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Nike
Nike on Friday announced four new hardware partners for its Nike+ health and fitness app. Watches, activity trackers and fitness equipment from Garmin, TomTom, Wahoo Fitness and Netpulse will be able to sync with the Nike+ Running App on Android and iOS beginning on March 9.
The move to open the platform will give Nike+ users the freedom to use a variety of watches and trackers from some of the top wearable companies, rather than being limited to Nike’s own hardware. Nike previously partnered with Samsung to offer the Nike+ Running App on the Gear S smartwatch.
“Whether it’s an athlete’s first or fastest run, Nike+ has been there to provide inspiration and information to motivate all runners. Together with best-in-class partners like Garmin, TomTom, Wahoo Fitness and Netpulse, we can now deliver these experiences to even more runners, regardless of where they run or the device they prefer to run with,” said Adam Roth, VP of Nike Global Running Brand Marketing, in the company’s press release. “These partnerships are all about the runner – giving him or her even more ways to access the rewarding benefits of being a Nike+ Running member.”
Nike
Nike was early to the wearable market with the launch of the Nike FuelBand in January of 2012. The mildly successful activity tracker was scrapped in the face of increased competition, and the majority of the team was let go last April. CNET exclusively reported that the sportswear company had decided that its Nike+ software was the future, and today’s news of added compatibility appears to support that.
Along with support for additional devices, both the Android and iOS apps will see minor improvements. The Android version will be updated with improved shoe-tagging and a new auto-pause feature that automatically pauses the session when the runner stops. The iOS app will add improved in-run music controls and access to route maps, along with an optimized armband mode.
