This year’s WT Conference @ispo 2011 was a great success. For those who weren’t able to attend this time we would like to give an insight into the most interesting talks:
Ulrike Köhler, (General Manager Running) of Nike Deutschland GmbH presented the Nike+ sports community and the latest developments regarding the new Nike+ SportWatch GPS , now available in stores in the US and the UK. The success of the Nike+ sports community far exceeded the company’s initial expectations. Currently, it boasts four million members worldwide; there are 300 million miles logged and 100 million runs synchronized. Nike would like to see ten million worldwide members in the community by 2014.
With its fairly low price point, Nike’s previous rendition of the sports watch, the Nike Sport Band, enjoyed success and reached a very wide range of customers. Though the new watch will cost a bit more, the company will offer its devotees more bang for the buck – powered by TOMTOM GPS technology, the new Nike timepiece features even greater precision.
Nike also announced its intention to use its Nike+ system to cater to other sports besides running – like soccer, for example.
Recon Instruments presented its GPS Goggles, which feature a unique, android-based, head-mounted display. During the presentation, WT conference attendees were invited to test the goggles, whose batteries can last up to a whopping eight hours and whose camera communicates via Bluetooth. Dan Eisenhardt, Recon Instruments’ CEO, talked about the company‘s philosophy. The young and dynamic team simply develops things that they would like to have themselves and can’t yet find out in the marketplace. With their GPS Goggles, they built a completely independent system that almost perfectly represents their initial vision. In the future, they want to build sunglasses with a seamlessly integrated display. We are convinced that they can do it…
Texsys announced it is working on a Bluetooth Stereo Music and Headset Ski Helmet with Glove Control, a device that can communicate with the wearer’s mobile phone. The company says it will be ready to market in May 2011. Texsys is also working on an updated version of the Swany G-Cell Glove. The previous model failed under adverse environmental conditions. The new and improved version will be available in Q3 2011. Hans-Walter Praas of the Texys GmbH’s Wearable Technologies division says the glove is washable and that the most critical hurdle in the development process of the G-Cell glove was the inductive charging of the glove. In the meantime, however, Texsys has been able to work out the kinks.
