Not content to let Nike hog the spotlight, Adidas has launched the SPEED_CELL, a miCoach compatible shoe dongle that senses your foot’s speed, acceleration, and distance travelled. The SPEED_CELL works with multiple sports and fits right inside the shoe’s outsole.
Unlike the Nike+ gear, the SPEED_CELL is more focused on general sporting rather than solely on running. It offers a window on the athlete’s performance and works with the miCoach virtual coaching service to allow weekend warriors to get fit without depending on a fireplug-shaped man yelling at them through a bullhorn.
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You’re looking at the lightest shoe in all of basketball. It’s the Adidas adiZero Crazy Light, and it weighs a mere 9.8 ounces. With the Crazy Light, Adidas now has the market cornered on lightest-footwear in three sports: basketball, football, and soccer, soccer being the best sport of the three, of course. → Read More
The new year has started, and we’re getting back into the swing of things here at CG. (CES is this week, woo~!) The first big thing I have to share with y’all? Yet another example convergence of tech and sport. Last year saw a number of such convergences, from the Jabulani soccer ball at the World Cup (by the way, where did all those complaints surrounding the Jabulani go? The ball is being used in the German Bundesliga, Portugal’s Primeira Liga, and MLS, and I don’t see too many people in those leagues complaining), Chuck Liddell-approved ZigTech sneakers from Reebok, and Nike’s very own exercise iPhone App. There’s ton of stuff there if you want to sift through the archives. But for today we have something from Adidas, namely their adiZero 5-Star. As you can tell by the photo it’s a football (as in American football) cleat, but what you can’t tell by the photo is that it’s the lightest football cleat ever created. Allow me to explain. → Read More
Not too much to this next bit, but not every post is the size of the Fallout: New Vegas strategy guide. Sennheiser has teamed up with Adidas to create the HD 25 Originals, a pair of headphones that “are ideal for everyday listening in comfort and style or when you are working in the club or studio.” → Read More
Looks like some of the technological advancements adidas brought to the World Cup (and have since moved into the domestic leagues… see Alexandre Pato wearing that TechFit kit) are starting to make their way into American sports. The company announced earlier today the release of NBA Revolution 30, the “lightest and most technologically advanced” NBA uniforms ever. That means when the Knicks go 0-82 this year they’ll at least be looking good. → Read More
Adidas Originals, makers of the Star Wars kicks, is about to drop some Kashyyk on you and yours. The Wookiee coat features a furry hood, a Wookie belt (what did he have in there anyway?) and a quilted outer shell. → Read More
MiCoach, Adidas’ easy-to-use training system that first debuted at CES in January, is now available for your iPhone and BlackBerry. With the App, which is free, you’re able to exercise (run or jog, primarily) more efficiently than you might otherwise be able to. Used in conjunction with the MiCoach Web site, you can plan a safe exercise regimen to lose weight, build stamina, or help train for the upcoming baseball/football/soccer/tennis season. All of this, right on your phone. It’s quite neat. → Read More
Oh man. I want these so bad. I want them more than the Wings and the X-Wings combined. I don’t often gush about fashion, but I just think these are unbelievably cool. Also, they are associated with Han Solo, who is one of my personal heroes (the others being Carl Sagan and Captain America). Available this fall, likely for way too much money. [via High Snobiety, Fashionably Geek, and The Awesomer] → Read More
Adidas has a hit on their hands, I think — not just with these “Wings 2.0″ shoes designed by Jeremy Scott. The Star Wars line of originals was also a huge hit. Custom, short-run gear like this is blowing up — even mad designs (like these) are going to find buyers (like me). Combine expert curating with the long tail effect and… yeah. Wings on your shoes. More pics below. → Read More
Credit to Pocket-lint, a fine site, for comparing the Adidas Jabulani, the ball that’s used in the World Cup, and the Nike T90 Ascente, the ball that’s used in the English, Spanish, and Italian leagues. The ides was to see if you could find out, once and for all, if there’s something inherent in the design of the Jabulani that makes it fly all over the place. Conclusion? Maybe, but the balls are so damn near identical that in no way can you say, “Well, Adidas screwed the pooch here.” Remember: Fifa is ultimately in charge of the ball, so if there’s anyone to blame (or praise) it’s those bozos. → Read More
In the interest of killing two minutes of your time: the famous Star Wars cantina scene, as remixed by Adidas. Yes, that’s Snoop Dogg wielding a lightsaber. You youngsters may not know this, but Snoop Dogg used to be a legit gangsta. Now? /me whistles cantina song → Read More
The lead developer of the Jabulani, the ball that will be used in the World Cup, has hit back at his noisy critics. Dr. Andy Harland, who helped design the ball at England’s Loughborough University’s Sports Technology Institute, says that what many players are complaining about now, that the ball “moves strangely” or whatever, can be attributed to using the ball at altitude. The ball has been around since December, and he has heard zero complaints until now. So what gives? → Read More
A little while ago I brought news of the super-duper technology that adidas’ kits (“jerseys”) will utilize at the World Cup. We all had a good time, yes? Well today there’s news of the boot, the F50 adiZero, that the likes of Leo Messi and David Villa (soon to be teammates at FC Barcelona maybe~!) and Jozy Altidore will use to score many goals. Adidas says it’s the lightest football boot ever produced by man! At this rate, we’ll be zipping around the galaxy using mass relays, knock on wood. → Read More
You’re already familiar with the Adidas Jabulani, the ball that will be used during the FIFA World Cup this year. It’s the roundest ball ever created—impressive—and hopefully Messi will score many goals with it. Well, now say hello to the Jo’bulani, the ball that will be used during the final game of the tournament. It seems to be a palette swap of the Jabulani, with gold paint in place of the Jabulani’s green-black. → Read More
You guys have heard of Google, right? Congratulations, you’re smarter than the likes of Sonyand Adidas! A new study has found that these companies, and other prominent FIFA World Cup sponsors, like Coca-Cola and Emirates, have failed to leverage Google (specifically) and the Internet (more generally) to link themselves to the event. You’d think that after shelling out so much money to be known as “the official TV of the FIFA World Cup” or whatever they’d have a guy making sure their Web sites pop up when you search for, you know, “soccer world cup” and “world cup 2010.” I wouldn’t be surprised if CrunchGear ranks higher in Google searches at this point! → Read More
The convergence of sport and technology! I don’t know, I think it’s cool. So, here’s another. This is the Finale Madrid, and it will be used at the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid this May. In a perfect world, the game will be played between Real Madrid and Barcelona—I will lose my mind if that happens. → Read More
Will Spain repeat its Euro 2008 success? Greetings from lovely Seattle! I’m here on the West Coast for two reasons. One, Thursday was Adidas’ World Cup Media Day in Portland, and I was invited to check out all the hi-tech wonderment that the company has in store for this World Cup year. Needless to say, being a bit of a soccer fan, I was very excited to attend—I met the guy from Univision, Fernando Fiore, so I’m pretty sure I’ve accomplished all there is to accomplish in life. Two, then I took the choo-choo train to visit Devin. We’re at a café and everyone has their laptop out. It’s very Seattle. But let’s talk about this Adidas thing for a minute. → Read More
We found a pair of these previously announced Sennheiser headphones here at CES and got a hands-on demo for you guys.
The short version: Rugged, solid feel and great sound quality. A bit pricey, but if you are an avid outdoorsman, you won’t go wrong with these. → Read More
Against all the odds, I have found something genuinely interesting at CES. (Seriously, if you don’t like 3D TV you’d better go home.) It’s the adidas miCoach Pacer, a handy little device that measures your heart rate while you exercise. The device records all sorts of data, including calories burned, miles walked/ran, and stride length, and then syncs that to the miCoach Web site. From here you can customize your workouts to plan and execute healthy a nice little routine for yourself. It’s primarily aimed at runners, but can be used anytime you get your heart a-pumpin’. → Read More
Happening right now (well, when this first appears on the front page) is the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s a big deal, and will lead to endless debate on call-in radio shows all over the world: what’s the real group of death? Does [our country] have a chance? Can anyone beat Brazil or Spain? And so on. But the World Cup is pretty useless without, you know, the ball. So, presenting the adidas Jabulani, the ball that will be used during the tournament. There’s a lot going on in that ball, believe me. → Read More
