One of the problems with live TV and Radio is that you don't get second chances; there are no do-overs! Several of you have written to ask why the Form Swim Goggles with heads up display ($199), featured as the lead image in the article accompanying yesterday's segment, weren't mentioned. They should have been, they were on-set, and yet somehow got passed over in the unscripted hour of radio. I will take them on-air on my next fitness segment. In the meantime, let me tell you about them.
Fitness tech gadgets like the Form Swim Goggles can serve to quantify our workouts, and also motivate us to keep going. It is one of the best products we tested this year at JamesGames and are highly recommended.
At first glance they look just like normal goggles, until you notice a slight bulge on one side. This is where the magic happens and the tech resides. These goggles keep track of your laps and display the results as you swim on one of the lenses. It is similar to the heads-up display used by fighter pilots (and some suburban automobile drivers).
JamesGames sent the goggles to one of our testers who is a semi-obsessive lap swimmer. I mean, this guy lives in the water all summer long. He was a good choice because he is also not a high-tech nerd. In fact, if he still had a VCR it would be blinking 12:00 all day.
He was able to easily pair the goggles to his iPhone using the downloaded app. After filling in some basic personal data he was off to the pool. (Of note, once you've set up the app, giving it information on the length of the pool, you don't need to bring your phone with you while you swim. The data can be synced after you're done. This is great, because I always worry about someone pilfering my phone while I'm in the water.)
Skeptical at first, he commented that the goggles only showed information in one eye. Then he found out that he could choose which eye had the dispaly just by flipping the goggles upside down. He commented that he was concerned about the coating on the lens that he thought might limit his vision. These concerns dissolved once he and the Form Goggles hit the water.
In short, he loved using them, commenting that he could see better and swim more comfortably than with his standard goggles, even while seeing the data about his performance while in the pool. He gave top marks to the quality build and fit of the goggles. Watching the number of laps on the counter climb as he swam motivated him to keep going, almost turning the workout into a game. He liked that he could set weekly goals in the app and see how well he measured up. He said that it would sometimes give him the extra-push to put in another session.
Of course, for more serious swimmers, the goggles give lots of information. Beyond mere lap counting, it can track lap times, rest time vs. active time, and even give an estimate of your caloric burn.
The data can sync with a wide range of third party apps, so if you're already using your smartphone to track out-of-water fitness, chances are you can integrate your swim data as well.
The Form Swim Goggles are a top-pick! They deliver on the promise, getting swimmers motivated and informed with a well-built, simple to operate hardware and software design.
