. So, the new iPod Nanos came out recently and they are cool enough that I got one. I figured it would be much easier for my commute on the tube AND I could finally give the Nike + iPod gadget a try.

I popped the module into the Nano before my Saturday run and bingo, it just worked. Very cool. No much set up unless you want to calibrate, which I won't be doing here because I have no premeasured distances to benchmark against. Besides I believe it did a very good job on distance.

During your workout, you can hit one of the buttons on the iPod and it will give you a verbal update of your time, distance and current pace. Then, when you're done, you dock the iPod and it will upload your workout(s) to a Nike website that is quite well done and attractive. I'm used to listening to the radio, but am accumulating so much Podcast material that this will be an excellent chance to keep current. If you have an iPod and you work out, it'd be a crime not to try this.

This is also a great example of the synergy of technology and the importance of partnerships. Nike and Apple, two design and category leaders, get together to produce an elegant solution that plays to each of their strengths and makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts.