It's a little like having an interactive private trainer. You can also download the Nike+ Training App, which measures your performance while you run through a bunch of pre-set drills. It sounded corny, but the feature turned out to be pretty fun and actually kind of helpful. In "Showcase" mode, you can use your iPhone to record yourself practicing for 30 seconds, then watch the results to study your form. It's a little like having an interactive private trainer.In addition to tracking your game, there are two other things you can do with the shoes. As one would expect from a pair of high-end Nikes, they're light and supportive, and the advanced impact-absorbing materials feel great on the court. As a bonus, I realized that I really like the shoes themselves. I started concentrating on moving around more to increase my quickness points, and this in turn made me a more active player. By paying close attention to my stats while fiddling around with how I jump, I managed to increase my vertical leap by almost two inches – just by changing the way I leave the ground. I got more than a few snide remarks: "How much does this cost again?"Īfter a couple of weeks, however, I started to warm up to the Hyperdunks. I tried to show off my fancy new toys to my fellow players, but they too seemed unimpressed. To complete the circle, I had to wear my Fuel Band on the court, which I hate doing. Whatever Fuel Points my shoes awarded me didn't get added to my total on. Worse, the shoes didn't integrate well with my Fuel Band. That said, after playing a couple of games, I found having only these stats a little underwhelming. (What about stride length?) It's enough to know that if you simply run faster, you score higher. This seems simple, but it remains a little fuzzy in my head. It doesn't matter if you lift your legs, leave them straight, or kick out your feet David Lee Roth-style, your vertical leap stays the same.įinally, the shoes gauge quickness by measuring steps per second. Unless you are actively trying to cheat, the shoes give consistent readings. The shoes measure this by calculating time spent in the air, and it turns out this is pretty effective. Unless you are actively trying to cheat, the shoes give consistent readings.The second metric, and probably the most fun to play around with, is vertical leap. The shoes measure vertical leap by calculating time spent in the air, and it turns out this is pretty effective. You quickly learn how much activity it takes to reach, say, 1,000 points. Fuel Points are the same catch-all stat used by Nike's new Fuel Band, and while they aren't as clear as calories, steps, or some other comprehensible movement stat, they actually don't take that long to get a handle on. First is Fuel Points, Nike's proprietary system for measuring overall activity. My excitement faded pretty quickly, though, when I saw the price – $250 is a lot for shoes, especially given that I sometimes burn through a pair in as little as six months. The shoes feature a series of sensors embedded throughout, and a small rechargeable dongle that gets inserted in the sole under your foot will wirelessly transfer your stats via Bluetooth to your iPhone. This lets us non-runners taste the thrill of tracking our accomplishments, sharing them with friends, and virtually competing with others who've bought into the Nike+ ecosystem.īeing a dedicated, if aging, pick-up hoops player, I was initially excited about the new Hyperdunk+ b-ball kicks. Now Nike has expanded its "+" empire by issuing both cross-training and basketball shoes equipped with the company's digital dressing. Despite its limitations, people warmed to Nike+ because it encouraged them to run farther and more often. But even that simple setup resulted in a certain mania among enthusiasts, and Facebook feeds the world over remain clogged with run updates to this day. The original shoes-meets-iPod system was essentially a fancy digital pedometer.
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