The I.T. Life

Nike has stepped it up a notch with there new SportWatch; they have taken there very popular show based sensor (heck, my dad has one) and paired it with GPS technology by TomTom. The GPS will track your trip and the the Nike+ sensor will track the pace, distance, heart rate, etc and post them to NikePlus.com It is a pretty cool product for the runners out there… Thought it isn’t cool enough for me to want to start running.

So Valentines day is coming up and I convinced the wife to order me some new EDC toys. Don’t worry, I’m gonna get her just as nice a gift. I’m planning on getting the Fenix EO1, which is a nice little 10 lumen single AAA light, I’m hoping to use this as a keychain light if its not too big. Next is a Nite Core Defender Infinity R2, a great 145 lumen single AA light. This will have 2 main purposes, a backup SAR / hiking light, and a primary EDC light when I want to cut down size or weight, instead of carrying my D20 R2. A really cool thing about this light is it can use rechargeable lithium batteries, which boost run time, and can possibly boost output as well. Lastly, the  Princeton Tec Eos, a 50 lumen three AAA headlamp. This probably won’t be a EDC for me, since I usually EDC at least one light, however this will be used for hiking and SAR.

So I’m drooling over new watches, and with my new active lifestyle and my birthday coming up in a few months, it might be the best time to make people know what I want. I’ve decided I want a Suunto watch. I’ve liked Suunto for years and they are a very well known brand, they started with compasses, and they still make great ones, but now they are into everything from you standard heart rate watch, to full military spec GPS watches. I’ve convinced myself I don’t need a GPS watch because I have a very nice unit already (though its not built into a watch). I have a belt clip so if I’m walking, and can get a handlebar mount for cheap if I’m biking, and if I’m kayaking its waterproof anyways. So anyways, this leaves me to some other features they offer that I want. First almost all watches come with a digital compass, altimeter, and barometer, so they can give you weather and everything, there great. Now the next feature I want is a heart rate monitor, and this is where I get myself into some trouble. The watches with HR monitors (in my opinion) are pug ugly. There basic, boaring, and look like any cheap Timex $30 watch. However, there is a watch, (the Core) that is a very nice watch, looks great (many styles actually, I want black/orange) and does all the basic altimeter, barometer, compass, etc however, it does not do HR. So, I’m between a rock and a ugly place. I can get all the data I want, but have a watch I will likely only wear when I am exercising, or a watch that is as attractive as my other watches, however doesn’t give me HR data. Now, I’m a gadget fan, and not a big all in one fan, so if I can find a pocket HR monitor or something like that, I may be convinced…. But for now, I’m sold on the Core.