Five Things You Can Do for National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day #NYHAAD
April 10th, 2015 marks the 3rd annual National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD), and the countdown begins now!
Health Tech
What’s the Future of Outside Companies and Apple’s HealthKit?
Late last year, Apple gave Fitbit the boot from Apple retail stores. There was a lot of speculation as to why Fitbit was kicked out, but most people assumed it was due to Fitbit pulling out of Apple’s Healthkit initiative. Competitors (and Healthkit partners) like Jawbone, Mio and Nike remained in the stores. Until this week, when everyone was booted!
Ahead of Apple Watch release, Nike Fuelband and Jawbone UP Removed
Many expected this already, but Apple plans to do away with some of their competitors by removing them from some of their brick and mortar Apple Stores. On Apple 24th, Apple will be releasing the Apple Watch, and one of the highlighting features will be its fitness tracking capabilities.
My Quest for a New Fitness Tracker; Which Will It Be?
I tested the fitness tracker waters with the Pivotal Living 1 and stuck with it despite the bugs. Unfortunately, I forgot it wasn’t waterproof, and a dip in the pool brought on the death of the PL1. It’s time to replace it, and I’ve narrowed my choices down to the Fitbit Charge HR, Withings Activité Pop, or Garmin Vivosmart.
Who Is Nature’s Intent, LLC, or, the Saga of the Mystery Quinoa
We were in Costco a few weeks ago, and the quinoa they were carrying was a different brand than we’ve bought in the past. We set out to find out if the new quinoa was safe for our son’s allergies, and we learned two things: Amazon and Costco are very nice, and no one can track down “Nature’s Intent, LLC“.
Always Review Safety Techniques Before You Work Out!
We’ve talked about safety and gear when running outside before (Mike has done a great job of covering the important points), but it’s important to remember safety doesn’t get checked at the gym door. If you’re doing anything, from treadmill running to weightlifting, make sure you know how to be safe. I learned that the scary way this weekend!
HTC Announces the HTC RE Grip GPS Fitness Tracker
HTC is busy at MWC this year; first they announced the One M9, and now they have a companion fitness product, the HTC RE Grip. It’s a fitness tracker with GPS, and it syncs with Under Armour (which means it will work with My Fitness Pal as well as the MapMyFitness products).
Shooting Baskets Book Review – Proper ‘Art’ Stops Any Madness
The approaching “March Madness” college basketball playoffs can often ignite our “hoop dream” passion(s). All the new sensor gear, flashy apparel, and web statistics often overshadows the basic skill that World record-holder Ted St. Martin covers in a classic book – shooting the basketball ranging from the free throw to a slam dunk.
In an Emergency, Use Siri to Call Poison Control!
Siri (or Cortana, or Ok Google) often get dismissed as gimmicks, or something you use for driving or otherwise using your phone hands free. My wife Sarah, however, can attest to a situation where Siri was an absolute hero for our family — Sarah used Siri to call Poison Control during an emergency!
V2 Pro Vaporizer Review: A Premium Solution for Your Oral Fixation
WARNING: The products discussed may contain or use nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical; in many cities and a few states, you must be 21 to purchase vaping products and/or products containing nicotine. Please familiarize yourself with and obey the law in your location. In my 20s, I was the girl who’d have a drink in one hand and a clove cigarette in the other when out on Saturday nights. I was, as I referred to myself at the time, a “social smoker”.
Can a Fart Pill Make Your Farts Smell Like Chocolate?
If there were a pill that, when digested, would instantly turn obnoxious body emissions into sweet-smelling chocolate – you’d probably want to take it wouldn’t you? Or at least feed it to the family dog or maybe slip it into a relative’s mashed potatoes during Thanksgiving dinner.
Do YOU Use a Wearable Device?
There’s been a huge debate lately about wearable devices like Fitbit, Jawbone UP, smartwatches, etc. First, wareable.com pointed out most buyers of fitness trackers are ALREADY fit (and well-off), and then a study came out indicating wearables were no more accurate than the pedometer in your existing smartphone. So who’s using them and are they helping anyone?
Love a Smoker? Create a ‘Nobituary’ to Help Them See Life Without Smoking
Everyone of elementary school age knows smoking is bad for you, so the shock-tactic anti-smoking ads often only serve to scare little kids. More effective is thinking of what you might miss, and what you could be doing instead with better health and more money. That is the goal of Nobituary, which creates a celebratory look at your non-smoking future.
Is Under Armour the Dark Horse to Win in Wearables?
Even before Apple announced their Apple Watch, much of the tech world was looking to wearables to be the next big thing. Everyone is looking to established technology companies, but there’s someone coming in from outside the tech world positioning themselves to dominate, especially with their latest acquisitions: Under Armour.
When Do You Give Up on a Company? The Pivotal Living Story
A few weeks ago I reviewed the Pivotal Living fitness tracker, and I concluded the following: “Pivotal Living is a company to watch, and I think if the bugs and kinks get ironed out, the Pivotal Life 1 is a very cool product.” I wanted to give them a few months, but here’s the truth: Don’t buy it. just don’t.
Stronglifts 5×5 App Review for Android: Handheld Encouragement
I am trying to get into better shape. After a minor knee surgery, my running routine fell completely apart. A good chunk of my injury was caused by muscle imbalances, so I set out to get into better shape with a strength training routine. I settled on the Stronglifts 5×5 workout; the Android app has been invaluable to my progress!
Tell the FDA to Add Sesame to Allergy Labels!
I have mentioned this before, but my son is severely allergic to sesame seeds. We found this out the hard way, after one small bite of hummus landed us in the ER. Unfortunately, companies do not have to label if sesame is an ingredient or cross contaminant in the US, so it’s time to petition the FDA to change that and add sesame to allergy labels!
Pivotal Life 1 Fitness Tracker Review
If you’ve been looking for a fitness tracker, your budget is probably in the $50 to $150 range. That’s reasonable for a connected pedometer/fitness data collector, but Pivotal Living disagrees. They see the value of fitness tracking in the service, not the hardware, so they sell a subscription model instead. $12 gets you one year of service and one Pivotal Life 1 band!
MIO Announces the Alpha 2 and FUSE Fitness Monitors at CES 2015
MIO Global made a big splash as the first to provide a highly accurate heart-rate monitoring without a chest strap. Now they are back with the MIO Alpha 2, which refines and improves on the original in every way. They also announced the MIO Fuse, which combines their heart rate monitoring technology with an all-day fitness tracker!
ReWalk Discusses Medical Breakthroughs at CES
CES isn’t just about the latest fun gadgets. It’s also a showcase for all sorts of breakthroughs, including incredible medical ones. Dan and Judie caught up with the CEO of ReWalk, a company that is working on exoskeletons to help people with lower limb disabilities walk again! Check out their video interview!
Aterica Helps Track Your EpiPen with Veta Smart Cases and App
For most people, a typical set of everyday items includes phone, keys, wallet, maybe a notebook or pens and other small items. If you (or your child) have food allergies, an Epipen or similar product is the top item on that list. Aterica has just announced an app/case combo for EpiPens called Veta to make that everyday carrying much simpler!