My iphone also replaced the Suunto heart rate monitor

Today I was running while using my iPhone as a heart rate monitor. Wahoo Fitness Heart Rate Belt with a Fisica Key ,which I have purchased at Amazon for 119,99 $, turned my iPhone into a heart rate monitor ! When I started using the iMapMyRun+ application to record my jogging routes the first idea which crossed my mind was that it would be great to combine the information from my Suunto heart rate monitor and the data collected by iMapMyRun. Now circa two years later it became a reality.

This case again demonstrates that smartphones will become the ultimate mobile personal computing platform replacing specialized devices such as navigation systems. My first heart rate monitor was Polar, a very simple device for ca 150 euro, which I started to use during my jogging preparations for my Kilimanjaro climb in 2004. It was very helpful during the climb itself to gain confidence that my heart was still doing well above 5000m. Later I replaced it with the Suunto device.

Smartphones' new applications will push manufactures of specialized devices, as hear rate monitors, to rethink their business models. Wahoo demonstrates that it is not that difficult to enter the heart rate monitoring market while additionally offering the unique smartphone features and convenience of using a single device. I wrote about it in one of my posts a few months ago. I expect more and more sensors collecting data and transmitting these to smartphone devices using ANT+ protocol. More and more partnerships between specialized devices and smartphone application manufactures can be expected soon.

I hope,as some rumors report,  that the iPhone 6  will be equipped with solar batteries making my future iPhone a perfect heart rate monitor for my next Kilimanjaro climb.

A new innovation wave, powered by ANT+ technology, is on the way!

Recently I upgraded my Heart Rate monitor using Bluetooth Smart Device  Wahoo Blue HR Heart Rate Strap for iPhone 4s. You can read about here.

Is iPhone going to replace most of my gadgets?

While I was jogging and listening to Geoffrey Moore interview  I realized that I didn't use my iPod anymore... The iPhone did not only  replaced my iPod but also a number of my other gadgets. I don't even carry the extremely light Fujitsu Siemens Loox N100 navigation device which I bought tempted by a review in FT "How to Spend IT" . Google maps does an even better job on my iPhone. My wife is very enthusiast about Navigon navigation, a FREE offer from T-Mobile. I did not have 2GB of left free space to install it and unfortunately have to wait until I get my new iPhone 4, this time with 32GB instead of 16GB. I also use to track my jogging routes  a very convenient application iMapMyRun   allowing  a detailed analysis of my route, speed etc. at home.
Since a few weeks I record my voice notes using the  Evernote application making my Optimus dictaphone obsolete.  I started to use Evernote after watching an excellent presentation of Alex Pachikov responsible for the Evernote business development. This presentation was a part of Stanford iPhone Application Development course. Evernote is a great application and how it impacted my way of dealing with notes is worth of a separate writing.

The skype client converted my iPhone into a skype phone device. I explained to my wife and my two daughters how to use it and during their holidays we all stayed connected - almost for free - between Shanghai, Amsterdam and Santa Barbara.

My iPhone became a mutifunctional device. I wish I had it earlier and saved at least a few hundred Euros.

Could my iPhone be replaced by it's "Android iPhone killer" Samsung Galaxy S.?...



I could not resist buying one to give it a try !