Phoning it in: smart accessories for fitness

The Apple Store offers dozens of sports coaching and fitness applications for the company’s iPhone, iPod and iPad technologies, including 321 Run, iSmoothrun and Runtastic. Using those apps while on the move can be challenging—unless athletes add a Runalyzer blue from Runware, Saint-Denis, France, to their accessory kit. Lightweight, ultra-thin, flexible and comfortable, Runalyzer blue, an iPhone heart-rate monitor, uses Bluetooth technology embedded in smartphones, MP3 players and all of the Apple phones and tablets to provide athletes with heart-rate monitoring apps on the move. It is compatible with most analog chest straps or can be paired with Runware chest straps or arm bands.

The Runalyzer is a small electronic receiver weighing less than a quarter ounce that plugs into the iPhone or iPod Touch. The wearer’s heart rate is transmitted directly to the application with other measurements provided by the iPhone, such as altitude; three-dimensional acceleration and orientation; GPS location; average, maximum and instantaneous speed; number of steps, duration of the exercise; or calories burned. The company also offers an “all in one” Sports Pack with the Runalyzer, chest band and armband.