My SportBrain has Lost its Mind!
My sport brain has stopped uploading data. I’m getting less exercise, and I’m less motivated. I’m frustrated. Their tech support is weak. It appears to be functioning, but I haven’t been able to view my data for days.
It has been studied that people who use pedometers actually walk longer distances. I have experienced this personally with my SportBrain.com pedometer. Let’s face it – if you can’t monitor it, you can’t manage it. I really like the ability to see how much activity I have done, and more importantly – how little. Sometimes I will find myself checking the website early in the evening, and making a point to walk extra steps to make sure I hit goal.
The SportBrain pedometer records your steps and distance, and uploads the data to their internet site. Once online, you can add details about calories, document your ‘Sportivity’; a noticed increase of movement. It’s the frequent flyer equivalent for body movement; track your points, even possibly win prizes!
The ‘brain’ is not much more than a small, almost circular device that resembles a mini-pager. You wear it on your belt clip and as you move, it records every step.
You have to then upload it via a modem. I have the old-school SportBrain dialup from 2001, but more recently picked up the USB version. There is now the iSTEP X1 version with a visual display. The one I carry does not have a display and requires me to upload. I like this for 2 reasons; 1st, it’s smaller than the X1 unit, 2nd – I tend to exercise more between uploads.
I have been using this on and off (mostly on) for the past several years. The company disappeared for almost 2 years when they went under. They had a faulty business model where they sold the device for around a hundred dollars, which included unlimited use of the website. Instead of supplementing the website with advertiser income, or offering customers to pay a fee, they went under. They fortunately were picked up by another company in 2003 and were back in biz.
Cons:
- It doesn’t work out of the country (might now w/USB).
- Their technical support leaves something to be desired.
- It won’t measure activities like weight lifting or cycling.
- They charge $100/year now and automatically rebill you.
- No real social integration (facebook connect?) or even RSS!
- Website hasn’t been updated in years and needs improvement.
Pros:
- It’s fun to set fitness goals and monitor them online.
- It does work with heart rate monitors – they even sell one.
- It’s great for sedentary workers (visual reminder to exercise).
- You can invite ‘Sport Guests’ for others to monitor your activity.
- They occasionally have contests to compare w/others and win things!
- Comes with nifty covers and accessories – should be under con.
I can ramble on and on. For me personally, I have yet to see any other devices that function for logging my activity. Although it doesn’t track everything, it really motivates me to increase exercise output. I need this damn thing fixed already.
