Pedometers
Archive
Throw It in Your Bag or Purse
PC Magazine
likes the Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer:
Many pedometers require the user to wear it on their wrist or belt buckle,
but the Pocket Pedometer can be thrown in a bag or purse, and it's still capable
of recording data.
To keep track of your aerobic abilities, install the included Omron Health
Management Software on your computer, connect the pedometer using the included
USB cable, and you can view your progress for the previous 41 days.
I tested the Pocket Pedometer, and liked being able to just throw it in my purse
and not think about it. The software was very beneficial, because I was able to
view and print out my data in graphs and charts by day, week, month, year, and
total.
I wrote about the pedometer
here.
December 7th, 2007
Choosing the Best Pedometer
The Associated Press offers
guidance on choosing a
pedometer:
START SIMPLE: Fancy models record calories burned, announce your steps in a
female voice and include an FM radio, but most people need only a simple step
counter.
...SWEET SPOT: Verify a pedometer's accuracy by taking 20 steps and checking the
readout. Off by more than a step or two? Slide the pedometer to a new spot on
your waistband and try again.
FREEBIES: Beware of pedometers given away as promotions. They can be off by 25
percent of more.
It recommends pedometers made by Yamax, New-Lifestyles, Walk4Life, Accusplit and
Omron.
November 26th, 2007
Card Pedometer
The
Sportline
ThinQ Pocket Pedometer is the size of a credit card. A company press release
says:
Not
into clipping electronics to your waist belt? Looking for a pedometer that fits
better with your lifestyle? Think Thin. Really thin. That was our challenge when
we decided to walk away from everything known about pedometer design to create a
new generation of performance products. At a mere 3mm thin, these credit card
inspired wafers will slide into your pocket and stealthy track your steps,
distance and calories burned.
September 22nd, 2007
Five of the Best Pedometers
Money magazine
road tests pedometers. Here are "some of the
better models on the market:
1. Omron Pocket HJ-720ITC (Rating: A-)
Plus: Large display; strong clip; unit works in pocket or purse.
Minus: To start at zero in the middle of the day, you must reset - and
lose - stored data.
2. Oregon Scientific PE823 (Rating: B)
Plus: Very compact size; "gripper" teeth on clip ensure unit stays
securely attached.
Minus: Screen is hard to read; function buttons are too small.
3. New Balance VIA Wrist Pedometer by Highgear (Rating: B-)
Plus: Wristband style is easier to use than waist clip.
Minus: Accurate so long as you're not moving your arm too much.
4. Walk4Life WFL Elite (Rating: C)
Plus: Compact size.
Minus: Flip-down display is often difficult to flip; unit must be closed
to function properly when you walk.
5. New Lifestyles NL-2000 Activity Monitor (Rating: C-)
Plus: Designed to work on overweight people with minimum repositioning.
Minus: Certain movements, like opening it, add steps to the count.
August 3rd, 2007
The Best Pedometer
The Good Housekeeping Institute has
tested
seven pedometers. The best?
The Sportline 350 Pedometer Trainer ($34.95) is accurate and easy to use.
This basic model measures distance traveled, steps taken and calories burned.
Runners-up:
Slightly more difficult to operate, the Acumen 10K Stepper Plus Pedometer ($20)
is great for the serious walker -- it beeps when 10,000 steps have been
completed.
With the Oregon Scientific Pedometer with Radio (model PE316FM, $29.95), there's
no need to carry your Walkman: Plug in headphones to listen to the FM radio.
Bonus: a backlit display.
July 28th, 2007
Cell Phone Pedometer
And now, the
cell phone pedometer:
Bandai, the evil force behind Tamagotchis and the Power Rangers, has found
yet another way to torture its customers. Beauty Walker, a Japan-only cell phone
app, uses GPS instead of a pedometer to measure how far you walk and how many
calories you burn. It can also be used to choose foods you wish to eat, and will
alert you when you've burned enough calories to chow down. According to the
Google Translated version of the Bandai website, the service costs 315 Yen per
month, or about $2.55.
June 20th, 2007
Pedometer - the "Stick a Clock in It" Device of the New Millennium
Gizmodo
mocks the Sony Ericsson W580 cellphone for its
pedometer, with a YouTube video:
Even though the pedometer has essentially become the "stick a clock in it"
device of the new millennium, this video shows that designers actually put some
love into the interface. And besides, how else can one track just how many
jostles closer their phone is to dying?
April 2nd, 2007
Nine Best Pedometers
The Prevention.com website
tested 38 pedometers and presents (pdf file) profiles of
the nine best
of these. They are Acumen Jog Mate, Omron HJ-105, Accusplit Eagle 1720,
Highgear Via, Yamax SW-200 Digi-Walker, Sportline Fitness Pro Pedometer 360,
Oregon Scientific Talking Pedometer with FM Radio, New-Lifestyles NL-2000 and
WalkStyles DashTrak.
March 28th, 2007
Report on Four Pedometers
In its "Gear" section the Los Angeles
Times carries a report, "Pedometers
Catch Up To The 21st Century", with a brief look at four
products.
They are:
- High Gear VIA Wrist: Combination pedometer and wristwatch.
"Wristwatch does double duty."
- Oregon Scientific Pedometer with Pulse Meter: Combines a pedometer
and a streamlined heart-rate monitor. "Counts steps and heartbeats."
- Omron Pocket Pedometer: Deluxe model that can download your workout
information to a computer. "Work out, then geek out by analyzing data."
- Sportline 345: Basic flip-up, waist-belt ped with popular distance
and calories-burned features. "Simple model with popular features."
March 13th, 2007
The More Bells and Whistles It Has, the Less Accurate It's Probably Going
to Be
Pedometers seem to come with more and more extras. Do we really need
them?
One expert says no:
The latest models not only will count the number of steps you take but
can check your pulse, show how far you've gone, tell how many calories
you've burned and let you know when it's time to quit.
"We really encourage people to get the single-function step counter because
most people don't want to fuss with all the extras," says Helen Thompson of
America on the Move, the foundation promoting pedometer use.
"The more bells and whistles it has, the less accurate it's probably going
to be. To measure calories burned or distance covered, you have to put in
the length of your stride. But most people will enter a meaningful stride,
which is a little longer than an everyday walk, and that throws off all the
other measurements."
January 31st, 2007
The James Bond Pedometer
This is something I haven't seen discussed before. A couple of computer
science experts are warning that the popular Nike+iPod - a pedometer with a
radio receiver - may be able to
double as a tracking device:
It turns out that the sensor in the shoe emits a signal detectable by any
compatible receiver within a range of up to 60 feet, long after the workout
has ended.
"It is easy for someone to use the Nike+iPod as a tracking device," said
[Scott] Saponas. "It's an example of how new gadgetry can erode our personal
privacy."
The technical report describes possible scenarios. A thief could track when
people enter or leave their homes or a jealous boyfriend could track a
woman's movements.
Though it has an “off” switch, the sensor is sold with the power on. Saponas
and [Yoshi] Kohno say most users likely wouldn't bother to remove the gadget
and turn the power off after each workout.
"There's a bigger issue here," said Kohno. "When people buy a toaster, they
know it's probably not going to blow up when they plug it in. But when they
buy a consumer device like the Nike+iPod kit, they have no idea whether the
device might enable someone to violate their privacy. We need to change
that."
December 1st, 2006
Teku Teku Angel Pedometer

The
Plastic Bamboo website reports on the newest pedometer from Japan, the
Teku Teku Angel. It features a screen displaying creatures whose weight
fluctuates according to how much you walk. It goes on sale in Japan in
December. You can read more about it (in Japanese)
here.
November 20th, 2006
Xmas Gifts for Women
Fox 23 Online News, under the headline "What Women Want for
the Holidays", features the
Omron Digital Premium Pedometer HJ112 as one of its five picks:
If your wife, girlfriend, or mom loves to work out, or is looking for a
reason to start, the Omron HJ112 is a great choice. Not only does the
digital device track how far you've walked, it also tracks your walking and
workout habits. For the first week The ODPP will record the aerobic steps
and calories burned. You set a goal for week two, to increase your
activity...and continue to increase activity in the weeks to come. Features
include "Aerobic Step" which accounts for activities which burn the most
fat, and data that can be saved for up to seven days.
November 15th, 2006
Sony's Sports MP3 Player - A Stunning Reply
The
Hardware
Zone website is impressed with the Sony pedometer-equipped NW-S203F
Sports MP3 player:
Vendors who had taken a shot or two at the sports MP3 player market will
tell you that it's not an easy market to breed success. Often, such products
are complicated and rarely strike the right balance between form and
functionality. The new NW-S203F Sports MP3 player is the latest effort from
Sony to entice sports enthusiasts and it seems to be a stunning reply to the
recent partnership between Apple and Nike.
...What’s remarkable about this player is how its built-in pedometer
intelligently detects and records down the number of steps you take. Simply
enter your height and weight and the player will tell you how far you have
ran and how much calories you have burned.
November 1st, 2006
Garmin vs Timex vs Nike+iPod
An AP writer
compares the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS personal training device with the
Timex Bodylink:
Forerunner matches Bodylink in basic features and accuracy, and it bests
the Timex system as a training buddy. Try to keep up with a Virtual Partner
at a specified pace; add speed training by alternating between periods of
intensity and rest.
Navigation is also better. The Forerunner automatically remembers your
starting point and can give you the path back - not the shortest point
across a pond, as Bodylink sometimes does.
That said, the input buttons are clunky, and more importantly, the
Forerunner tends to have the most GPS troubles, especially in New York.
...It's a close call, but Timex gets my vote for city running, even though
Garmin can do much more - it can even display sunset time based on your GPS
position. Many mornings, I barely make it out of bed, and I'd prefer not
spending precious minutes waiting for a GPS signal.
Then he looked at the Nike+iPod Sport Kit:
The device is quite limited in what it displays. You get current pace,
but not the average until you finish, nor can you record split times,
something core to most sports watches.
My biggest beef is the requirement for Nike shoes.
For one, Nike didn't have a "Plus" model yet for flat-footed runners like me
who need extra stability. Within days, my left foot started aching - perhaps
a coincidence, perhaps not.
...I may ultimately buy the Nike/iPod system as a backup, but for Sunday's
Wineglass Marathon in Corning, N.Y., I'll be going solo with Timex - all
46,000-plus footsteps in my non-Nike shoes.
September 28th, 2006
Pedometer Quick Links
* "Imagine a little $20 gadget that, just by wearing it,
made you move. A pedometer is just that — a device that rides with you,
counting your steps throughout the day, nudging you ever so slyly." -
Great article on all the benefits of using a pedometer.
* Sony is set to ship its pedometer-equipped Walkman NW-S200 Series Sports
MP3 player.
Gizmodo describes it as "dildo-like."
* I thought
pet pedometers were just some kind of joke. Now it seems 4,000 vets are
recommending them.
September 2nd, 2006
Pedometers for Overweight Dogs
Why are researchers at the Atlantic Veterinary College
fitting overweight dogs with pedometers? Read
this CBC News online report to find out.
August 26th, 2006
Pedometer "Fails to Count Steps"
The headline on this News
Target.com report says it all:
Review: Oregon Scientific Digital Pedometer PE826 fails to actually count
steps
August 26th, 2006
Is Your Pedometer Accurate?
The State newspaper in South
Carolina
investigates:
Inaccuracies often result because meters are too sensitive, so they
record activities such as fidgeting, twisting or bending. Where you wear a
pedometer — at your waist in line with the front or back of your thigh or at
the side of your body — also could affect the pedometer reading.
One study from University of Tennessee found that placement caused
significant underestimates only at lower speeds, although wearing the
pedometer at the front of the waist in line with the thigh resulted in the
least error.
Some pedometers give inaccurate readings because they can be reset
unintentionally if no cover protects the zero button.
Cheap pedometers also shouldn’t be relied on to measure variables such as
distance or energy expenditure.
August 9th, 2006
Put down Your Pitchforks
It seems pedometers aren't as well known in the UK as
they are in America. Here's the
introduction to a review from the British CNet for the new Nike+iPod
Sport Kit (which includes a pedometer):
This is Apple's new pedometer. Put down your pitchforks, lynch mob! A
pedometer doesn't have an unhealthy interest in children, it measures how
far you've run.
July 17th, 2006
Easy, Accessible and - Let's Face It - Big Brand Solution
Shiny
Shiny ("A Girl's Guide to Gadget") likes the new pedometer-equipped
Nike+iPod Sport Kit.
The Nike menu will appear on your iPod nano, and it's there that you can
set up runs, choosing runs based on things like time, distance or calories
burned. Sadly for me, the minimum running settings are 20 minutes, 3km or 2
miles. I could have created a custom run of - say - 10 minutes, but then the
Nike+iPod would have thought I was a loser.
...I think this is an excellent service - so long as you're happy to be wed
to both Nike and Apple for ever more. Similar services are available: Nokia
has a sports phone with a pedometer that will give you feedback, there's
also the BioTrainer, MP3 Pedometers, and the Fitbug and numerous other
services. But none of them combine music, online fitness tracking, community
and pedometer features in such an easy, accessible and - let's face it - big
brand solution.
July 14th, 2006
A Nice Idea, Worth Exploring
PC Advisor magazine attends the
British launch of the
Nike+iPod Sport Kit - a programmable pedometer that slots into a pocket
in your running shoes - and comes away less than impressed:
As someone who loves running (possibly uniquely among IT journalists),
this sort of thing should be right up my street. And I do mean running, not
'jogging'. But I can't see myself shelling out.
It strikes me as a nice idea, worth exploring, but for now the costs
involved are too big. And the unique features are a touch gimmicky.
The success of sports-based GPS kit and the extortionate price of brand name
trainers only serves to illustrate the booming market for unnecessary
jogging equipment. And the joining of Nike and Apple marries two beautifully
airbrushed, devil-free brands for people with more money than sense.
...I also wonder about the accuracy of the distances calculated. The chap I
spoke to was candid enough to admit that, while it's much more accurate than
a traditional pedometer, the Nike+iPod is not as accurate as satnav. GPS kit
may seem on the face of it to be much more expensive, but you can use it
with any pair of trainers so it won't wear out after a few months.
My verdict? I know plenty of serious runners (without beer guts) who love
nothing more than buying kit to enhance their workout experience. And make
themselves look good. But they won't want to restrict themselves to Nike
trainers and they don't all own nanos. I do, as it goes, but I reckon I'll
stick to my GPS. (They'll probably sell millions).
July 13th, 2006
"Most Cheap Pedometers Are Inaccurate"
Tests on 1,000 cheap pedometers have found that
three-quarters of them gave
inaccurate readings
of more than 10%, with a third of them out by 50% or greater.
John Brewer, director of the Lucozade Sports Science Academy, said he was
not surprised by the findings.
He said cheap pedometers could be triggered by motion other than that
associated with walking, or might not respond to the motion of every stride.
However, he added: "The whole idea behind pedometers is to get people
excited about taking exercise, and achieving targets and goals, and that is
a good thing."
Mr Brewer said the best way to use a pedometer was to set oneself a
succession of targets of increasing difficulty.
..."There is no point in using a pedometer simply to count your daily
activities, it must be an encouragement to do more."
June 22nd, 2006
The Underwater Pedometer
But will it catch on?
Students at Unity Middle School in Boca Raton, Florida, have devised an
underwater pedometer, to count laps swum in the pool, as part of an
annual Inventions Project.
"If you want to see how far you go, there was really no good way to
measure it," [co-inventor Bill] Peery said. "You could measure the pool or
guess. But this way, you know."
June 6th, 2006
Public Library Pedometers
I think this is a great idea. The Huntsville Public
Library in Ontario lends
pedometers, as well as providing 10,000 Steps
Walking Kits. My local library has a good collection of trashy DVDs. I'd
prefer they offered pedometers.
May 25th, 2006
The iPod Pedometer
Nike is to
market a kit that allows iPods to function as a pedometer, giving
runners information on the distance they've gone, the calories they've
burned, and the length of time they've been running. The kit will include a
wireless antenna that connects the iPod to specially designed Nike shoes.
May 24th, 2006
When You Want to Write and Exercise
The latest ballpoint pen from Taiwan - it comes with a
built-in pedometer.
May 15th, 2006
New Mobile Phone with Pedometer
Nokia's latest mobile phone, the Nokia 5500 Sport,
features a pedometer, enabling users to measure distance traveled and
calories burned. Details
here.
May 11th, 2006
Oregon
Scientific MP121 Waterproof MP3 Player and Pedometer
Oregon
Scientific’s new waterproof MP3 player/pedometer has attracted a couple of
online reviews, and I’ve placed a short report of these on the site
here. The short
Gizmodo review is titled “Oregon
Scientific’s Wonky MP3 Player,” though is pretty favorable. However, one
reader has posted a comment wondering if a swimmer really needs a pedometer.
Good point.
January 4th,
2006
Omron HJ112
Premium Pedometer
Let’s launch this new
blog with a look at the 10 best-selling electronic health monitors at
Amazon. (It’s a list that changes every hour, so there might be an element
of subjectivity in the choices.)
First off, a hugely
popular product, the
HJ112
Premium Pedometer.
According
to
Omron’s own specifications:
The
Omron Digital Premium Pedometer features advanced technology, which provides
added durability and flexibility to count steps at all positions
perpendicular to the ground. This feature allows the user to place the
pedometer in a pocket, bag or clip it to a belt.
-
Counts steps, aerobic
steps, distance in miles and calories burned.
-
Aerobic steps are
counted separately when walking or jogging more than 60 steps per minute
or more than 10 minutes continuously.
-
Lustrous metallic
lightweight design with detachable pedometer holder and spring clip.
-
1 year warranty.
(Click
here for a large image.)
A short review of the
Omron pedometer is at the
About: Health
& Fitness: Walking website, where it is the top pick. According to the
review:
This advanced design
lets you wear it on your belt or carry it in your pocket, clip it to your
bra, anywhere it is perpendicular to the ground. The Omron HJ-112 counts
steps, calculated distance and calories burned. It also tracks aerobic steps
separately when walking or jogging more than 60 steps per minute or more
than 10 minutes continuously. The Omron HJ-112 has a 7-day memory, a feature
I prize greatly. Top rated for accuracy by a consumer magazine.
October 14th,
2005
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