Samsung and Adidas unveil miCoach

The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is a good product line for athletic types, but those looking for an alternative may now have one thanks to a product called miCoach. Adidas and Samsung have teamed up to create a mobile phone that's also a personal fitness coach. The phone can track your pace, distance, calories, stride, and heart rate, as well as provide you with workouts that suit your fitness level.

Like with the Nike+ system, miCoach users will hear a voice that will keep them updated during the run. What's a little different about this system is that the "coaching voice" will try to motivate users and really guide them throughout the run. In a video on the site, users double-tap the armband that holds the phone to get running updates, instead of pressing buttons like you would with the Nike+ system.

MiCoach is also a music player, so you can upload 4GB of music, and create playlists for your run. Other Adidas accessories will be available like a heart rate monitor that transmits your heart rate to your phone, a stride sensor that clips onto your running shoe to track your stride count, the Adistar shoe, and a line of miCoach Adistar sports wear.

This system is clearly more advanced than the Nike+ iPod Sports Kit, but it will also be on the pricey side. The AP reports the system will roll out in Europe this month at a price between $304 and $608. We can expect miCoach to arrive in stores next year, but at those prices, I'm not sure how successful it will be.

Source: New phone coaches, monitors heart rate

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