Tech Time: Nike+iPod

Sorry for the relative lack of posts, gentle readers. Or, if you've been happy not to hear from me, sorry to break the silence. I'm happy to report that the Intro is done and there is now an official, completed, first draft of the book. I've printed it out and carried it home with me (proud of its heft) but haven't had the chance to give it a read owing to my being tasked to read Rebecca's MS first. (Isn't it delightful that task has become a verb, by the way? Most recent noun-to-verb, or intransitive-to transitive transformations are disastrous—e.g. 'grow', as in 'grow the economy'—but I feel differently about task. And, it shows up a lot in Alias. Worst. Show. Ever.)

I know that most readers out there won't really trust me when I praise an Apple product; they feel, rightly, that I have no objectivity on this topic. Fair enough. But let me preface this post by saying that I had no real interest in the 'Nike+iPod', a technology co-created by Apple and Nike. First, I don't run very much. Second, I'm not a big fan of Nike and don't really love their running shoes. Third, I don't see much need to know how far I've run, etc. etc. I only ordered the kit because I was purchasing a Digital TV Tuner for my Mac and I needed to spend 10 more quid to get the free shipping.

But yet, I now have to say: this is brilliantly done! You get a lot for your GBP 20 (or your USD 30), and it all works absolutely seamlessly. I have run more in the past 4 days than I usually do over a 3 week period, and the information it provides really is productive. First, it's motivational as you are running to have the lovely voice interrupt your tunes to tell you how far you've run, or how far you have to go to reach your goal, or what your time, pace, and distance are. Second, and better, it's very cool to upload all the data to iTunes and then on to Nike to see what you've done overall, including personal bests, etc.

Please note: you do NOT need the fancy Nike+ shoes. I'm using mine with my old NB 880s. You do, however, need an iPod Nano. No need to worry though: I have one for sale! :)