MapMyFitness offers a suite of fitness apps that support an active lifestyle with tools to map routes, track activity, log food intake and connect with others for motivation. The company was founded in 2007 and has since grown to 15 million users, five distinct products (MapMyRun, MapMyRide etc…) and an MVP premium membership with advanced features. Over 300,000 thousand workouts are logged everyday.

The new look includes improved functionality that makes it easier to navigate around the app and access various features, a greater emphasis on social sharing, and a fresh design that unifies the various products. CEO and founder Robin Thurston said that the updates are the result of six months of research and analysis of user behavior and is the most extensive design update in the last three years.

“The biggest trend we have seen thus far is the amount of our community accessing our site through their mobile phones and tablets,” he said in a Q&A. “This was critical in our design process. Having a unified brand and design for is really important because users want a seamless experience when they work out. From day one, we recognized the importance of having an open platform where people can house all of their workout data, no matter what device they are using.”

The new navigation tool bar has three main components. There is Home, where your personal activity is documented; Improve, which has training plans and device integration; and Discover, which is the first phase of the Local pages which will help people find fitness options around them. These features are all easily accessible from the dashboard. Furthermore, MapMyFitness integrates with ‘hundreds’ of fitness devices and sensors and the sharing tools are enhanced so people can more easily engage their friends in their workouts.

Thurston said that MapMyFitness has made a strategic shift towards design over the last 18 months and hired a new creative team to build out the new look. The greatest challenge, he said, was finding the right team, but it paid off in a “cleaner,” “simpler,” and “more beautiful” site.

Quantified self devices, mobile technology, and activity trackers have had a powerful impact on people’s fitness habits. MapMyFitness is one of many in the fitness tracking space, including Runkeeper, Skimble, and Endomondo, and  Thurston said that in the next five years, he expects this space will see “rapid change and disruption.” By listening to user feedback and continuing to iterate, Thurston seeks to remain competitive and even dominant in the sector. His goal is not only to encourage people to be more active, but to use technology to actually change outcomes.

MapMyFitness is based in Austin, Texas and has raised $18.5 million to date.

Photo Credit: gareth 1953/Flickr

MapMyFitness rolled out an update today for its MVP premium subscribers that’s full of new and enhanced features.

MapMyFitness powers a suite of health and fitness tracking apps. Its flagship products, MapMyRun and MapMyRide, use built-in GPS technology so you can record your workout as well as search for new routes and monitor data like duration, pace, speed, elicitation, and calories burned. It saves all of this information so you can view your activity progress over time. Social elements provide motivation to stick to regimens and can make exercise more fun.

The business is based on a “freemium” model. The core set of features are free, but fitness enthusiasts can pay a monthly or annual fee for a more comprehensive experience. The MVP membership is $30 a year and comes without ads as well as tools like a Route Recommender, Customs Splits, Advanced Heart Rate, Training Plans, and Power Analytics.

“The new MVP is just a cleaner experience,” said CEO Robin Thurston in an interview. “People are gaining a fitness aptitude for data. They want content and analytics, and they are willing to pay for it if it will change their health outcomes and improve daily health.”

The Route Recommender is based on an algorithm that factors in desired length, travel mode, direction, rotations, and such and will autogenerate a customized route. For those trying to craft their own course, the app has a library of tools and icons to map it out. The heart rate tracking features are useful for people with target heart rate goals or restrictions, and the live tracking means friends can view each others’ activity. Thurston said that these product updates are a direct result of feedback from consumers about their needs.

MapMyFitness currently has 13 million users and hopes to grow to 20 million this year. Further updates are in the pipeline, including challenge/gamification features and more integrations with quantified self devices.

“There are encouraging trends around technology,” Thurston said. “People are adopting activity trackers and using mobile technology to be more active. This is a step in the right direction, but the next step is helping people change outcomes. The next five years in this space specifically is probably going to be one of the most exciting industries to be in, because of rapid change and disruption that is coming.”

MapMyFitness is headquartered in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2007 by Thurston, who used to be a professional cyclist, and has raised $18.5 million to date. Competitors include Runkeeper, Skimble, and Endomondo. Read the press release.

Popular exercise app GAIN Fitness today launched its “digital trainer store” to provide professionally-designed, customizable workouts to people exercising at home. The company is taking an “iTunes for Fitness” approach by offering separate workout packs within the platform. Today, it features 8 options and plans to release a new one each month.

Always eager to test products that can mix up my usual regimen, I headed over to the GAIN Fitness office for a demo. They told me to wear my gym clothes and come ready to sweat. I initially thought that we would start off with an introductory chat, but CEO Gammell was ready to go. He opened GAIN on his iPhone and handed me the device.

I was prompted by a questions about my personal physical fitness and goals. I indicated that I wanted a 15 minute workout geared towards health & longevity, had no equipment, and wanted to focus on my core. The app then pulls up exercise plans that fit those criteria and the user can mix and match to build their own workout. Nick and I chose to start out with an intense “Road Warrior” set, followed by a core-strengthening pilates circuit, and ending with a yoga routine.

I like to think I am physically fit. I exercise almost every day and do a range of activities. However, 2 minutes into road warrior, I was already feeling the burn. I couldn’t meet my initial target of 20 push-ups, but I entered that into the system to adapt accordingly. For the next round of push-ups, the app cued me to do a more feasible, but still challenging, 15. GAIN provides tracking and analytics so people can see their work units, calories burned, and progress over time.

Data is a big focus for Gammell. After growing up as a tri-sport athlete, he struggled to maintain a regular workout schedule while working as a management consultant for Deloitte. He worked nights and weekends to build a product that leveraged exercise science, mobile technology, and data analytics to help people achieve their fitness goals. The app combines content created by technology experts with proprietary algorithms that pull up exercises that match your criteria. For free, users can access 350 different exercises that are able to build hundreds of thousands of different workouts and access data about their efforts.

“I wanted to build technology that takes away pen-and-paper aspect of planning a fitness routine,” he said, during our water break. “I wanted a fitness routine customized to my real time situation that considered what I did two days ago, what my overall goal is, and what I like to do. You can get a super efficient workout in a short period of time, as long as you know what to do.”

Today with the launch of the store, users can buy apps specifically developed and produced for GAIN with content that includes weight-lifting, bodyweight training, yoga, cross-training, sport-specific training, pilates, and even ‘circus arts.’ The app has audio cues, so you know when to stop, and includes useful features like scheduling and social sharing.

“Every fitness program out there wants to claim to be the end-all-be-all, but in reality, it is important to understand your own body, your goals, your lifestyle, and get a workout program tailored to that. How to do this is beyond the fitness understanding of a majority of people.”

Gammell said that technology is one of the contributors to America’s obesity epidemic because it encourages people to live sedentary lifestyles. He wants to turn that around and use technology to encourage healthy habits. With the popularity of the Quantified Self movement, consumers are taking an interest in their body’s mechanics and using that as a guiding force.

Devices like the FuelBand, Jawbone UP, and Fitbit monitor your physical activity, while apps like RunKeeper and MapMyFitness track your performance over time. Services like Wello link exercisers to personal trainers via live video feeds, and then there are apps closer to GAIN’s option like iPersonalTrainer and Skimble.

Needless to say it is a crowded space, but the first trainer apps were well-received by GAIN’s users. The company has seen significant growth and Gammell believes these partnerships with top trainers and fitness brands will help the company grow even more.

GAIN Fitness is based in San Francisco and raised $1 million in 2012 from Keith Rabois, Ben Ling, and InterWest partners.

This is the time of year when we all look toward the future rather than the past and decide how we want to grow and change in the year to come. Whether you have a formal list of resolutions or just a general taking-stock moment, you probably do have a couple of big goals for 2013.

Me, I’ve decided that in 2013, I want to dress more professionally, write more in-depth long-form pieces, crochet blankets for Project Linus instead of playing Pocket Frogs during my winding-down-before-bed-time, and pray the rosary every day. And I’m counting on a couple of different apps, sites, and services to help me make it happen.

For your own goal-fulfillment needs and wants, here’s a great list of apps, websites, and cool services to help you become healthier, wealthier, and wiser in the new year.

Eating better

Farmigo for better food ingredients

Farmigo is a cool new service that will get local, farm-fresh produce and dairy products to you and a group of your friends and neighbors. Your group has to be at least 30 people strong, so think about pooling together with co-workers, PTA members, or any faith-based community members in your life.

Urban Remedy for juice cleanses

Urban Remedy won’t just cure your New Year’s Day hangover. This juice-as-a-service subscription will keep you healthy, energized, and fit throughout the year, no shopping or chopping required.

Fresh Dish and Hello Fresh for home cooking

Fresh Dish and Hello Fresh both meet the same need: our desire to cook at home and eat with our loved ones. These startups will help you by delivering fresh ingredients and recipes to your door. Each meal takes 30 minutes or less to prepare, plus you don’t have to do all the shopping and prep work.

Better relationships

Pair for your current relationship

Pair is your go-to app for building a stronger, sweeter bond with someone you already love (or double-plus-like). It will help you stay connected by sharing intimate moments and just-between-us messages throughout the day.

Seekly to find new romance

Seekly is a video speed dating app perfect for helping you find someone to spend your time — or even your life — with. Created by two professional, busy women, the site focuses on taking the creepy, time-wasting elements out of online dating.

At the Pool to make new friends

At the Pool isn’t about dating; rather, this startup wants to help the terminally shy among us to get out into the world and make new friends who share some of our interests.

Improving health and fitness

Noom for weight loss coaching

Noom is your personal fitness coach. This app will help you set goals, identify tasks, and track your progress.

Lumoback for better posture

Lumoback‘s premise is simple: We’re happier and healthier when we sit up straight. Its teensy, Band-Aid-like hardware and mobile app will keep your spine straight and better aligned. You mom would’ve loved this about 20 years ago.

Yog for jogging with buddies

Yog connects joggers and runners around the world in real time. Schedule the time and place for your jaunt, and get others to join you virtually. Yog provides audio and visual cues to connect you to your workout partners.

Striiv for step-by-step fitness

Striiv is an iPhone app that gives your fitness plans a big dose of metrics. This social pedometer tracks the steps you take and the calories you burn, then it can sync that data with your Facebook friends and other Striiv users to keep you competitive.

Learning new skills

Treehouse and Codecademy for coding

If you want to learn more about the web in 2013, look no further than Codecademy and Treehouse. Each of these services will teach you how to code. Codecademy does it for free from an interactive text entry box in the browser. Treehouse charges you and gives you a full library of video instruction from top-shelf teachers.

MindSnacks for languages

For learning other kinds of languages, there’s MindSnacks, a startup making iPad games for educational purposes. The bite-sized lessons come in cute packages with real educational value; it’s more than just a brush-up or crash course.

Coursera for college-level learning

Coursera isn’t some skeevy online degree mill. This startup offers “massive open online courses” in partnership with some of the top U.S. universities. You can study genetics with a Duke scientist, data computation from a Johns Hopkins data scientist, or world history from a Princeton professor.

Udemy for your downtime

Got a few minutes to kill? Want to do something more productive than Angry Birds? Try Udemy. Its iPad app will help you turn those few idle moments into learning opportunities.

Fixing your style

Fourth & Grand for gentlemen’s fashion & styling

One of my husband’s resolutions is to dress better in the new year. As a SOMA-dwelling tech founder, he’s surrounded by hoodies and jeans. So how to up the professionalism a notch, especially when styling outfits is a foreign language? Try L.A.-based subscription startup Fourth & Grand. They’ll send outfits and accessories and give you detailed advice on how to wear them.

Le Tote for ladies’ clothes

For the ladies, Le Tote helps you mix it up, sartorially speaking, without adding more clutter to your closet. This “Netflix for clothes” will outfit your new, infinite closet with outfits and accessories. It’s like living with a stylish roommate who has no personal budget and is exactly your size.

Birchbox for shine & polish

If personal grooming is high on your to-do list for 2013, try Birchbox, the startup that sends you sample-size beauty and lifestyle products and tips on how to use them. Gents, they’ve got manly boxes for you, too. You can try everything and buy what really works for you.

Dollar Shave Club for ‘f*cking great’ razors

We San Francisco women know why shaving is a New Year’s resolution-level goal: Between the pervasive chill and the pervasive leggings, we’d never do it if we didn’t force ourselves to. And a shiny, new box of razors from Dollar Shave Club just might be the motivation you need to get the job done.

Productive and professional

Asana and 24me to get things done

If you’re looking forward to a 2013 in which you get things done like a mofo, look to these two apps: Asana, a task-management godsend, and 24me, which will automate your entire life. Both of these apps eliminate work-about-work: meetings to plan meetings, hours spent making to-do lists and checklists. Instead, they help you focus on actually completing tasks and getting on with the fun parts of your life.

LinkedIn to stay connected & informed

LinkedIn had itself a big old redesign orgy this year. The result: An iPad app that’s both beautiful and useful, a suite of mobile apps that will help you stay in-the-know, and a new look and feel for its website that focuses on news in your industry. Spend a few minutes a day with LinkedIn, and you’ll probably look smarter, more connected, and more confident in the workplace.

Nutmeg to spice up your finances

Nutmeg is a simple solution for getting your financial life on track. This app will help you build and manage your personal investment portfolio, all while keeping your personal and financial goals in focus.

Pathbrite to kickstart your new career

Is 2013 the year you finally land your dream job? If a change would do you good, check out Pathbrite, which switches out your boring old resume for an interactive portfolio of your accomplishments. Show off a lifetime of education, special projects, promotions, and advances in a gorgeous micro-website you can show your potential employers.

Image credits: All via Flickr, creepyed, Edsel L, Shutter Daddy, kharied, besighyawn, evocateur, kristaguenin

Additional reporting by Christina Farr.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

One of the best times to launch a fitness app is right after the holidays. In the aftermath of cookie exchanges, egg nog by the fire, Christmas feasts, and the constant snacking on festive treats such as chocolate-dipped caramel-popcorn-nut balls (that really happened), people are eager, nay desperate, for exercise.

Today, a startup from the snowy climes of Waterloo, Ontario has launched a personalized fitness app called PumpUp. Gluttons seeking redemption, or anyone looking for a work out, enter information about their goals, current fitness level, and preferred equipment and activities. The app then generates a custom plan with instructions, animated exercises, target rep and weight assignments, and break times. The workout adapts to the user every session, keeping goals purposeful yet realistic.

The app store is full of personal training programs like Fitness Buddy, iFitness Pro, iPersonal Trainer that make customized fitness regimens accessible and affordable. PumpUp is currently available in the AppStore, and the Android version is coming soon. It emerged out of VeloCity Garage, The University of Waterloo’s startup incubator that also bred Y Combinator startups BufferBox (just acquired by Google) and Pair. The founding team has a combination of technical, business, and fitness expertise, as well as a mascot named PumpUp Pat.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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I really don’t like things between my toes. Toe socks as a preteen? Forget about it. Those squishy sponges after a pedicure? No, thank you. But over the past few years, “five finger” footwear has risen to fame and fortune as the latest in fitness training and physical well-being.

Tony Post, the former president and CEO of Vibram, has left to start his own company. This new endeavor is called Topo Athletic, and it’s backed by $5 million from Norwest Venture Partners.  

Vibram was a pioneer in the minimalist footwear movement. During his reign as Vibram’s leader, Post took the company from two guys with a crazy idea to a $170 million empire that changed the way people thought about athletic shoes.

“I’ve been in the footwear industry for 25 years,” he said in an interview with VentureBeat. “In 2006 I launched FiveFingers without any fanfare at all, and it grew rapidly. We created a different way for people to think about footwear based on the belief that the body’s own natural mechanics could be leveraged. The new concept is based on that idea — it is focused on lightweight footwear and targets runners and functional fitness trainers, like Cross-Fit.”

Many folks in the technology industry sport these lightweight, barely there shoes, including founder of Google, Sergey Brin. With the rise of the “quantified self” movement and the popularity of devices like the Fitbit and Jawbone Up, the market is growing right now for technology (in any form) that enhances user health.

The minimalist footwear movement is all about amplication as opposed to modification. These lightweight shoes don’t fix or change the way people train; they work in concert with the body to create synergy between “shoe, foot, and movement.” It is a fast-growing segment within the athletic footwear market, which is partly what drew Norwest Venture Partners to make this rather uncharacteristic investment.

General partner at NVP Jon Kossow met Post a few years ago and became interested in his vision. When he decided to form his own brand, Kossow was excited by the investment opportunity.

“Post is a visionary,” said Kossow during a phone chat. “He has an incredible reputation within the footwear industry and has a bit of ‘midas touch’. He has the unique and proven ability to not only identify unique consumer insights, but then design and manufacture a product to address those insights, execute, and build a business accordingly.”

Topo Athletic will debut its first products at the Outdoor Retailer winter market in January. Until then, Post and co are keeping the details of this “cutting-edge performance technology” under wraps. This first round of investment from NVP will help bring the product to market.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re still stuffing your face with leftovers, preparing to do so, or regretting that fifth helping of turkey with all the fixins. Even diligent weight watchers let themselves go during holiday feasts — so what better time to look at the next generation of fitness tech?

Over the past week, I’ve had a chance to test out Fitbit’s One, its third-generation activity tracker, and Jawbone’s redesigned Up health wristband. I went from not tracking my activity at all to constantly wearing two of the most advanced health tracking devices available. The result: Lots of data … and constantly feeling like a lazy bum.

Sure, I’ve dreamed of living a healthier life, but you know how it goes — work, chores, and sheer laziness inevitably get in the way. The promise of these fitness gadgets is that they’ll point out just how terrible your daily habits are, and with the power of data, they’ll force you to be move more, eat better, and get more sleep.

Both the Up and One can track your steps, sleep habits, and give you an estimate of calories you’ve burned. The One clips onto your clothes, just like its predecessors, while the Up is meant to be worn all day on your wrist.

No matter how you do it, simply tracking your activity has health benefits: People who do so generally increase their activity by 26 percent, according to the American Medical Association. Even if you don’t have a strict diet plan and a trainer at the gym, fitness data can make you healthier.

In comparing the Jawbone Up and Fitbit One, I definitely settled on a favorite. But I also learned that these devices are extremely personal — what works best for me may not end up working for you. But at least you now have a number of mature fitness gadgets to choose from.

Jawbone’s Up: You can trust it this time

Let’s not mince words. The original Jawbone Up was a failure. Released in November, 2011, the Up sported a slick Yves Behar design and came from one of the most trusted names in gadgets. But a month after launch, Jawbone was forced to suspend production of the Up and offer full refunds due to issues with its electronics.

Instead of giving up, Jawbone went back to the drawing board to figure out exactly what went wrong. It turns out building a flexible, wearable computer was harder than Jawbone anticipated. Now, after 2.9 million hours of user testing and the development of 28 new manufacturing processes, Jawbone has relaunched the Up. And even though it looks the same as the old Up, this new Up is a completely different beast internally.

Source: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

The old Jawbone up (left) alongside the newer, more well-built model (right), both without their rubber coatings.

One quick glance at the two Up models laid bare is enough to tell you which one is better built. The new model features a strong coating around the Up’s internal electronics, and it also seals together with the Up’s rubber exterior to keep water out.

According to Travis Bogard, Jawbone’s vice president of product management and strategy, water damage was one of the biggest problems the company faced with the first Up. Jawbone went through all of the usual industry standards for testing, but once the Up failures started rolling in, the company quickly realized it needed to come up with rigorous new testing standards of its own.

Now Jawbone is confident the Up will withstand whatever consumers throw at it. But you’ll have to pay a bit more for this model: It’s retailing for $130, instead of the $100 last year’s model cost. For now, the Up is only compatible with iOS devices. The company says it’s working on an Android app but hasn’t said when it will be available.

I’ve been using the new Up wristband almost non-stop over the past week. It’s survived showers, pouring rain, and several instances where I forgot to take it off before messy cooking situations. Perhaps due to its more solid internal construction, it also feels more flexible and comfortable than last year’s model. That’s particularly important, since it’s meant to be a device you never take off — even while sleeping.

The Up is a bit too thick to hide completely, but with its bright color options you may not want to hide it. And it’s light enough that you can easily forget you’re wearing it. Jawbone claims the Up has 10 days of battery life, and it’s performance over the last seven days I’ve been wearing it seems to confirm that figure.

The good: Strong design, revamped app

Design still holds up: I immediately lusted after last year’s Up model the moment I saw it — chalk that up to a simple, yet elegant design that makes it seem like a piece of cyberpunk jewelry, not just a gadget. Jawbone didn’t change anything with the new model’s design, and I can’t blame it. One year later, I’m still drawn to the Up in a visceral way.

Vastly improved mobile app: The original Up iPhone app released last year was fairly basic — it showed the number of steps you took and your sleep performance and offered you a way to track what you ate. But there wasn’t much of a social component, and the food tracking was mostly manual.

This time around, Jawbone’s Up app finally feels complete. You can track what you eat (using the device’s matching iPhone app) more easily with a massive database of foods and their nutritional information, and you can add friends to your “Team” to compare their performance. You can also track your mood through the app and log additional exercises like yoga and cardio workouts.

Best of all, the Up app now uses all the data it collects to generate useful insights about your behavior. If you don’t get enough sleep while travelling, or if you tend to eat unhealthy lunches at work, Up will nudge you to be better.

Sleep tracking and silent alarm works wonders: Not much has changed when it comes to the way the new Up handles sleep, but its ability to track the quality of your sleep and wake you up gently is still worth mentioning. The wristband can figure out how much light and deep sleep you’ve had, as well as how long it took you to fall asleep once getting to bed.

And since it knows how well you’re sleeping, Up’s silent alarm can pick the best time to wake you, so you get up feeling refreshed. It’s the perfect solution for anyone who hates waking up to a blaring alarm in the morning.

The bad: Syncing is a pain

For all of the Up’s whiz-bang technology, you still have to plug it into your phone’s headphone jack to synchronize it, even though the FitBit One and Nike’s FuelBand both offer wireless BlueTooth syncing. According to Jawbone’s Bogard, the company still thinks wireless syncing has a ways to go. That’s ironic, given that Jawbone made its name with its wireless Bluetooth headsets and wireless Jambox speakers.

Synchronizing the Up is a simple process, but it feels like an imperfection in an otherwise quality product. It’s also a pain when it comes to making simple changes to the Up, like changing the time of its silent alarm or tweaking its activity reminder (which buzzes to keep you from sitting down for too long). It’s not tough to get into the habit of syncing the Up twice a day, but plugging it in just to make a simple alarm clock change seriously diminishes its futuristic veneer.

You can be sure Jawbone is working to get wireless synchronization in future versions of the Up, but for now your only option is decidedly old-school. For some people, this may be reason enough to opt for another fitness gadget. But I’ve gotten used to the inconvenience — and it’s also somewhat fun to see the stares from strangers when I plug my unassuming bracelet into my iPhone.

Fitbit’s One: The pedometer, evolved

While Jawbone is a relative newcomer to fitness gadgets, Fitbit has been at this for a while now — and it shows. The company first showed off the Fitbit Classic in 2008. The Classic was widely praised for its compact clip-on design and its ability to track your steps and sleep. The Fitbit Ultra, released last year, added stair tracking, among many other new features.

With the Fitbit One, the company took all of its experience in this arena and crafted it into its most compelling device yet. It can synchronize wirelessly with your smartphone and has a smoother, pebble-like design. Instead of building the clip directly into the device, the One includes a small, removable clip “jacket” — a helpful addition, since it prevents the device itself from getting damaged if the clip gets caught in your clothing.

There’s nothing truly revolutionary about the Fitbit One, but that’s mainly because the company has done such a good job of establishing itself as a fitness leader with its past few devices. It’s hard to blame Fitbit for not pushing the envelope a bit more when it’s already done so pretty significantly several times. With wireless syncing and a strong ecosystem, the Fitbit One could be the ideal device for fitness gadget newcomers and addicts alike.

The Good: Almost everything

Secretly geeky: The Fitbit One may not be as flashy as Jawbone’s Up, but it’s perfect for people who don’t want to flaunt their fitness tracking. In my week using the One, I appreciated how unobtrusive it was — you can clip it onto your jeans and easily forget it’s there.

Data strong: It was nice to get access to my Fitbit data from the company’s extensive online dashboard (Jawbone’s Up relies entirely on its mobile app, for now). The site gives you many more ways to look at your data without fishing through a mobile app.

Easy synchronization: Where the Jawbone Up is annoying to sync, the Fitbit One is a dream. The device can wirelessly synchronize with Bluetooth 4.0-compatible iPhones and Android smartphones, as well as with computers through Bluetooth. Fitbit includes a Bluetooth USB receiver, just in case you have an ancient computer.

Useful ecosystem: Fitbit’s $130 Aria Wi-Fi scale can help you, and seven other people in your household, easily keep track of your weight. And the $60 Fitbit Zip is a good option for keeping track of your kids’ health — it can track their steps and distance traveled, but not sleep or stairs climbed.

The Bad: Competitors are more exciting

As great as the Fitbit One is, it lacks the striking appeal of Jawbone’s Up and Nike’s FuelBand. In the end, it’s the evolution of a device that’s been around for several years, instead of something that feels new and fresh. (Just compare Fitbit’s functional, but slightly boring app, to Up’s and Fuelband’s.)

This may not mean much when assessing its quality, but when it comes to convincing lazy consumers that they need to keep track of their health, it certainly helps to appeal to them on a more visceral level.

Up vs One

After using both fitness gadgets for the past week, it’s the Up that I’m most excited to use every day. Sure, the manual syncing is annoying, but I love its gorgeous design and colorful app. Most of all, I appreciate how it makes a simple statement — the future of technology isn’t just about what we’ve got in our pockets, it’s about what’s right up against our skin.

The Up feels like the precursor to the inevitable rise of body augmentation — you don’t have to wear the Up for too long before it feels like a part of you. The up has a strange and almost ineffable pull on me as a gadget geek and someone who appreciates artistic technology.

For the pragmatic types, Fitbit’s One may be more your style. It offers better access to your fitness data, as well as a few more helpful features. It’s also the best fitness gadget option for people who just hate wearing things on their wrists (that’s a bigger group than you may think).

Summing up: A wealth of choices

Even if you vehemently disagree with my preferred fitness gadget (as a reviewer, I’m used to this), the beauty of the current marketplace is that there’s a choice for just about everyone. Beyond the Up and Fitbit’s devices, there’s Nike’s popular Fuelband, and smart pedometers like Striiv’s. And if you have a smartphone, you don’t even need an additional gadget: You can dive into fitness apps like Runkeeper and Endomondo.

When it comes to fitness gadgets, reviews may not be enough. You may have to try a few before you figure out what works best for you. But no matter what you choose, it’s hard to go wrong. I have friends who’ve lost a significant amount of weight using all of the above options.

What’s important is that you find something that helps you get off your butt — and constantly reminds you to be better.

Jawbone and Fitbit provided VentureBeat with units for review.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

The Pebble smartwatch has been a runaway success story for Kickstarter’s crowdfunding model, with almost $8 million pledged for the project so far. Now Runkeeper, a popular app for measuring and tracking your fitness, is joining in on the fun as Pebble’s first app partner at launch.

Pebble integrates with your smartphone via Bluetooth, and uses its E-Ink display to show information like incoming call data, calendar entries, and social media updates. After years of failed attempts at a truly useful smartwatch, it looks like Pebble has struck a chord with consumers with its elegant design and customizable app experience.

Jason Jacobs, CEO of Runkeeper, wrote on the company blog today: “We know that many of you are always looking for ways to make your fitness tracking easier, and with Pebble integration, you won’t ever have to pull the phone out of your pocket or armband – you can just see and do everything you need right from your watch.”

As one of the more than 53,000 people backing Pebble, I’m glad to see the company is already building up its app ecosystem. Runkeeper has already proven itself as one of the most useful exercise apps on the market, so it seems like a perfect fit for Pebble.

Notably, Pebble was initially rejected by venture capitalists when it was seeking funding. But now with its massive Kickstarter success, the company is able to turn its dream into a reality without giving up any equity.

Pebble still has two weeks left in its Kickstarter pledge round, which means the company could see close to $10 million in pre-sales at this current rate. The smartwatches are scheduled to ship sometime in September (though I’m hoping the extra funds will help the company get it out earlier).

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

If you’re tired of guestimating how many calories you burned walking around the living room, check out Nike’s new wristband gadget that tracks calories and movement.

The new Nike+ FuelBand, announced Thursday, is a direct competitor to Jawbone’s similar UP wristband. Jawbone suspended production of the UP in December and issued full refunds to customers after complaints of battery and synching issues. Like the Jawbone UP, the FuelBand is worn around your wrist and can be synched to an iPhone or PC to upload activity data.

“The NIKE+ FuelBand is a way for Nike to further evolve the exciting possibilities of merging the physical and digital worlds,” said NIKE, Inc. President and Chief Executive Mark Parker, in a statement. “Nike has always been about inspiring athletes, and the NIKE+ FuelBand will help motivate them in a simple, fun and intuitive way.”

Designed to measure your movement throughout the entire day, from walking and running to biking and ballet, the waterproof band also allows you to set daily goals. The FuelBand will notify you through its LED software whether or not you meet those goals.

So, what makes the $150 FuelBand different from the $100 Jawbone UP? For starters, the Jawbone UP can stay charged for up to 10 days, while the FuelBand lasts only four. However, the FuelBand has internal USB, which could make using the Jawbone seem like a hassle when having to use its required USB-to-headphone jack adapter to charge.

Although the FuelBand is heavier, it offers a polished user interface and web access for $50 extra. In theory, the FuelBand could make for a better experience, especially for previous Jawbone UP owners burned by issues with early models. The FuelBand is available for pre-order now but won’t ship until Feb. 22.

Athletes like Lance Armstrong have already endorsed the FuelBand, claiming the tool will help people meet daily and weekly fitness targets.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Exercise good for your health (but boring), while video games are fun (but make you fat). A startup called BitGym is hoping to combine the best aspects of the two with a workout app for the iPhone and iPad that turns exercise equipment into video game machines.

The company has just released Virtual Active, an immersive fitness app with 10 different workout environments. Put your iPhone 4 or or iPad 2 on the magazine rack of an exercise bike or a elliptical machine, and within seconds you’re inside a virtual world that responds to your every movement. While jogging on the treadmill or riding an exercise bike, Virtual Active detects your speed based on vibrations and ferries you through a virtual mountain bike trail in the Swiss Alps, the narrow canals of Venice or the lush, or temperate environs of the Pacific Northwest.

The app isn’t directly connected to the exercise machine’s electronics. Instead, pedaling the exercise bike sends vibrations through your device to make you move faster or slower. Your head movements are tracked by the forward-facing camera for direction control. Move your head right or left your avatar will respond accordingly.

The app is free, but BitGym is selling new environments as in-app purchases for $3.99 or $7.99. Each new environment comes with six jogging courses.

Since launching yesterday in the App Store, 8.5 percent of users have made an in-app purchase, says co-founder Alex Gourley, and the American Southwest environment pack and Northern Italy are the most popular. BitGym has also been contacted by two major fitness industry players for potential collaborations, Gourley said, though he wasn’t at liberty to discuss who they are.

Here’s a tip: If you’re reading this at your desk and you want to try before you buy, open the free Southwest U.S. trial pack, set your phone on a flat surface, and tap the edge vigorously. This will simulate the vibrations registered from exercise equipment, and will allow you to see Virtual Active in action.

The Canals of Venice course

Due up next from BitGym is another app called Fit Freeway, which takes the exercise concept to a virtual racetrack. Think of your exercise bike as Mario Kart, and you’ve got a pretty close approximation. Sky Runner is another upcoming title, which is like Starfox on your Stairmaster.

San Francisco-based BitGym is looking for investments to help outflank any potential imitators.

“Once people realize you can do this, there’s going to be a lot of competition and a lot of people are going to try to do it,” BitGym co-founder Josh McCready told VentureBeat. “We want to get momentum and keep developing it.” One potential rival is iFit, whose apps allow runners to navigate through a Google Streetview map, but don’t have gameplay functionality.

BitGym is focused on developing single-player games for now. Asynchronous multiplayer games could follow soon, where two or more players could log their achievements in Apple’s Game Center and challenge friends to beat a high score the next time they use their exercise equipment. An app store for developers of new environments or workouts is also a tantalizing prospect. Once the notion of playing video games through an exercise bike catches on, other developers may want to sell their workouts through the BitGym App Store.

More than 41 million American adults have access to exercise equipment such as a bike, elliptical or treadmill in their homes, Gourley estimates, and gyms bring this number t0 more than 74 million. Last week we reported that Apple sold more than 30 million smartphones, and as many as 13 million tablets in Q4. Put the two together, and the potential reach of an app like Virtual Active is considerable.

Rivals such as Basis and Striiv are coming up with devices that monitor your movements and gamify fitness in the process. But Fleetly is one of the companies that plans to leverage the smartphones people already have, rather than get them to buy another gadget.

Fleetly can benchmark you changing fitness level and challenge you to compete for bragging rights on leaderboards. It can tell you if you have hit a plateau, based on time exercised, weight lifted, or distance run — and then provide recommendations on how to do better. The app is available for free on the web and on the iPhone at Fleetly.com/ios.

The app works for all exercises, from weight training to long-distance running, said Fleetly founder Geoff Pitfield, and it helps athletes at all levels.

Pitfield is an amateur triathlete and was inspired to create Fleetly during his initial training. He wanted to track his progress, but nothing supported his variety of activities. So he started making an app that fits in with the trends of a quantified self, feedback loops, and gamification.

Fleetly tracks your exercises, provides an ongoing numerical rating of your current fiscal level, which you can compare with friends or other active people. It rewards you with peer-group recognition and motivates you with challenges, leaderboards and medals. The app comes with more than 200 high-definition instructional videos and 260 exercise instructions. It helps you find and create exercises and workout routines to help you hit goals. It accommodates participation in sports from aerobics to yoga.

The app is compatible with Nike’s Nike+ fitness service and Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale. The company is based in Vancouver, Canada, and has an office in New York. The company was founded in 2010 and currently has three employees.

Fleetly  will be compatible in the future with apps such as Foursquare, RunKeeper, and Garmin. Over time, it hopes to collect aggregated information about exercise habits and provide analysis that will help people see where they stand in the grand fitness universe.

Rivals include basic workout loggers such as GymBuddy. There are also apps for recording jogs such as Nike+, DailyMile, Runkeeper, and iMapmyRun. Fleetly hopes to set itself apart by covering the whole range of athletic endeavors. It also focuses on social integration and motivating people through gamification. Points are based on real-world measures such as calories burned, body type, and weight loss. If you slack off, so too does your fitness level.

The app works both online and offline when you’re at a gym, where it syncs automatically in the background as soon as it has a data connection. The company is funded by friends, family and angel investors.

Keith Stephens, a Fleetly user, said, “My favorite feature of the app (is the) quick access to see how the competition is doing. That really keeps me on my toes, everyday. Believe it or not, I like to see other people win and achieve their fitness goals, even more than myself. I want you to beat me, but I ain’t gonna give it to you.”

On average, the early users are using the app 16 times a week. They log nearly 20 different exercises per week. The top participants on the leaderboards are logging over 1,000 points a month, which is like running 35 miles per week. I’m inclined to believe they’re making it up.

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The service itself is device agnostic — users download data from any application that tracks movement through a GPS function and upload it to the site. That information can come from actual GPS devices, like Garmin, or from any of the applications for the iPhone and phones running on Google’s Android mobile operating system. Strava also expects to release an iPhone application that will streamline the uploading process soon.

After that, the service gets a whole lot more technical than typical GPS-assisted applications that track exercise. It includes vertical distance traveled, like when riding up a hill, and more specific information about speed and power generated. The idea is to turn typical runs and cycling circuits into a type of meta-competition where users post their statistics online and “race” other Strava users.

“Nike+ and other apps are really doing a great job of showing what’s possible when you start collecting the data,” said Michael Horvath, CEO of Strava. “What we’re doing is trying to give an experience that’s really social fitness, that focuses on comparing and competing.”

Other applications, like the Nike+ iPhone application, can already synchronize run information with social networks online. But Strava’s highly technical tracking will hopefully attract the more hardcore crowd that cycle or run more often than your typical GPS exercise application user, Horvath said. The idea came after Horvath and his co-founder graduated from college — both missed competing regularly with their crew team and wanted to create an online service that mimicked the experience.

Strava in its current form caters to cyclists, but part of the funding will go toward developing a similar site and community for runners. The cycling community has attracted 10,000 users thus far and is growing by around 20 percent each month, Harvoth said. The rest of the funding is geared toward sales and marketing, which also includes recruiting local cycling clubs to help spread the word and sign up teams for online competitions.

The San Francisco, Calif.-based company was founded in 2009. This round of funding was led by Sigma Partners.

[Photo: musumemiyuki]