Nike Airmax Plus with iPod a runners gadget dream

Being an avid fan of running (I’d say avid runner if I felt that I was consistent enough in the practice) and an even bigger gadget guru, I was immediately drawn to this little device known as the Nike Plus. A friend of mine had become obsessed with GPS watches, but the high price tag and how goofy I felt they looked kept me looking for another solution to record my distance and times without costing me an arm and a leg. That’s exactly what the Nike Plus is, or rather would be, if it worked on anything other than an iPod Nano.

This little $29.99 device plugs into the 16 pin connector port of your iPod Nano and communicates with a device you place under the sole of your Nike shoes. Now unfortunately, those shoes will raise your price tag quite a bit, but there are plenty of solutions online that offer a cheap solution to attach the piece to your own shoes. Once that’s in place, all you need to do is calibrate them through performing a distance test, and then you’re good to go.

From there, every one of your runs is recorded and transmitted when you sync your iPod Nano, with your results displayed on your Nike+ profile. That means that not only can you get a better view of your statistics, but so can the rest of the community which will provide you with the support or competition every runner needs to keep going. When you’re running, you’ll be able to look down at the screen and see your time and pace on the Nano’s screen. You’ll also be able to set a course or distance and have the option to hear an encouraging voice or a specific song alert you that you only have so much time in your run left.

Unfortunately, this wonderful and affordable running device doesn’t interface with my only Apple product, the iPhone. Now believe me, I agree that even in the arm strap I look goofy running with the thing, but that’s not reason enough to prevent it’s compatibility. No other iPod besides the Nano series works with the Nike Plus, locking it into a minimum investment of about $190 after the iPod Nano, Nike Plus, and third party attachment device.

From a marketing standpoint, I understand it, as the Nano is made for that kind of use while the iPhone was clearly made for no use at all. What’s worse is that on a daily basis I consider just taking the plunge and purchasing both of them, which means that their price point and product features are dead on. Too bad my lack of love for the iPhone gets in the way when I head down to the Apple store.

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