The personal fitness market is full of gadgets to help you stay healthy and in shape -- portable heart rate monitors, activity trackers, pedometers -- but one company hopes to go a step further with a gadget that acts like a real personal trainer.
PEAR Sports, a fitness tech company, offers PEAR Mobile, available for $99, which differs from other fitness monitors by actually providing real-time, customized coaching based on indicated fitness levels and exercise goals, the company explains. And with their newly released Application Program Interface (API), this level of customization can even be crowdsourced.
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Live coaching may be the app's most distinguishing feature: It offers advice, encouragement and workout tips directly into your ear. The device customizes your workouts based on your heart rate, which is monitored while you're in action and a built-in GPS tracker lets you review your route and the distance travelled.
Image: PEAR Sports
PEAR Sports announced earlier this month that PEAR Mobile would now be sharing its training plans through an API, which will allow users to download any workout routine onto PEAR's platform. PEAR's workout library automatically comes with more than 35 workouts and 10 training plans. Kristian Rauhala, president and cofounder of PEAR Sports, noted in a statement that “the workout is guided by an expert coach and the coaching is tailored to each person’s heart rate in real-time.”
The gadget's corresponding app is currently available for the iPhone 4S and 5, and the gadget itself includes a heart rate monitor and a pair of specialized earphones. Since the system integrates with the iPhone, you can have access to iTunes and synchronize your workout to a corresponding playlist.