Sony’s New Smart B-Trainer – what does it do?

I’ve must have been exercising for decades. And all this while I’ve never felt prompted enough to have my every pulse monitored or my every workout recorded.

I do not know how many calories I’ve burned per run, per TRX class or per yoga session.
All I know is, I’m fit and I’m working smart on getting fitter.

Downloads

However I’m big on having music during my workouts. I’ve invested in this Sony piece sometime back (March 2014), and it has since malfunctioned on me, for absolutely no reason. Damn.

sony

And thus when I got wind of Sony’s new Smart B-TrainerTM, an all-in-one training device and application that literally motivates your exercise regime with its range of features, I was instantly curious.

rebecca_sonysmarttrainer

At the launch the device’s price was announced as RM999, and by average standards it is certainly a considerable investment.
But there are many positive points going for it, and one of it is it’s possibility to take over as your personal coach.

To be used synced to the “Smart B-Trainer for Running” app (which is available on Google Play and the App Store from June 2015), there are versatile training plans that allows you to choose one that fits your goals – be it to get in shape, build strength, or even to prepare for a marathon.

After making your selection, send the plan to the Smart B-Trainer via Bluetooth® to begin training immediately.

The Basic Plan is already configured in the device and it offers a range of options which enables you to manually set running goals for the day (time, distance, burned calories, pace, etc.), or select from theme-based trainings, such as “Fat Burning” or “Endurance Training”.

wetransfer-787687

What else are you paying RM999 for?
Well, this device is a SSE- BTR1 headphone-integrated device that is packed with 6 types of sensors:
1. Heart rate (via pulse measurement) – it uses a built-in sensor to measure the pulse from your ear.
2. Acceleration
3. GPS
4. Compass
5. Gyro and (6) Barometer.
With these sensors, it measures as well as records 11 types of running logs – heart rate, burned calories, distance, time, speed, pace, cadence, steps, stride, running route and elevation.

In addition to that, it has waterproof performance equivalent to IPX5/IPX87 sudden rain showers.
This IPX standard refers to :
IPX8 (protection class against water immersion) – submerged in 2.0 meter deep water for 30 minutes.
IPX5 (protection class against a stream of water) – tested in conditions where a nozzle with an inner diameter of 6.3 mm was used to spray water from an approximate distance of 3 meters at 12.5 l/minute for more than 3 minutes.

To top that off, it can be used as a Bluetooth® headset to answer calls hands-free.

Comfort:
The Smart B-TrainerTM comes in a neckband- style housing, and is non-slip to provide you the freedom to run as you like.
There are several sizes of earphones (simply cos not one size fits all) so do select the best fit to ensure optimum sound quality especially if used for swimming.

Since we are on the topic of sound quality, this sports companion integrates Sony’s latest audio advancements with the latest sensor and software technologies.
The built-in memory of 16GB stores up to approximately 3,900 songs. Battery life is about 5 hours.

Now, the music is not merely for listening pleasure for this smart device can measure your heart rate and automatically selects music for efficient training based on a preset user profile and heart rate goal.

“WHAT?” you ask?
Well, here’s the technical info:
Music tempo analysis is carried out by Sony’s 12 Tone Analysis technology, which extracts a variety of metadata through signal and statistical processing to analyse music waveforms.
When your heart rate is higher than your targeted speed, a song with slower tempo will be automatically selected to guide you to slow down, and vice versa when your heart rate is lower than the
targeted speed. Additionally, you can also adjust the tempo of the song to match your mood at the time of running.

So is it worth the RM999?
First impressions were positive so far, especially after seeing the readings and the training logs on the app during the launch event.
I hope to get my hands on one soon. I was told it is not suited for on-road cycling but it will work fine for swimming, hiking, runs and all my cardio classes, all of which I’m currently active in.
Stay tuned and you’ll be the first to know if I do get a unit! 🙂

Availability in Malaysia:
The Smart B-TrainerTM will be available in Malaysia from 15th June 2015 onwards.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Buy Seafood Online

Get your favourite seafood delivered to you!  The coronavirus epidemic has been taking a toll in Malaysia. People start working from home, restaurant can only