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Consumer Reports joined Into Tomorrow this week with running app recommendations for your phone:
Running apps are, of course, a huge trend in fitness tech. Have you been on the fence about them and need some recommendations? Consumer Reports electronics spokesman James McQueen is here to with some tips.
If you want to the convenience of a seamless experience while running, these app suggestions will be great for you. In addition to tracking your workouts, they also offer music features. In some cases, they even match the tempo of the songs to your pace.
The Nike+ Running app has something for everyone: goal-setting options for each run, audio feedback to check your speed, and for Spotify Premium subscribers there is music selected to suit your stride. While, RunKeeper is an app that is very similar to Nike+, you don’t need Spotify Premium to get a pace station. Also the in-app music controls work well with iTunes. Another cool plus is that you are able to set running goals for a week.
Now there is also the option of having a two-app solution, if those one-stop apps don’t fit your needs. RockMyRun, has a selection of playlists grouped by BPM. It can also adjust songs to match your steps and even your heart rate. The best part about this app is setting the music to play at a certain tempo while running.
For more info on this story, visit ConsumerReports.org.
Listener Tim in Erie, PA recommended 3 apps for visually impaired people:
I’m visually impaired and these help me. Money Reader. one time cost of $9.95. – Light Detector. It does what it says – The brighter the light is, the higher the pitch is. Third is Money Identifier. I’m not quite as high on it, but it can be useful.
Chris recommended apps that he’s been playing with:
I’m actually talking about a category of apps this week. Most people watch at least some TV. Of those, many don’t ever watch anything “Live”, rather they DVR their shows so they can watch them whenever they want. If you don’t have a DVR but still want to time-shift your shows, you can in many cases. Most TV networks have an app that will give you access to a lot of their content. I have apps on my iPhone from the four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as cable channels like History Channel, National Geographic, HBO and Showtime. The apps themselves are all free, although some of the cable networks require you to sign in, to verify that you are a subscriber to their channels at home. Now I can watch most of my shows on my phone or tablet from anywhere in the country. Once I logged into the HBO Go and Showtime Anywhere apps, using my Comcast login, I have access to a couple hundred on-demand movies , as well as those networks’ original content. It’s really helped keep me entertained while on the road. (Except outside the country. They don’t work when you’re you are abroad. So if you’re a TV buff, you may want to check out the apps from your favorite channels.
