Although logic dictates that smaller is better when it comes to running gear, RunKeeper, a cool iPhone app that tracks your treks via G.P.S. adds a compelling exception to that old adage. The iPhone isn’t the first thing you think of when going out for a run - maybe a nice Nano would be a better fit - but Runkeeper is something to consider.
RunKeeper is a fairly unique product. It uses the iPhone’s G.P.S. to trace your tracks through the city. I tried it in San Francisco with varying results but it’s definitely a step up from Nike+iPod’s pedometer estimation techniques, which have ultimately failed me many times.
Nike+iPod uses the motion of your feet - or foot - to estimate the distance traveled. While this is fine for a two mile jaunt around the park, this became amazingly frustrating during my longer runs. Either it read to low, giving me false hope, or read too high and made me cry. This G.P.S. system, however, gives an accurate reading of your pace and distance and then plots your trip on Google Maps once you get home.
I talked with the creator of RunKeeper, Jason Jacobs, and he explained that he is working on updating the software to offer more mapping functions during the run as well as a compass. Watches like the Garmin ForeRunner can track your distance and pace and even get you home in a pinch and to add this functionality to the iPhone would be quite nice.
Sadly the G.P.S. inside the iPhone was fairly imprecise during some of my runs, resulting in readings of 60 minute miles. However, these were taken during runs in SFO, leading me to believe that folks in wider open cities might be better served.
RunKeeper costs $9.99 and is available from the iPhone App Store. It only works with the iPhone 3G.
Androide will make this look stupid and it will be free of charge
way to repeat urself obvoiusly u luv androidwhich is kinda gay cuz it looks terrrible
You don’t even need to wait for Android.
The iPhone app Fitnio, is a better fitness app and is Free.
It also displays calories burned and lets you answer calls or change the music without loosing your data.
Download it for free at:
http://www.fitnio.com
The Android OS will destroy this app and it will cost the user nothing.
android sucks dick
Also i hear the problem with this is I don’t know that you can play music while you have this app on. I don’t know about the rest of you but I think music is important when you run!
music worked fine. no issues.
Have you considered taking a remedial English course?
The Android phone will make this look stupid and it will be free of charge, back to the drawing board I think.
want to stop reapeating urself with different names dumbass
Michael,
Are you sure that you aren’t blaming the widget for a very slow mile, that you really ran? (Just kidding!!)
I have been using runkeeper for a few weeks now. I love it! No problems at all.
One week without problems!
Nike+ipod works fine for me (even for marathon-distance), but I have found it is completely wrong if you ever walk. So that could be your problem on longer runs.
Equally, if you live in SF, there’s the question of hills. Does the GPS system note the incline? Can you get a graph of incline against distance as well as speed against distance?
And for the Andoid man, I’m sure Android will be amazing. But what stops me getting spyware? Nothing, apparently - Mike Jennings (the senior Google dev demoing last week) had no idea that would be a problem, but I think it will, don’t you?
maybe that’s it. I’m a lazy bastard.
For those of you that still have this “old” Nike+iPod device, you can try Running Tracker. It’s open source and it permits to compare your workouts. There are also some nice graphics (more detailed than those from Nike+). You can download your workouts from the Nike+ website. Let me know if you have ideas of features for the next version of the tool.
http://runningtracker.tuxfamily.org
Its too bad you can’t try before you buy. I’ve got a Garmin Forerunner, and a Polar SX65, plus a small SanDisk Sansa for running. I have an iPhone 3G, and a really good tracking app might make me willing to carry it. But I need to try it first.
http://tynted.com/0LVyfVcp30q
Also, does it do metric?
For a $1.99 or $2.99 I’d give it a try, but at $9.99 I think twice and will probably wait until it matures more.
For Symbian phones Nokia has Sports Tracker http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/main/index.do for free.
clearly a fake screen shot. it shows 22:34 and everyone knows the iPhone couldn’t possibly stay on that long without a recharge. :-)
GPS Sport.net ( http://www.gps-sport.net/index.jsp ) combined with Run.GPS ( http://www.rungps.net/ ) do this for Windows Mobile PDA or Phone, and you can use it with an internal GPS or an external one. I’ve been using it for 4 months and it is great.
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There should be a disclaimer on this and the VRunner iPhone Application because this doesn’t work well with the 1st Generation (Edge Network phones).
Just curious, did you ever try any of the gear from Polar? I’ve been using them for many years with excellent and accurate results
I swear by my garmin gps watch. i had some polar stuff but I still like to have the radio following me.
I take issue w/ the uniqueness comment…There are many other iPhone apps that do essentially the same thing. Somebody knew somebody here, clearly.
TrailGuru also tracks GPS tracks, has all the social elements in its web-site, export GPX…and is free, whereas RK is $9.99.
as well as the RunGPS app mentioned above for Windows Mobile there is also SportsDo (http://sportsdo.net) which does a great job not only for runners but also cyclists and a whole range of other sports. On the mobile side it also let’s you geotag photos (more for the walkers than the speed freaks) and get alerts when buddies are close (good for random meetups or orienteering). One feature I like is the ability to adjust speed for incline so you don’t get a false reading if your route has a lot of changes in altitude
On the web side of things you get to replay your route and compare to other days (and other folks on the same route)
Like all Windows Mobile apps this can run in the background - listening to music, making calls and running other apps doesn’t cause it to “sleep” … but I guess reliable old Windows Mobile isn’t as exciting as the iFrown ;)
I love this app! I wish I had legs so I could use it!
This can hardly be called unique. Nokia - still by far the worldwide leader in mobile phones - has launched its SportsTracker more than a year ago. Much more functionality, fully integrated with Google Maps, allowing you to publish your runs to Facebook and much more… And totally free!
So let’s stay serious will we, and not forget that there actually is life outside the US, and… mobile life is actually much more advanced…
“Sadly the G.P.S. inside the iPhone was fairly imprecise during some of my runs, resulting in readings of 60 minute miles. However, these were taken during runs in SFO, leading me to believe that folks in wider open cities might be better served.”
So effectively it didn’t actually work well for you at all. I was quite interested in this app, but unsure that the GPS would be up for it, and I guess you confirm that it isn’t.
Has anyone tried TrailGuru? That app is probably the only reasoning I go running now…
yeah, for android it will be free + ugly. i’m sure every developer is going to love giving away all their apps for free.
The multiple messages where because of a submit problem,
The answers for iphone are all about asthetics like Android is ugly; but you could give me a brick phone if it can give me geolocation with friends sync time-trials on foot or in my car, allow me to configure an exotic shopping list with barcode like metal detection, Skype free calls plus wireless p2p, pre-set friend trackers for realtime area location (meeting points for swarm crowds) should you wish to be located.
As for the spam thing like the internet you have depository’s which hold spam free apps, and of couse when an app is popular the word soon spreads were to get a legit download.
Come on people the iphone is 3g with a centralised cofirmation process to approve your hard made apps, subject to not competing with apple apps.
The Android may be ugly but you get 4g with a cheaper phone price plus global creative collaboration, to keep you in apps for a very long time.
The Android is a no brainer!
yeah, for android it will be free + ugly. i’m sure every developer is going to love giving away all their apps for free.