Spark Fun Cracks Open a Nike+

Nike+iPod-2

I’ve been waiting for someone else to do this. I got one over a month ago, but haven’t taken the time to hammer it open. I’m glad more adept reverse engineer types went ahead and did it.

For those who don’t know, this is a brilliantly simple fitness pedometer, of sorts, that outputs its data to an online sort of display of how far you’ve run. It’s very game-like, in many ways — you can compete against friends and see your performance as compared to theirs. Great for informal challenges and such. Sad part is that this is a Nike product that only fits in a Nike shoe. I’m sure it drives sales and such all..just wishing it was more open in that regard.

Cabel Maxfield Sasser has a bit of a write-up on the Nike+ based on his experiences with it. It’s pretty good, and shows some of the game aspects of the product.

I appreciate the low-impact style gaming — it’s ambient, based on an activity you’re engaged in anyway, so why not? It’s not like investing in a $700 PS3 to sit on the sofa all day.

More at the Spark Fun Electronics site.