My favorite pedometer: Omron HJ-720ITC
Omron recently introduced a pedometer with a USB connector that can upload your step data to your computer. I’ve wanted something like this for years, so I ordered one from Amazon for 33 bucks and started testing it.
My verdict? It’s the best pedometer I’ve tried. It’s accurate, and because it has two inertial sensors you can wear it in your pocket instead of on your belt. The built-in software works great on Windows XP, and lets you slice your data in several ways:
Plus you can export your data as a CSV file. Overall, I love this pedometer and always carry it with me.
So what keeps this product from being perfect? First, the pedometer has a 41-day memory. Memory is pretty cheap these days, so why not a 90 or 120 day memory? Next, the Omron software only runs on Windows. If you have use an Apple or Linux computer, you’re out of luck. In January 2007, Greg Kroah-Hartman offered on behalf of the Linux kernel community to provide free Linux device drivers for any hardware device:
All that is needed is some kind of specification that describes how your device works, or the email address of an engineer that is willing to answer questions every once in a while. A few sample devices might be good to have so that debugging doesn’t have to be done by email, but if necessary, that can be done.
In return, you will receive a complete and working Linux driver that is added to the main Linux kernel source tree. The driver will be written by some of the members of the Linux kernel developer community (over 1500 strong and growing). This driver will then be automatically included in all Linux distributions, including the “enterprise” ones. It will be automatically kept up to date and working through all Linux kernel API changes. This driver will work with all of the different CPU types supported by Linux, the largest number of CPU types supported by any operating system ever before in the history of computing.
That’s a pretty great deal. Whaddaya say, Omron? All we need is your permission and a tiny bit of info about the protocol; heck, I’d pay for 2-3 kernel developers to get the pedometers myself. If you’re not willing/able to document your protocol, here’s a suggestion for your next iteration: make the pedometer look like a little flash drive, and create a special text document on the pseudo-drive with the user’s step data. Then anyone could read their data, regardless of the type of computer they used.
These are small nitpicks though — the kind you offer when a product is so close to perfect that you start to root for it and push for perfection. It’s a great pedometer and quite affordable at $33.
Now I just wish every health device could connect to a computer. Omron offers a blood pressure monitor that also connects to your computer using the same software as the pedometer (it’s all seamless). I’ve tried it, and the blood pressure monitor works well. If Omron ever offered a scale that connected to a computer, I’d immediately get one of those, too. 
In the meantime, I’m not aware of any other pedometers or blood pressure monitors that connect to a computer, so it’s a good thing that they’re both solid products.
Andrew Tobin Said,
September 23, 2007 @ 10:31 pm
Sounds like a good one, shame Amazon won’t deliver it outside of the US.
Might need to hunt for one.
Dr. David Klein Said,
September 23, 2007 @ 11:02 pm
O.K. I am buying one!
Dave (original) Said,
September 23, 2007 @ 11:27 pm
I was a running and gym junkie for many Years. Could run at 15KPH for 2 hours and then do 1 hr of weights. Aerobic and anaerobic. My eldest daughter is now going very well with her long distance running. Time for me to join her I think.
One thing I always noticed was this. Those that buy ‘gadgets’ for exercise feedback, were the most likely to make excuses for NOT exercising.
Is that you Matt?
Adam Lasnik Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 1:08 am
Okay, just bought one. Now we just need more walking meetings. I wonder if Amazon.com also sells rolling whiteboards? Hmm…
dockarl Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 1:30 am
In this day and age of 15GB (and rising) USB keys maybe omron could produce a USB Key-like pedometer that IS actually a USB key as well
While they are at it, why not incorporate a wireless receiver so that it can automatically record and catalogue heart rate data from polar (or similar) heart rate monitor chest straps.
This would be the ultimate fitness toy for geeks
M
Maurice Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 1:58 am
Oooh usefull gadget post Thanks Matt
Ive been looking for a USB BP monitor - my nephrologist keeps sugesting that I get a BP monitor for home.
Richard Chmura Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 3:10 am
A novel device; However I’m afraid of seeing my horrible results in graph form
-It would be even better if the device could wrielessly sync with your PC and automatically upload the data. - Maybe even email an alert if you aren’t walking enough - or if you forgot to attach the device in the morning
Richard Chmura Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 3:26 am
Hmm, tried to placed an order for one on Amazon, but this product cannot be shipped to Canada. But it *can* be shipped to prison… idea!
Paul Robinson Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 5:01 am
I love to track my daily movement (or lack of) so this is cool.
You might also want to try the Nano iPod/Nike+ combo. Much more accurate than a pedometer for measuring your runs and walks.
Probably not as good for measuring your daily total, however.
Scott [KI4WLR] Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 6:14 am
That is GREAT… thanks so much for posting the information, I am getting one for sure. It was the software that sold me, if you can’t look at the data in a good form I don’t tend to use it.
Thanks again, 73, Scott
Jeremy Schoemaker Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 6:19 am
cmon Matt what kind of affiliate marketer are you use your amazon affil id !
martin Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 8:01 am
it’s a funny software. I’ve never heard this before. It’s a creative idea! I like it. Maybe I should think about to have one, hehe. As an IT person, it’s useful to monitor your health anytime. The same reason, your web site need to be taken care of. By the way, there is also a online service which i found last week. it’s really funny. YMU (http://youmonitor.us) it can provide free 24/7 web site monitoring serve. It can be usful for us webmasters and web site owners. Maybe one day it can be grow into another google, hehe
Harith Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 8:30 am
Matt,
How do you do those Aerobic steps at the streets of Mountain View? any photo
Now I know from whom Oz learned all those Aerobic jumps
Matt Cutts Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 8:43 am
Shoemoney, does it bother you to see Amazon links without an affiliate id?
Dave (original), this is one gadget that really helps, because it makes me a little more accountable to myself: “I only did 4400 steps yesterday? Did I just sit at my desk all day? I’ve got to move a little more today.” The other gadget that helps me is a scale, because it lets me know if I’m veering into an unusual area of weight or body fat.
Harith, there’s a park outside the Googleplex. I’ve been taking to doing “walking meetings” when I have a 1:1 with someone.
Harith Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 9:05 am
Matt,
Walking Meeting? never heard about it before. Should be an American thing but sounds very interesting. Thanks for mentioning it.
I googled it and found this paper, in case other friends wish to read a little about it.
Walking Meetings - Energize Body and Mind
Chip Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 9:16 am
That is cool. I think a wifi enabled scale would be the best. It gets hard trying to remember previous weeks BFI and weight and what not.
Any chance you can take a photo of this pedometer next to a quarter or something for size comparison?
Thanks,
Chip-
Cimmeron Studios Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 11:25 am
I’m going to have to get one of these, myself. Being accountable is so important when you job keeps you at a computer and/or desk for hours on end. Especially people working from a home office - it’s even more difficult to make certain you’re getting some exercise during your day. Great post. Thanks!
JLH Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 11:46 am
For walking meeting research, I’d suggest you get “The West Wing” DVD and watch a couple of episodes.
Harith Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
JLH
Thanks. Do you know of any book about walking meeting. Amazon hasn’t been very helpful.
You see I walk for at least an hour a day. I also wish to introduce it at work.
Dave (original) Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
Matt, dump the gadgets, buy a dog and start power walking it for 45 mins each day
Aaron Pratt Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
You are a true Googler Matt!
Obsessed with stats.
That has got to be the geekiest (but really cool) gadget I have ever seen, LOL!
=P
Widgett Walls Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
I’ve started using a pedometer over the past few months. I use my cordless phone at home during conference calls and wander about the house, racking up tons of steps. My main concern about this one, though, is that it looks sorta biggish. I like the smaller one I have which I can clip to my belt and the “stick it in your pocket” bit about this one sounds good on the surface, but I have way too much techie detritus in my pockets as it stands. Amazon doesn’t seem to have specs on how big it is. How biggish is it, really?
dockarl Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 7:57 pm
Aaah.. Keniki - the way you’ve framed that comment is direct defamation against Dr Klein. I’d think it would be prudent to talk to your own doctor about a cranial retraction. I don’t think those sort of comments are at all acceptable in a public forum like this one.
M
Daisuke Shimamoto Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
Hi Matt.
Actually Omron sells scales which can connect to the PC with the same method as the pedometer (and the same software).
The problem is they only sell it in Japan at the moment.
I wonder why they haven’t brought it over to the US having brought
the pedometer and blood pressure monitor.
I guess we’ll have to wait.
Robert Charlton Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Matt,
Aerobic steps = “more than 60 steps a minute….”
What about uphill steps vs level steps?
Does in know that when I slowly stagger up a steep hill, breathing hard, that those are aerobic?
Bob
Israel Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 11:17 pm
cool, i have been dying to buy a pedometer, now i know which one to buy. thx.
Dave (original) Said,
September 24, 2007 @ 11:37 pm
Come on Matt, you have given Keniki MANY warnings and he is STILL spamming your blog and STILL abusing people based on his tin-foil hat being too tight. Or perhaps a “cranial retraction” is on cards
Ban him………………PLEASE!
Harith Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 12:07 am
Matt,
It seems some of us are interesting in the subject “walking”. How about a post about “Walking Meetings” “Power Walking” etc…
Matt Cutts Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 12:15 am
Chip, it’s three quarters high, two quarters wide, and less than a dime thick. It’s pretty light, too.
JLH, well-said. Those walking meetings are fast! It’s amazing how much you can get resolved when you’re just walking to (say) leave for the day.
Harith, just a cycle around the block is great. For a regular meeting, one cycle is enough. For a hard decision, sometimes it takes two loops.
Dave (original), the problem is that a dog insists on being walked. The pedometer doesn’t make me go out in the rain.
Matt Cutts Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 12:18 am
By the way, I was going to do another gadget or Google Reader post, but spent my time tonight debugging why DMOZ’s root page disappeared. Here’s what I wrote at Sphinn:
It’s pretty rare for a site owner to hurt themselves like this; probably it’s not even worth putting into the webmaster tools console, but maybe something to add to the wish list. Anyway, the reason is pretty understandable, but I felt like I needed to check that out more than you needed to hear about the latest cat gadget.
Also, enjoy this thread on the Google webmaster help group:
http://groups.google.com/group/Google_Webmaster_Help-Indexing/browse_thread/thread/72231e3bdd7a31f8/7c5a5f528d48f43b#7c5a5f528d48f43b
dockarl Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 12:22 am
Harith - think about what the majority of couples say are their most ‘romantic’ moments.. long walks on the beach etc. Seems to be something about the act of walking and talking at the same time that leads to a unity of purpose and more open and honest dialogue.
Here’s an interesting study that tends to suggest that walking, consciously or unconsciously, is somehow innately linked to the act of conversation -
http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/%7Erod/publications/MurRamGar07.pdf
The researchers found that when two parties are talking on cell phones, and both walking at the same time, oftentimes ~ 30% of the time those two people will be walking lock step without even realizing it.
Walking and talking at the same time tends to result in a unity of conversation - the very cadence of walking seems to open the mind and result in consensus rather than conflict, it’s less stuffy than talking over the phone or over a desk and it gives a nice excuse to get out of the office.
My 2 cents.
doc
Dave (original) Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 12:33 am
Arrh, but that’s the whole point
Personally, I would find the pedometer gadget negatively inspiring. That is; “What! I stepped my arse off for 1 hour and only a quarter of the 2 Mars Bars I ate earlier have been burt off”
Harith Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 1:08 am
dockarl
Thanks for references, very interesting indeed. I use walking beside the sea to “examin my life” sometimes, alone
Together with friends or family my prefered spot to walk is beside the sea, just around 15 minutes drive from where I live. Sometimes I get new SEO/SEM thoughts during those long walks too
JLH Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 1:19 am
Thanks for the DMOZ explanation, and the GWHG link. It should be noted however, that sort of request is only a quite recent aberration and definitely not the norm for Googler interaction with the little people of the group. I will have to monitor the group for the next couple weeks to see if they actually follow up with this. It could be a signal of positive movements in communication, which just may inspire more participation, even some more from ex-regulars.
Nicolas Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 2:27 am
Hi everyone,
Really impressed by the precision of this tool. Can we also use it for blood alcohol rate ?
Lisa Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 5:51 am
A great review on the ITC Omron Pedometer Matt. Without a doubt it is the best pedometer out there. What you may not know is that you can take this pedometer and upgrade to web based tracking with WalkingSpree. We are the only North American distributor partner of Omron to offer a web based program for individuals and corporations with the USB pedometer. Those with the ITC pedometer can upgrade to the web for even more stats to measure with being able to track steps, food and weight online within a social networking group in walking clubs, forums, blogs, personal coaching and more. We all know that a little competition and nudging can push us even further and as a gadget girl, I love it. In light of your comment about offering it to other systems, ie. Mac, linux, we’re hoping to offer that in the future with WalkingSpree.
Matt Cutts Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 8:30 am
Agreed, JLH.
Nick Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 10:08 am
I am something of a bodybuilder. Each day, I try to eat 4000 - 5000 clean calories a day and also like to monitor the amount of calories I am burning each day.
Does this program assist in calculating caloric intake from foods? Is this more of a product for the health-minded and/or those trying to lose weigh than it is for those trying to bulk up?
Nelson Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 10:29 am
Nice stuff. I should get one for my wife.
John A. Davis Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
Hmmm, now you can measure your steps that you take to the pizza parlor to eat your vegeatables. . . . .
Todd Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
Any recommendations for a good pedometer for Mac users? Sounds like you’ve surveyed the field pretty well.
Matt Cutts Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
Todd, I’d bug Omron. They must be pretty clued in because they made a USB pedometer in the first place. So they might be enlightened enough to document the protocol or port their software to Mac. I’m hoping for the 1st, personally.
George Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
OT,
Kind of quiet about the “chinese” spam sites here, but it seems that main stream media finally sees it my way, and that is a bigger problem than Google wants to admit.
In my area of the web world, the results are infested by spam sites, pushing my site and tons of other good quality sites way down in the listings plus whatever else is going on with the Universal Search the results right now tends to push me more towards Live.com/Msn and Yahoo…. Too bad, GOOG used to be god but not anymore
Dave (original) Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 10:50 pm
George, just for you
George Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 5:23 am
Dave,
the only difference ins that Matt probably doesn’t read the web master forums
Harith Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
Matt,
It seems Oz or Emmy have been tinkering with your blog
While trying to enter the comments, I got this error alert:
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Patrick Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
Matt-
Nice plug, but I have one question. How could you average almost 3 miles a day in 8 minutes of walking? That would be a record-setting pace for runners, let alone a walking SEO guru. Just curious.
James Chapman Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 3:06 pm
Thanks for the info on your post.
Omron have produced two great products with the pedometer and the blood pressure monitor.
Unfortunately, Amazon say that they don’t ship these products outside the US. I have contacted Omron, but they said they could not help me.
I left the states last year to live in Portugal and spend a lot of my time walking in the hills and countryside, like you I have been looking for these type of products for years.
Oh well, try, try, try again, thanks again for the post info.
Bruce Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Thanks Matt! The wifes birthday is coming up and this may be the ticket for at least one idea.
ipod jen Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
That’s almost the motivation I need to get running again (want to train for a marathon). Do you know if there is a similar one that has GPS? I want VERY VERY accurate results, because my pace changes, especially when I run over 15km in one go.
Dave (original) Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
As he has requested users use that link, I doubt he reads your questions regardless.
It’s only common courtesy to do as he asks. Not so hard….is it?
Chip Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
[quote]How could you average almost 3 miles a day in 8 minutes of walking?[/quote]
The 8 minutes is just referring to the aerobatic time (defined as minutes of constant walking at a pace > 60 steps/minute).
I (obviously) own one now, it’s great and accurate I must say. I have a question maybe some one else can answer. During the initial setup, you have to set the time, but not the date? Does that mean I have to hookup the pedometer to the computer every night or it gets out of sync, or? I was kind of hoping I could just do it weekly or something.
Thanks,
Chip-
dockarl Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 11:37 pm
Bruce,
BEWARE - purchasing your wife a pedometer for her birthday could put you in the dog-house for weeks on end
Just a word of advice..
Harith Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 12:00 am
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt
Where is the Happy Birthday GOOG post ?
Okinawa Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 1:59 am
Wow, that looks pretty sweet!
JLH Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 2:37 am
DMOZ disagrees with you on the cause of their temporary deindexing.
http://blog.dmoz.org/2007/09/26/the-search-for-dmoz/
“We made some significant upgrades to our back-end systems to improve the stability of DMOZ. One of those changes required changing the root domain from dmoz.org to http://www.dmoz.org. What we all witnessed yesterday and what was reported by the great sites above was part of an index recognizing, adjusting and updating in real time. This was confirmed in discussions we had with Google and everything should be running smoothly now.”
maurizio Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 4:30 am
I’ve skimmed most of the comments and no one wrote anything about a web service.
It should be a cool idea to create a site where all pedometer’s users can upload their stats and give/get advices or just make some running competition.
I have free time, if someone is interested on this…
jeff Hall Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 6:43 am
What I would like to do is to configure and connect the pedometer to my car-engines CPU so that it tells me how many calories I would have burnt off if I had not been such a lazy slob for driving into work instead of walking/cycling. Also maybe an IE7-ometer that tells me how many calories I have lost through the stress of trying to get rid of all those ‘send error report’ pop-ups.
Katalog stron Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 11:51 am
Nice, nice, nice, usefull gadget
Pierogarnia Toruń Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
Yeah , i want to buy this stuff too
Tom Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Matt,
Lots of steps - you may wish to slow down, God only gave you so many heart beats and it appears your wasting them! Get back in front of that computer, relax!
Maura Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
Thank god I can still do math. Matt, is that you, buddy? Contact me via email if it is!
Major Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
Amazon not deliver things outside U.S ……
I like this gadget very much…. i trying to buy this somewhere else….
Keri Morgret Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
Matt, thanks for sharing, and I might pick up one of those myself.
I only wish my $900 computer for scuba diving had such a nice interface on the PC side of things. The user interface for the dive computer is great and easy to use, but the output to the computer is limited and looks like it was written for Windows 3.1. The cable and software to download costs $100, it’s not even included automatically, and I get something that has much less information than a $30 pedometer.
Seo Toolbar Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
These are fruits of the innovation !
Soon, these stats would be found on our iGoogle gadgets or my Toolbar Widgets !
It’s crazy, but it can be done !
The Pedometer will use GPRS solutions to send data to web services !
And Ajax will be teached with Medical Sciences !!!
Dave (original) Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
I’m with Tom. The human Heart only has so many beats before it packs up. I say, eat LOTS and do nothing. No use using those beats up
Taraneh Razavi Said,
September 27, 2007 @ 10:21 pm
Hi Matt
As the Google doctor, it’s great to see you using this. Now if we can only increase those steps to 10k a day with a little more aerobic
Time to switch from the old Omrons to these snazzy new ones. I agree with you that these are the best ones.
Lisa Said,
September 28, 2007 @ 6:01 am
Chip-no, it has an internal 41 day memory with a 7 day LCD display. Even though you’re only entering the time, it keeps track of days that have passed. You’re fine with a once a week hookup.
Matt’s 8 minutes on the graph is aerobic steps time, not his full walking time. Aerobic steps are calculated at 60 steps per minute over a 10 minute period. Which in that context is suprising that 8 minutes are showing up in the graph as the minimum is supposed to be 10 minutes. He actually don’t have too bad a step count considering he probably spends a fair bit of time at his computer. Most people are horrified when they discover how sendentary they actually are, averaging 3-4,000 steps/day. Great job Matt, maybe set a goal for 7,000 and work up from there:)
Brian Said,
September 28, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
Matt,
I’ve heard some businesses are using tall desks that encourage you to stand instead of sit as well as some hooked up on a very slow treadmill so you’re walking while typing. Does Google have anything like that?
Victor Caballero Said,
September 28, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Great device. I bet they are selling hundreds of these after this post!
I’m going to get one. I have an old unit which I don’t think is very accurate.
Dave (original) Said,
September 28, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Matt is banking on it via the affiliate link
Seriously though, I think Matt SHOULD get some kickback for such a great write-up!
resim Said,
September 28, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
Sounds like a good one, shame Amazon won’t deliver it outside of the US.
Might need to hunt for one.
Harith Said,
September 29, 2007 @ 2:10 am
Since we haven’t heard from Matt for around a week, I’m afraid he is preparing another iPnone post (:-(
H.T. Ohlsen Said,
September 29, 2007 @ 4:15 am
Apparently Omron do not want to sell this particular model to anyone outside the US. :/ I really do not appreciate the “Geographical problem” messages on Amazon.
dockarl Said,
September 29, 2007 @ 8:26 pm
>Seriously though, I think Matt SHOULD get some kickback for such a great
> write-up!
Definitely agree - but people would prob raise conflict of interest questions.
I think it would be cool if more of these ‘opinion leader’ bloggers with non-commercial / non-profit blogs could start adding aff codes and make their blogs ‘not-for-profit’ - funnel any income directly to supporting worthy causes (Darfur is one that the western world seems to be ignoring recently).
I registered a domain name called affiliates4charity.com a couple years back to try and do this (one day) but time, (lack of) money and expertise has prevented it - Most of all I can’t find any existing open source software that would help me manage it - anyone got any ideas?
Are you from Amazon, Google, Konterra etc? Are you a programmer with experience in affiliate program implementation? Think that this sounds like a good idea? Please feel free to drop me a line.
Matt
Harith Said,
September 30, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
Matt,
Would you like to join the discussion on this thread?
Jim Boykin’s & Aaron Wall’s Unethical Approach to Paid Links
James Boyer Real Estate Said,
September 30, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
But does using this device promote more walking on your part. I am assuming that you wanted it so that you would be encouraged to get more exercise, go on more walks around your neighborhood and such, possibly loose weight, get into better shape?
Sebastien Lahtinen Said,
October 1, 2007 @ 11:55 pm
A quick warning for anyone in the UK searching for this on amazon.co.uk.. if you search for “HJ-720ITC” on there, it will give you one result to ” Omron Walking Style II Pro Pedometer” but that’s not the one that will connect to a PC..
If anyone knows of a reputable UK source for this and the computer-linked blood pressure monitor, please let everyone know.. Omron is widely available but not the “IT” versions
Mohamad Said,
October 2, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
Thanks Matt for the Hint. I purchased it from Amazon, had it shipped to Qatar, and started walking more. Great gadget. Wouldn’t have known about it without your post. Appreciated!
Mohamad.
Mark Antonio Said,
October 2, 2007 @ 11:36 pm
With pedometer i hade some problems because of my conflict Vista - HDD -SATA II.
Take care also if you have SCSI.
Brian Said,
October 3, 2007 @ 7:02 am
If you like your tech gadgets and have as many dollars to burn as calories you could invest in a bodybugg (http://www.bodybugg.com/).
They monitor your core temperature and metabolic rate so you get an idea if you aren’t sleeping enough. I’ve seen them used by pro athletes and sports scientists though I haven’t tried one myself. All the analysis you could wish for (suppose you’d want that for $400!)
Rebecca Kelley Said,
October 3, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
How accurate is it if you run with it? Do you need to re-calibrate it for runs?
Dave Miyares Said,
October 4, 2007 @ 8:28 am
Just ordered two… been looking for something like this for my wife & I for months. Cheapy plastic ones don’t seem to compare to USB enabled, data overloaded ones
Lisa Said,
October 4, 2007 @ 12:49 pm
Rebecca - yes, you would have to change your stride length in it before a run and then after your run, put it back to your walking stride. Because of variation in stride length, the distance is not 100% accurate, so it’s not really ideal for true runners. It is very motivating for walkers though.
Dave (The Other One) Said,
October 4, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
Matt,
I know I jumped on you a few times about too many “gadgets” post but this time I have to say THANKS. My dad is 70yo and borderline diabetic, my sister and I encourage him to walk and exercise (he has an eliptical machine which is great). I just bought the Omron for dad. I’m a Linux devotee since 1992 and my pops runs a few of his websites on my server and has learned some basic Linux as well as html and php. We try to keep him active since mom passed away 9 years ago of diabetes. This device will be totally awesome as an ex-teacher he loves his laptop, loves software and he walks, and he loves tracking statistics (he’s a baseball fanatic). So this will be a perfect gift for him. Thanks Matt.
Dave (The Other One)
btw, if you read this… I haveone simple question… Is there a way I can restrict certain Adsense ads from appearing on my site? I keep getting this “Meet Hot Singles” ad on sites that are not appropriate. does Adsense allow you to filter advertisers on your site? A quick email would be much appreciated.
Again, THANKS MATT… (and you can bust my chops, I got an iPhone)
Rob Scott Said,
October 4, 2007 @ 10:48 pm
Hey Matt, you just love stats don’t you!
Rob Scott Said,
October 4, 2007 @ 10:51 pm
Dave (The Other One) - it is pretty easy to filter out Adsense ads, you need to write down the domain of the ads you’d like to remove, then just click on “Adsense Setup” and visit the “Competitive Ad Filter” - enter the URLs you’d like to banish.
Hey presto, they’re gone!
OK, they may not be competitive ads, but that is how you tell Google what not to show. Correct me if there’s a better way please someone (I’m sure you will!!!).
Ken Said,
October 6, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
Whoa, that is one cool machine…thanks for the great screen shot and for the review…you are always so informative.
Dave (The Other One) Said,
October 6, 2007 @ 8:17 pm
Thanks Rob Scott, the only problem is - I’m not worried about competitor ads, all is fair in business, but I don’t want dating or ponzi scheme ads on my sites. I keep getting these “Calculate the exact name of your perfect lover” ads and ads for “make a zillion dollars” ponzi or pyramid schemes (aka hyips) on my sites. The only way I can get the real URL would be to click on the ad, but I’m not about to *ever* click on an Adsense ad on my site for fear of getting banned.
My other gripe as an Adsense publisher is that CJ, ADBrite, ie: othre inferior PPC programs all allow click to open in a new window. We’re talking about Google here, like they can’t use ( target=”_blank” )???
Otherwise. back on topic, the Omron pedomoter arrived and my dad loves it. He likes it so much that he didn’t yeal at me for adding the Buzzcocks (2 cd set), Skyhooks, Stiff Little Fingers and Flaming Lips “At war with the mystics” extended CD/DVD and Futurama season 1 DVD’s ad Family Guy Season 1 DVD’s I added to the order. I just told him the second day shipping was $130. but, even though my pops is 70+ and goes to bed at 10pm, he never gets to see Family Guy or Futurama, so all is good.
I just told my dad Matt Cutts from Google hacked my laptop and his amazon referral link added all the bonus products (I’m just kidding, I bought the stuff, but yeah, my dad is already sooooo interested in the Health Managment sorftware (now that baseball season his done for him), he can now be statistician of his health (instead of scoring the Atlanta Braves), and keep the diabetes in check.
Well, watching the Phillies game, hoping they don’t get blanked like the Cubs did today… Matt’s probably a Giants fan…
Peace out…
Dave (The Other One) Said,
October 6, 2007 @ 8:32 pm
Hate to make a second comment, but Matty, thanks, I owe you one, because of your article you made a very good human being (my dad) excited about tracking his stats walking our dogs… If you want to see what he walks…
http://www.loldawgz.com/2007/10/05/lapful-of-weinerdogs/
Matt, good karma +69 points for you !!!! God Bless
The Dog Clothing Company Said,
October 9, 2007 @ 9:50 am
33 bucks are still a little too high for a simple device like this. Yet the software looks kinda cool but I am still a little skeptical about the accuracy of the measurements.
Novie Amalia Said,
October 10, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
I like the interface a lot, looks cool and only $33 bucks. Sounds like a great deal.
Carlos Molinet Said,
October 11, 2007 @ 7:18 am
Thank you for the information.
I will buy one of these…
RedWagonTeam Jay Said,
October 11, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
You may want to check out the bodybugg.com or my.apexfitness.com for a product that helps you to measure your food intake verse your calories spent per day.
Bill Said,
October 12, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
Wow, good analytics! I wish my website traffic looked as good as your daily steps!
zooloo supra Said,
October 16, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
wow, thats one cool gizmo, i would want one of those
thanks
drhady Said,
October 21, 2007 @ 2:28 am
thank you
I wish my website traffic looked as good as your daily steps!
The Josher Said,
October 24, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
In response to the 15KPH “Original” Dave who posted above:
One could make the argument that those who buy the gadgets are possibly the people that need motivation, and a gadget can provide motivation.
However, I’d wager that there is no correlation, or at least no causal relationship from those who buy gadgets to those who make excuses for not going to the gym.
By the way, just wanted to say that I own one of these, and I have not been let down by it. I actually accidentally put it through the wash, and it still works! GREAT! (though it’s not waterproof, so it didn’t work for a day or two while it dried out - I took the battery out as soon as I found it in the bottom of the washer)
Kashmoney Said,
October 25, 2007 @ 2:56 pm
Matt - You are like the new Oprah/bookclub instant success of technology. You suggested pedometer, I was out on Amazon 5minutes later to buy myself one.
Hill Hopper Said,
October 28, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
Has anyone used Windows Vista to download from this pedometer? I’m having no luck. Software seems to install ok, and connecting the pedometer to a USB port and clicking “download data” brings up a box that has text “transfer the data from pedometer” and has a “cancel” button. There is an initial period of disk activity then, but it ceases and even after several minutes, nothing is finished or otherwise changed. The cancel button does seem to cancel (another box comes up announcing “no data transferred, and there is no sign of any data downloaded from the pedometer. Thanks for any help.
Craig Said,
November 28, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
I’ve had this pedometer since June.
It’s size is slightly larger than a tradiional pager although slightly thinner. I haven’t had any concerns with its accuracy. It’s been comparable to many of the myriad other pedometers I’ve used since 2001.
My main concerns with it are two. First, the ‘holster’ provided could be improved. For me, it rides too high on my belt and got knocked off too easily. I’ve switched to a cheap small cell phone holster that works real well. The other is the software. For a health management software, it seems poorly designed in that it doesn’t allow you to track weight, blood sugar, etc., etc. The workaround is to join a site like SparkPeople that lets you track weight and nutrional info.
The data from the device appears (to me) to be saved as an Access data file, albeit password protected.
Marc Said,
December 2, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
Hill Hopper said -
“Has anyone used Windows Vista to download from this pedometer?”
Better yet -
Has anyone tried to run the pedometer’s app in Vista by making use of Windows Compatibility? Taken from howtogeek.com -
To configure the compatibility mode for an application, just locate the installation directory and right click on the .exe, selecting Properties from the menu.
Select the Compatibility tab…You can choose to run the program in Windows XP compatibility mode, or even all the way back to Windows 95 compatibility.
Probably the most useful setting to start off with would be to disable the visual themes and desktop composition, if you can’t get things working. You’ll have to play around with it, but most likely you can get your application working this way.
Future Technologies Said,
December 12, 2007 @ 6:50 am
This looks like a cool device and cool software. Though still I enjoy my GPS enable tracker used when I cycle. Importing the route to Google Earth and then seeing the heart rate, slopes and calories burnt all at the same time was a whole new experience. Gadgets are cool, so is their software.
Barb Said,
December 17, 2007 @ 1:36 pm
I purchased this model a couple of weeks ago after losing their more basic model, the HJ-112, in a snowy parking lot. I was pretty devastated when that happened, because I’d come to depend on that pedometer! The next day I purchased the HJ-720ITC from Amazon for about the same price I paid for the first one at Walgreen’s–somewhere around 33 bucks. I was thrilled when it arrived in only two days (not that I’m always thrilled with Amazon, but this time I was)–in the interim I’d purchased two cheap models from Target and Wal-mart respectively, and I swear those registered steps if you merely looked at them. Useless garbage.
I absolutely love this pedometer. I immediately noticed that it was calculating calories differently than the HJ-112–it was registering a lot more than I was accustomed to. But there’s a chart in the instruction booklet that lets you convert what you see on the device to an average of how many calories you burn based on your age group. Still pretty broad, but it’s a nice feature, and they obviously made some improvements. I wonder if the device takes weight into account as well when it calculates calories burned. Even adjusting for my age group (pretty old!), it still seems to be calculating higher than the other model.
The software is pretty neat too, and easy to use. I’ve been tracking my total steps for many months now at americaonthemove.org, which has been nice, but it’s great to see the whole range of stuff that the pedometer’s actually tracking. My husband thinks the whole thing is silly, but since I’ve started tracking my steps last April I’ve stopped gaining weight, which is really good for me, and I’ve even lost a few pounds. I set the bar pretty high for myself–my daily goal is now 12,000 steps–but this pedometer helps me do it.
Sorry, long comment, but I’ve recommended this model to a number of people, and I’ve become a bit obsessed with it, I like it that much.
My one problem with it is the plastic clip that is attached to the strap. After repeated use (about a year and a half) with my first model it broke, and I tried to find something to replace it but couldn’t find anything suitable. I still had the clip attachment and I of course used that, but it’s not perfect because the unit would still fall off occasionally– a few times this summer while doing yard work, and a couple weeks ago for the last time in that snowy parking lot. But that’s truly a minor drawback, and I guess if I hadn’t lost the first one it might have been awhile before I knew about the new model. If this one breaks, and since it’s no different than the old one it probably will, I may contact the company to try to replace it rather than risk losing the whole pedometer again.
طبيب Said,
January 6, 2008 @ 10:51 am
This looks like a cool device and cool software.
Matt Johnson Said,
January 17, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
Matt,
I just posted about some domain issues I am having. The reason I am posting again is… I was wondering if I could personal train you online for free. Is that possible? I know you are extremely busy, but it would be really fun to create your exercise and nutrition program for you. Would you be interested? I have been personally training online for 7 years and would love to work with you. Please let me know if this would be possible. http://www.changingshape.com/programs/about.php
Thanks,
Matt Johnson
Todd Naber Said,
January 28, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
Thanks for the review Matt. I to am a Mac User and though the Pedometer looks like a good model, not having a Mac Driver is unfortunate. Most people don’t know that the BMW and the Mac have one thing in common: They both have a 8 Percent Market share; so would you rather drive a Chevy or a BMW? Would you rather use a Windows Vista machine or a Mac? That’s not to hard to figure out!
C’mon Omron- get with the program!
Applguy!