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Saturday morning, I joined three friends for a Circuit Training workout class. The odd part was that none of them left their homes and we live thousands of miles away from one another—in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, North Carolina and Louisiana. Our trainer was in California.
For the past week, I’ve been working out using Wello, a website that lets people turn on their computer webcams to take one-on-one, trainer-led exercise classes. Tuesday, Wello launched Group Workouts, which involve up to five participants plus a trainer. They cost as little as $ 10 an hour versus solo sessions that start at $ 35 for an hour. This week, all users get their first group class free. I tested three hour-long group classes ($ 15 each), as well as a 30-minute solo class ($ 29) to get a handle on how the site works.
The thought of seeing friends during workouts and not having to leave home motivated me to use Wello. I could imagine using it as a way to stay in touch with people who live far away, sort of like an activity-based Skype. And unlike using a stale workout DVD, Wello’s live trainers watched each move I made and offered feedback. A pregnant friend in my class even got specific modifications for her condition. (Before using Wello, users are encouraged to fill out a health form. This lets people notify trainers of injuries or specific conditions like pregnancy.)
The default view for a Wello class puts the trainer in the largest screen and class participants in smaller ones.
But the Wello class is only as good as the technology it uses, and two of my classes experienced technical difficulties. In one class, the trainer froze half a dozen times, wasting about 10 minutes refreshing his set-up. (A Wello co-founder, Leslie Silverglide, explained that this trainer’s computer met only the minimum level processor accepted by Wello.) During the same workout, a friend could hear us but couldn’t see us for about 15 minutes. (It turned out she had two browser windows opened, with one showing us while the other hid us.) Another friend who was using the Internet Explorer browser could only be seen. (Wello asks users to read instructions beforehand, including a recommendation to use the Google Chrome browser.)
Despite some glitches, Wello is a solid product that I’ll certainly use again. I liked taking classes without signing up for an expensive yearlong gym membership. And it was easy to sort through the trainers on the site to find one who fit my needs.
Of the over 1,000 trainers who have applied to work for Wello, about 200 have been vetted and trained to work in the system as video trainers. Wello looks at experience, specialties, certifications, education, references and other qualifications, and then sorts trainers into three tiers by overall experience, certifications and experience on Wello.
All of the trainers I used fell into the “Tier 2″ category. Three were categorized as “fun and friendly” trainers, two fell into the “focused on form” category and one was labeled as an “all business” trainer. A “Celebrity Trainer” category is also available; this means trainers are well-known fitness experts and have experience training celebrities.
A page for a class combining kickboxing and high-intensity interval training.
You can sort classes by skill level (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and by trainer specialty (like brides-to-be, postnatal, exercise novices or elite athletes). You can also enter a goal to search for a class, such as “get stronger, lose weight or get Zen.”
Wello’s Ms. Silverglide says the company doesn’t mind if two or more people share a webcam for a class as long as they notify the trainer ahead of time. But this isn’t encouraged as it’s harder for the trainer to see two people at once and to give feedback. I tested this by dragging my husband into a Core Conditioning class. It worked, though we were a little squeezed in some exercises and our trainer couldn’t always see us clearly when she tried to check our form.
Like an aerobics class at the gym, Wello’s Group Workouts could be filled with strangers, as was the case for two of my classes, though I didn’t mind. If only two people sign up for a group class, the class will be canceled 12 hours beforehand. Twenty-four hours before the class, Wello will send an email, encouraging you to invite friends; it will put the class on its home page and will send out targeted emails to Wello users to get others to sign up. Wello offers discounted one-on-one workouts to make up for cancellations. Users can always buy pre-paid bundles that cost less than pay-as-you-go workouts.
To check if your system will work with Wello, the site offers a quick diagnostic test to check your computer’s processor and Internet connection; on some of my computers I had to download a small plugin file before getting started.
After users sign into the Wello website, a handy dashboard displays their upcoming and past workouts. If users opt to “follow” favorite trainers, they’ll see a stream of activity from those trainers on the right-hand side of this dashboard screen.
Wello’s screen layout was a bit squeezed on my 13-inch laptop, but looked better on two larger iMac screens. The default layout puts the trainer in the largest viewing screen, making you and other class participants smaller. I wished I could see the trainer in full-screen view; Wello’s Ms. Silverglide said this option is something that may be incorporated in the next month. The company also is working on an iPad app.
In one of my group classes, called Morning Meditation Flow, the trainer played music, which set the tone and gave the class an added ambiance. Wello has been experimenting with music and hopes to integrate it into the video platform; for now, trainers can play music on their phones.
When classes went smoothly, the setup worked well. When they didn’t, my classmates and I wanted a way to use text chatting to talk to the trainer—or the ability to raise a virtual hand.
For people who hesitate to exercise, Wello wipes out their excuses by helping them work out with friends and trainers who they like. Just be sure you have ibuprofen on hand for aching muscles; these classes are addicting.
Write to Katie at katie.boehret@wsj.com
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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Brandon, who needs some earbuds that won’t leave his head when he’s on the treadmill. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“I’ve been having issues at the gym with my headphones coming out of my ears. As of now, I’m using a basic pair of Sony sport headphones, but is there a pair of moderately priced ear-buds that do the trick of actually staying in your ear while running?”
Last time we asked, you were divided between those who prized robustness (and a low price) and audiophiles who couldn’t bear to listen to inferior gear. If you’re in the former camp:
If you’re in the latter camp:
- Sennhesier’s range of Adidas-branded sports-headsets got a few mentions
- But overwhelmingly, people went gaga for Klipsch’s S4s.
Still, that was then and this is now, so let’s turn the question over to you once more to see if we can smash our heads together and get some knowledge to fall out.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
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There’s no shortage of fitness apps to track how much (or how little) you’ve been shaking your tail feather lately — such as MyFitnessPal, Endomondo and GAIN Fitness to name three we’ve written about lately. And if you don’t want to strap your phone to your arm and baste it in sweat, there are even a few dedicated fitness-friendly gizmos, such as Apple’s Nike + iPod in-shoe system, Nike’s Fuelband wristband or Motorola’s MotoACTIV. But none of these devices are especially intelligent — they tend to track total steps, distance, calories, and that’s about it (unless you start adding additional accessories such as heart-monitor chest straps).
Enter Amiigo: a fitness app and lightweight plastic bracelet (with detachable shoe-clip) that can identify the type of exercise you’re doing and tell you how well you’re doing it as you’re doing it, thanks to a variety of sensors analysing how your body is responding as you run, bike, swim (yes it’s waterproof), or whatever your preferred exercise poison.
Amiigo’s gesture-based software algorithms identify the different types of exercises you’re engaged in — and should improve over time as the software learns more about your movements, according to the startup. Having both a bracelet and a shoe clip helps its system distinguish between a pull-up and a bicep curl, say, although you don’t always have to wear both. To generate real-time fitness data, the hardware includes a variety of sensors that track variables such as your heart rate. The device includes motion sensors/accelerometers to track how you’re moving, plus an infrared sensor to monitor blood oxygen levels. The bracelet also incorporates a stainless steel plate to measure skin temperature.
Then the corresponding Amiigo iOS and Android apps allow you to view the data, set fitness goals and custom challenges, share workouts in real-time (which won’t be at all annoying…) and accrue fitness points for bragging rights and/or the chance to redeem them against discounts on fitness gear.
The startup reckons no one else in this space is doing gesture recognition to track activity type and response in such granular detail — at least not using just one main wearable device — which in turn allows it to provide detailed feedback via the app in order to act as a virtual personal trainer.
The startup is kicking off an Indiegogo on October 29 with the aim of raising $ 90,000, and hopes to be ready to ship in April 2013. First taker backers will be able to snag the device for an extremely tasty price of $ 89, after which it will be sold for $ 119 — which is still pretty neat considering it undercuts some of Amiigo’s less-capable competitor devices.
Also neat: Amiigo will be releasing an SDK for the device so app makers can explore additional uses. The startup tells me it could envisage various alternative use-cases for the hardware, such as enhanced patient care monitoring or chronic care monitoring, or — tapping up the Wii-style motion sensors inside Amiigo — even gaming scenarios.
The startup has been working on the device for around 10 months so far — with a core team of four, including “tech talent” from MIT.
Microsoft XBOX 360 Kinect Sensor Bar *Used*
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Microsoft Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 Game System
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ORIGINAL MICROSOFT XBOX 360 KINECT MOTION SENSOR WITH KINECT ADVENTURES GAME
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Question by none n: How many callories does Kinect Fitness evolved Bollywood class burn? Bollywood fitness class The class says in the end around how much callories were burned, thats what im looking for
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Answer by GiantsFanSinceBirthThis is a question that depends on your wait and duration of the exercise. Who knows.
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Fitness gadgets are great, but you never quite know what you’re going to get when it comes to calorie counts, or a reading of how many miles you’ve run. That could change, though, thanks to a set of standards the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is adopting with regard to fitness devices. These two certifications, which apply to running and cycling gadgets, respectively, affect the way data (e.g., cadence, speed, distance) is transmitted to paired devices like smartphones, sports watches and cycling computers. As far as SIG is concerned, too, more standardization means OEMs will have an easier time bringing new products to market — not that there’s any current shortage of options to choose from.
Filed under: Wearables, Wireless
Bluetooth SIG releases certifications for fitness devices aimed at runners and cyclists originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft XBOX 360 Kinect Sensor Bar *Used*
$39.99 (1 Bid)End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 10:10:53 PDTBid now | Add to watch list
Microsoft Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 Game System
$59.99End Date: Wednesday Jun-5-2013 8:52:08 PDTBuy It Now for only: $59.99Buy It Now | Add to watch list
ORIGINAL MICROSOFT XBOX 360 KINECT MOTION SENSOR WITH KINECT ADVENTURES GAME
$65.00End Date: Thursday May-30-2013 9:11:56 PDTBuy It Now for only: $65.00Buy It Now | Add to watch list
Microsoft XBOX 360 Kinect Sensor Bar *Used*
$39.99 (1 Bid)End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 10:10:53 PDTBid now | Add to watch list
Microsoft Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 Game System
$59.99End Date: Wednesday Jun-5-2013 8:52:08 PDTBuy It Now for only: $59.99Buy It Now | Add to watch list
ORIGINAL MICROSOFT XBOX 360 KINECT MOTION SENSOR WITH KINECT ADVENTURES GAME
$65.00End Date: Thursday May-30-2013 9:11:56 PDTBuy It Now for only: $65.00Buy It Now | Add to watch list
Microsoft XBOX 360 Kinect Sensor Bar *Used*
$39.99 (1 Bid)End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 10:10:53 PDTBid now | Add to watch list
Microsoft Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 Game System
$59.99End Date: Wednesday Jun-5-2013 8:52:08 PDTBuy It Now for only: $59.99Buy It Now | Add to watch list
ORIGINAL MICROSOFT XBOX 360 KINECT MOTION SENSOR WITH KINECT ADVENTURES GAME
$65.00End Date: Thursday May-30-2013 9:11:56 PDTBuy It Now for only: $65.00Buy It Now | Add to watch list
$39.99 (1 Bid)End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 10:10:53 PDTBid now | Add to watch list
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