KISS MY APP: Runaway success
So last year, after a particularly bad relationship break-up, Kiss my App decided to try a new recovery technique and rather than sitting in bed for a week eating cake (mmmmm, cake) and watching Dirty Dancing over and over (nobody puts Kiss my App in a corner), we decided to quit smoking and start running. a ridiculous, over-the-top and some might say self-destructive reaction, but it worked. and in a shock to just about everyone, the running bug took hold and has only grown stronger. so much so, that in just under a month, Kiss my App is going to be running its first 5km fun run, with support from a team of Business Spectator journalists and friends. if you don’t believe us, or would like to sponsor or join us, just click here.
In honour of this magical occasion (okay, not so much magical as sweaty, grumpy and a little bit crampy), Kiss my App is looking at running apps. Do you run? Do you want to run? Do you not want to run at all but want to cycle or use a scooter? There’s something in these apps for everyone.
iMapMyRun
This is the iPhone and iPod app from the website www.mapmyrun.com. It’s a fabulous website for creating and keeping track of running routes, no matter where you are in the world. you can create a run for yourself using a map, with the site telling you exactly how far the run is, avoiding extreme exaggeration on your part when your relay your latest run to your friends, training partners or, um, fun run team mates.
The app syncs with the free account that you can set up online and has features including a list of your preprogrammed routes, the ability to use GPS positioning to create new running routes as you run them, while giving you pace and length info, the ability to add friends that also use the app so you can monitor their runs and they can monitor yours. you can even show elevation of your saved routes in case there’s a big scary hill you’re not aware of.
The only issue with this free app is that it’s not massively intuitive and takes a few shots to work out. but it would be difficult to figure out a way to make it simpler – given the fantastic and sophisticated tools it offers users.
If you’re a big spender, you can go for the $5.99 paid version of this app, which gives you three extra features: iPod integration to allow you to select and control your music while the app is running, a geo-tagging feature so you can take photos and it tags them geographically and no ads.
RunKeeper Free
This app, which only works on the iPhone 3G and 3GS, has one huge point of differentiation from the other two apps we’re looking at today – you can enter any sort of activity, from running to walking to hiking to biking. if it’s not just running you like but, for instance, cycling (heathen), you can monitor that too.
You can gauge the activity by time, duration or GPS. you can then save them to an activity history to get an idea of your overall workout history. if you don’t want to use the automated monitoring system, you can also enter all the data manually (date and time, direction, distance, calories and average heart rate) and still put the exercise session into your log.
This app is really simple and easy to use. however, there is also a $12.99 paid version. Okay, stop clutching your chest and get up off the floor, because this might be one paid app you actually want. it hasn’t got a single negative ranking on the iTunes store and believe it or not, the average rating for all version of this app is four and a half stars out of five – one of the best we’ve ever seen.
Additional features available on the paid version include time or distance-based updates on your headphones through your workout, you can program time-based or distance-based intervals in your workouts so you get audio training throughout, take photos throughout your run without stopping so they appear on a map where you took them (geo-tagging), choose an iPod playlist to start automatically when you start your activity and set a target pace that can then tell you when you’re ahead or lagging behind of your target.
321Run Free
Don’t run? but want to be part of the exclusive lycra-wearing club? This app will give you a great start.
This app has some absolutely brilliant programs to get you off the couch and bolting around the track like a pro. the programs are a great feature and include: from couch to 30 minutes, Losing weight and Run faster. the downside is that sometimes an annoying ‘coach’ tries to talk to you and you can’t turn it off.
In a positive addition, you can run according to particular targets; by distance, time or calories. Also you can listen to music while you use the app. Apparently you can create challenges for friends, but to do that you have to leave the app and go to the website – an annoying flaw in this site, as is the fact that it freezes a little.
Also, the developer hasn’t made clear what the differences are between the paid and free version, but the free version appears to have most of the features you want, especially for new runners looking to start from scratch and build up, using the fastidiously aforementioned programs.
Please make sure to send lots of app ideas to [email protected] so our workload is greatly reduced and take a look at Business Spectator’s app at iTunes.