Hitachi, Biometric Wristwatch

Thanks to Gear live
Hitachi, better known for TV's, DVD's, Projection, etc, is now taking a leap into the (ACE) fitness market. The Biometric watch will work 24/7 for 10 straight days, thats some good data. It is roughly the size of the Garmin 305 but weighs less.
"Based on a prototype they developed two years ago, the watch now has a lighter weight of 40 grams and is half the size at 43 x 35 x 15 mm. You only need to connect to your PC (wirelessly) to read the data. We think that we are already nervous about a device that tells us that we eat too much and exercise too little. Expect it to hit the market in 2008. "
Check it out! Gear Live: Hitachi Biometric watch

Polar and Education

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that obesity gained in 31 states with Mississippi being the first to crack 30%, Colorado is the leanest. So with companies like Polar trying to make a difference you have to give them Kudos. Polar has products like E600 Watch , the TriFIT, Software to manage your classes performance and a pocket PC called Compainion Pocket PC, with all these products in their arsenal schools should take a stand and start to make a difference. On Polars site there is even a link to help schools apply for Grants (PEP). Why wait help out, donate or just start educated our children about eating right and staying fit.
Thanks Polar for taking the first steps.

Coming to America: Polar g3 sensor (GPS)

Polar is adding to the US line it g3 sensor, which is a GPS unit for it's RS800 watch. This is great for Polar who had been lacking in the GPS department, both Garmin Forerunner 305 and Timex Bodylink have been doing this for quite sometime, making an uphill battle for Polar. If Polar could incorporate it into existing watches through a software upgrade so users could just buy the g3 sensor that would be a slam dunk for Polar, and would catapult them over Garmin and Timex.
Here is what Polar is saying:
GPS (g3) vs. Stride Sensor (s3)
The RS800 training system was launched along with the s3 stride sensor. Both the s3 and the g3 units have distinct advantages for measuring speed and distance:

Worn on the foot (or in a cavity in the mid-sole of adidas adistar running shoes), Polar’s s3 stride sensor is the best choice for running; using sensitive inertial sensors to track the position of the foot 1000 times a second it is immune from signal dropout and gives accurate and highly responsive speed, distance, leg cadence and stride length measurements. s3 is the right choice for competitive runners who want to improve their technique and running efficiency.

g3 can be worn around the waist, the arm or even carried in a back pack and, as movement is tracked by the global positioning system, it tracks speed and distance across all terrestrial sports.

“Adding g3 to the RS800 training system enables athletes, who train and compete in sport categories additional to running, to benefit fully from the complete range of industry leading features incorporated in the wrist computer and accompanying Pro Trainer 5 PC software.” says Marco Suvilaakso, Product Manager, Polar Electro Oy.

On sale through authorised Polar resellers during the second half of 2007, g3 will be available for purchase as an upgrade for existing RS800 owners, or as a complete set in the RS800g3 Training System.

Let's hope we don't have to buy a new watch...Check it out! g3 Sensor