There was a time when it was called Nokia Sports Tracker Beta and its core dev team was affectionately known as the Sports Tracker Dudes. Ah, the memories! None finer for me than winning the grand prize in the n79 Active Edition Draw a Heart contest. But the Sports Tracker Dudes split from Nokia early last year, forming their own company in Sports Tracking Technologies OY in Finland. Shortly after that, the Nokia Beta Labs Sports Tracker project was archived, and with it so were my hopes for a better Nokia. I realized that this one little app was the only thing keeping me from switching mobile brands for the past year running. Yet with exciting things happening in Android and iPhone, especially on the sports technology arena, the seemingly then-dormant Sports Tracker dev team gave me no reason to remain brand-loyal to Nokia. Silly as it sounds now, I went shopping for a non-Nokia mobile when I saw evidence that the Sports Tracker Dudes had iPhones and Androids, themselves. (clues via Twitter and Facebook update clients) That was a full year ago, folks. Since then we’ve seen Sports Tracker come back to life and Nokia run itself aground. Now that Nokia are abandoning Symbian for Windows, it makes sense to the future of Sports Tracker that this new platform(s) announcement be made.

Is it too late? Well certainly not. But I think the Sports Tracker Dudes missed out on cashing in big for their pioneering efforts. I’ve been tracking the sports app startups and a few have received fairly large investment sums recently, most notably Endomondo’s $800K. Still, the Sports Tracker Dudes have several thousands of loyal users in the Symbian world and many more who moved on to iPhones and Androids that I’m sure will give them a go again once on their respective platforms.

In their brief announcement they said, “The apps come packed with all the great tracking features you guys love, plus some exciting additional features enabled by the new platforms”. Additional features enabled by the new platforms? Technically speaking there is only one feature I can think of that is additional to today’s Sports Tracker on Symbian and that’s ANT+. iPhone has it via plugin accessories and Android is beginning to see it in some Sony Ericsson models. Aside from ANT+, there’s really nothing new the platforms bring to talk about besides better user interfaces and experiences. Yes, I’m biting my tongue here but I cannot think of what the Sports Tracker Dudes would call “exciting additional features” based on the technical understanding I have of the current platforms. If anything, the new platforms present a few challenges:

• The iPhone, for example, wont be able to use the Polar WearLink+ BT HRM that was originally designed for use with (then-Nokia’s) Sports Tracker. For one reason or another, Apple have decided to block the types of BT connections that today’s Polar WearLink+ uses. Which brings me back to ANT+ speculation.
• On the other hand, besides a minor ANT+ debut, not every Android model has a stellar Bluetooth and/or GPS antenna track record.

It seems logical to guess that Zephyr’s HxM and BioHarness will not be made compatible with new Sports Tracker Android app. Remember, the Polar WearLink+ BT HRM was originally made exclusive for Nokia’s Sports Tracker and I’ve always thought of it as their honeypot. I welcome any corrections here but I thought the Sports Tracker Dudes got a portion from every sale of the Polar WearLink+ BT hrm. Regardless, if they have an interest in Polar then Zephyr is clearly out of the picture for Sports Tracker Android. Too bad, Zephyr make much more useful BT monitors, hands-down.

The elephant in the room for me is the name, Sports Tracker. Sure, many of us know who began using it first. But it’s not about that. SportsTrackLive.com’s Sports Tracker has been around since 2008 and Endomondo’s Sports Tracker has been around since 2007-2008. Legally speaking, I don’t know if any of these guys have a trademark going on Sports Tracker but I think the former-Nokia Sports Tracker might have a tough time keeping the name across platforms.

What I hope to see from Sports Tracker: There’s plenty of room for improvement when you look through the current sports tracker apps. That said, the now-Symbian Sports Tracker will have to pick up its development pace to match that of the current standouts. Updates from the top apps are frequent and strong. Several devs are giving great attention to making their apps compete with the traditional monitors from Polar, Garmin, Suunto, and the like. Features like intervals and training plans are gaining appreciation, while maximizing the advantages a mobile computer provides. Connectivity being a major point, the ideal sports app would bring in multiple types of data from a variety of sensors.

Good luck to the original Sports Tracker team and congratulations for continuing their pursuits of better health for everybody!

Beginning with platform support, Jussi said that in addition to today’s release we should expect new versions for all S60 mobiles in the coming weeks. He says, “We are now giving all necessary attention and support to S60, as there are millions of existing users out there to serve.” The STT team wants to be sure all of us who have been there through the years are taken care of first. He also said that other platforms will be supported at a later time, but refrains from any details or promises as those versions are still in development.

Moving on to user data Jussi explains that, as promised, great care has been taken to insure no loss of data, aiming for a totally seamless transition to the new service. This includes user name, profile, settings and all details of your workout history. The STT team had hoped that the new website would be ready for today’s release version, unfortunately its not quite ready to launch. Soon!

The next bit of news surely leaves us with a lot of questions; Polar heart rate monitors. Jussi only says that the STT team includes the heart rate features in the new versions to provide continuation to exisiting N79 Active users, “…who have changed their primary device to a touch model (and there’s quite an impressive number of them- based on the huge number of folks who have contacted us recently).” We’ll just have to wait for more STT/Polar news.

Jussi and the rest of the team are thrilled and thankful for all of the loyal Sports Tracker users who have been longing for news and support. He said his inbox has thousands of emails in it (naturally impossible to reply to them all) but is continually energized and touched by all the comments of support for Sports Tracker. Especially those of you who were inspired to become active as a result of using the app/service for the first time.

Jussi and I will stay in touch to bring you more information and updates as they become available.

In my last post I mentioned, “Sports Tracking Technologies is slightly larger now than the original two-person core team”, without a name to provide. Well, now I have that name: Antti Sorvari. Antti is a former Nokia colleague of Jussi and Ykä, and now joins them on their executive management team.

Jussi, Ykä and Antti have been busy over the past two days moving into their brand new office.

Congratulations, guys!

I received a surprise phone call two days ago from Jussi Kaasinen, one of the two-person core team of developers responsible for bringing the Nokia Sports Tracker Beta project to us since March of 2007. Together with the other half of that team, Ykä Huhtala, they founded their own company named Sports Tracking Technologies back in June of this year. Jussi told me that his call was partly in response to my earlier post and partly just to touch base with a long-standing user of the service.

Jussi wanted me to let everyone know that the Sports Tracking Technologies (STT) incarnation is very much alive and kicking, and that they have appreciated the huge volumes of suggestions and feedback that continually flood their inboxes every day. He also apologized for the “quietness” throughout the exhausting process of migrating from Nokia. STT is slightly larger now than the original two-person core team, but their available resources have been especially limited due to complicated intellectual property issues; Jussi said, “You wouldn’t believe the amount of diligent individuals it has taken to make this transfer the amicable success that it is!.” Our conversation lasted for about a half hour.

I will not be able to make any major announcements on their behalf today, sorry. What I can tell you is that STT are working around the clock to ready a variety of feature enhancements and compatibility refinements for products and services which promise to remain wholly sports-centric. Jussi agreed with my opinion that the “Ovi Journeys: The Evolution of Sports Tracker” recent write-up is more of an evolution of the former “Vine” project than anything to do with the new STT. Nokia wil remain in the picture, solely and importantly (imo), as a client of STT.

One thing is clear: STT are passionate about their horizons and are committed to the development and integrity of the Sports Tracker service.

I will continue my dialogue with STT later this week, so stay tuned.

This review will mostly cover the experiences unique to the N79 Active Edition, including the Polar for Nokia Bluetooth heart rate belt.

First, I have to thank Nokia Innovations and the NST Dudes (as they affectionately refer to themselves) for providing me with the N79 Active Edition (hereafter N79AE).

Regarding the N79 handset itself, detailed reviews have been around for quite a while, so I’ll make this brief. The N79AE only differs from the standard N79 by adding an arm pouch and the Polar for Nokia heart rate belt (hereafter Polar4Nokia). My first impressions of the handset are very favorable and its S60 3rd ed fp2 is a nice upgrade from my former E61. The phone is gorgeous, lightweight and packed with all the Nseries features, making it one of the best valued Nokia handsets when considering features to the price. At present, only “Seal grey” color is offered for the N79AE. Regardless, at 97 grams, it’s easy to see why the feature-laden N79 was chosen for the AE bundle. Very good choice, guys!

The arm pouch.

pros- Well-constructed, attractive, lightweight, breathable backing with a wide, soft and easy to put on velcro strap feels comfortable against my skin. I hardly noticed the arm pouch during a recent four hour long run. When the handset is in place, navigating the menus through the neoprene face works quite nicely, albeit for the major keys only (forget the numeric keypad).

cons- Snug compartment makes it difficult to pop the phone out for on-the-run captured media. Putting the phone back into the snug compartment often causes buttons to be pushed on the face and top of the handset, activating things/menus you didn’t want and worse, turning the phone off. The phone compartment isn’t merely snug, the clear plastic window sticks to a clean handset face like glue and handset sounds are muffled too much.

Polar4Nokia.

This accessory comes in two components; 1) Fabric HR belt and 2) Bluetooth heart rate monitor.

The first component is a Polar-standard, soft fabric HR belt. You can find these anywhere Polar products are sold and, for the ladies, can be found in special Polar sports bras. The belts are fitted with two snaps which hold the receiver/transmitter in place and double as electronic leads.

The second component is the recent Holy Grail for NST users, the Polar Bluetooth transmitter. When worn, the belt is comfortable and is no different than any other fabric Polar belts. The electrode snap interface from the BT module to the fabric belt is a Polar standard. The Polar4Nokia transmitter activates when it is worn and detects your heart rate. The unit requires a small battery which is supposed to be good for 150 hours of use. I wish it was rechargeable, especially in light of Nokia’s hope for a green reputation. My old Polar belts saw up to 1500 hours of use before replacement.

GPS

GPS chipset performance is very good. So good, in fact, that I want to confirm whether or not the N79AE contains an upgrade. I cannot find any specs on the specific chipset used, although Nokia has always used chipsets from Texas Instruments in the past. I’m able to observe 32 channels of reception, with relatively fast TTFF (time to first fix). I recommend waiting a couple minutes AFTER the familiar NST green “GPS ok” light to lock in the max number of satellites for better workout data accuracy. GPS performance so far without using A-GPS has provided me with better data than I’ve seen with three different external BT GPS receivers I used in the past with my former E61.

Accessing rolling data.

This is going to take some getting used to. I have used Polar wristwatch HR monitors continuously since 1992. The whole point of a heart rate monitor is to make accessible current HR data for the purposes of your activity. So, for 17 years I have been used to looking at my watch for instant HR figures and preset alarms for necessary HR ranges. Presently, this is the only real design flaw of the N79AE as easy screen access takes some adjustments and the phone has NO alarms for HR range values. User suggestions for the current setup are as follows:

1) You must wear the arm pouch on you forearm or wrist. You simply cannot see the data if the pouch is on your upper arm.

2) You should switch the screen orientation to landscape only, disabling auto-rotate. Otherwise, the constant motion of running makes the auto-rotation feature go crazy.

3) You have to wear the earbuds if you want to hear the faint lap tones. The snug arm pouch muffles away even most ringtones in urban environments. I may not have the best hearing anymore but I couldn’t hear lap tones, nor ring tones while running next to traffic. Earbuds in with no music playing, problem solved. Still the faint lap tones need to be addressed in future builds.

4) Disable auto-keypad locks. If you want to see your progress with a single tap, you need to disable auto-lock. The N79AE has a nifty unlock slider at the top of the handset, but accessing it gets a little tricky in the arm pouch.

Summary

On a scale of 1-5, I’m giving the N79AE a “4″ , citing the following minor obstacles in the way of a perfect rating: Difficult to remove phone on run, Access to data on run and No HR range alarms. Otherwise, I couldn’t be more happy than I am with this setup. Overall, the N79 on its own is a fantastic representation of why I love Nokia. But the N79AE bundle is a real treat and an excellent addition to one’s workout arsenal. When I first heard of the N79AE, I knew I had to have it. Now that I do, it doesn’t disappoint.

Absolutely recommended!

I’ll post more about this innovative fitness bundle after a bit more use, including a Sports Tracker introduction and details on product availability. So check back in a couple weeks!

-David