The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered what to do with all of the coolness that people write, and while I share a lot of it on Twitter and Facebook, this is a better forum for sending it on to y’all. Most times these different streams don’t overlap, so be on the lookout at all these places for good stuff!
So with that, let’s get into the action!
DCRainmaker.com posts in the past week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page of DCRainmaker.com this past week.
Sometimes I remember to call these out. Most times I forget. But this week was kinda neat – the LA Times. Not sure if it was in the paper edition or just the online edition. Either way, a few quotes from me, as well as some general backgrounder reference. Though, they got my site name wrong. Oh wells.
DCR Podcast!
Here’s a handful of the topics discussed in this past week’s podcast:
– We chat about Eurobike and the RV (and failures)
– New trainers at Eurobike
– New power meters at Eurobike
– The strange drilling outside Ben’s RV (yes, we both had RV’s)
– The new Apple Watch Series 2
– Garmin’s new action camera
– What GoPro has up their sleeve
– And we take a few caller questions and fix some people’s stuff
Ok, I published a @#$#@-ton of stuff this past week on YouTube. Mostly because I published approximately 0 things the week before while stuck in the Interweb-connectivity-hell-hole that was Eurobike. So the flood gates opened up.
Rather than list everything here (there were 15 videos!), I’m going to pick some of the most interesting ones. You can swing over to my YouTube page to see all of them. Or, and you can just subscribe on YouTube here, so you get notifications instantly when I publish new stuff. I’ve got a few more I’ll be pushing up in the next 24-36 hours as I finish editing them.
Stuff that I found interesting around the interwebs:
Here’s a not-so-small smattering of all the random things that I stumbled on while doing my civic duty to find the end of the Internet.
Note, some of these are backlogged from the last few weeks’ worth of ‘Week in Review’ posts that never quite made the light of day, so I’ve picked the most interesting ones to me.
1) On the Zwiftcast! I recorded an episode with the crew of the Zwiftcast while at Eurobike. We chat for an hour on everything about trainers. Tons of trainer talk. All trainer talk. Nothing but trainers. Did I mention trainers? You’ll love it.
2) Chris Froome’s lab results: But I actually don’t care about him per se. Rather, I thought the discussion in the comments about non-round rings was more interesting. Worth a gander if you’re unfamiliar with the topic (or, even if you are familiar with the topic and why it matters).
3) The McDonald’s Activity Tracker: While this was a few weeks ago and since recalled, I’m bummed I never got the chance to review this unit. I had some funny ideas there, but they didn’t have them in France and I had to wait till my US trip next week.
4) This man owns 4,500 cameras: And people say I own a lot of GPS watches or HR straps (or even action cams). I’ve got nothing on this guy’s collection numbers. Though, at the current rate of wearables growth, it’ll probably only take me a few decades. The Girl might institute a ban (or garage sale) prior to that though.
5) Awesome SwimRun USA drone videos: You’ll remember some SwimRun drone video work done previously that I’ve linked to. A swim-run event is exactly what it sounds like, you swim and run. The company has done a really solid job in putting together a flurry of videos. My favorite is below, but tap the link up there for all of them.
6) Jabra gets HIPAA-compliant certification for platform: So this is really interesting on a lot of levels. But in a nutshell Jabra has managed to get a complex medical certification for their sport heart rate earbuds, which are based on Valencell technology (same company that does really solid optical HR sensors). This allows a doctor to prescribe exercise and use this specific product to monitor that (a consumer product). I wanna do a bit of digging on this in the coming weeks, as this could be a turning point from where we are now with companies throwing out non-accurate products that don’t have to substantiate their claims on accuracy, to companies actually getting certification.
But the creak in that concept here is that the sport earbuds themselves didn’t get certified from an FDA claims perspective, but rather just that the software platform is HIPAA compliant, which is an entirely different beast (even considering that the original article has it misspelled as HIPAA). So the PR stuff is a little muddy in my opinion. But, the certifications aren’t my specialty – so, perhaps some readers know the deal here. That said, if any company is going to manage to achieve some level of accuracy compliance, I’ll hand it to Valencell to have the best shot at it.
8) Wearable tech data and player contracts: Some interesting details here on how different companies are handling data coming from wearables in major contract negotiations.
Sports Technology Software/Firmware Updates This Week:
Each week I quickly highlight some of the new firmware, app, software and website service updates that I see go out. If you’re a sports technology company and release an update – shoot me a quick note (just one liners are perfect, or Tweet it at me is even better) and I’ll make mention of it here. If I don’t know about it, I won’t be able to post about it. Sound good? Oh – and if you want to get a head start on things, this page is a great resource for watching Garmin firmware updates.
Suunto Spartan Ultra Firmware Update: Received a minor update this past week, larger update slated for the end of September. It’s that point I’m aiming for my in-depth review of the unit to be released upon.
Wahoo ELEMNT: It received an update with FSA gear shifting integration, BestBikeSplit integration, as well as Komoot integration (and a crap-ton of other features/tweaks). The Komoot integration is in particular a solid snub to Garmin Connect IQ, which had initially demo’d Komoot as an app when they announced CIQ, but was never released. Granted, this integration is much less substantial than what was planned for Connect IQ.
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For what it’s worth, HIPPA certification has literally nothing to do with the technologies, and only relates to the handling of protected patient information. Generally speaking, it’s what keeps any random person at your medical organization from opening up and skimming your medical records.
Essentially, all Jabra’s cert means is that their system can reliably prevent access to identifiable patient information by individuals who don’t need to see it.
Yeah, definitely familiar with HIPPA being all about the platform for patient information. Which is what’s strange to me that it in theory allows the ‘prescription’ of this specific Jabra device. Since by extension that would imply said device is certified by the FDA for use as a medical device. At least, that’s the epicenter of the entire Fitbit lawsuit (class action one, not the other one vs Valencel).
A doctor can practice medicine however they chose, which means they can prescribe virtually anything (think the very common practice of off label use of medicine). The HIPPA part of this means they can do so while still abiding by the patience privacy laws – a potential big stumbling block for any cloud based data transfer that a doctor may want to use. This could conceivably give them piece of mind.
What the FDA does is regulate the claims that a manufacture of a (medical) device may include in any sales/marketing literature. So without FDA clearance Jabra shouldn’t be able to actually make any accuracy/performance claims to doctors, payors (CMS/insurance companies), or patients.
I have to say thanks for the information on the KK smart trainer. I am a happy user of a KK road machine and was looking to upgrade in the future. Based on their responses, no ANT+ and the upgrade price I probably be looking else where when that time comes. Have a good day.
Since you’re the first to ask, I’ll give you the super-secret link to the video I made about it (but that hasn’t been published yet): link to youtube.com
I haven’t published the video merely because I haven’t had a chance to write the accompanying post on it, which is slated for tomorrow. Enjoy!
I watched the video and that is crazy (and I don’t just mean the price)! I suppose if you are in the market for both a high end trainer and a high end treadmill at the same time it might make some sense, but even then, there is still quite a premium on top. I love how it auto stops when you hit the back because the entire time I was watching it I was thinking of the youtube videos you see of people shooting off the back of their treadmills while running and it would be so much worse on a bike.
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FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Here’s the link for the VIRB Ultra 30 downloads page
link to www8.garmin.com
Thanks!
Speaking of power meters at Eurobike… What’s the ETA on your annual state of the union power meter review/recommendations?
I’ll wait till just after Interbike. Some minor stuff there that I’ll include in the recommendations.
re: NY Times article and reference to DCMaker, at least Google comes to the rescue and suggests you actually meant DCRainMaker.
For what it’s worth, HIPPA certification has literally nothing to do with the technologies, and only relates to the handling of protected patient information. Generally speaking, it’s what keeps any random person at your medical organization from opening up and skimming your medical records.
Essentially, all Jabra’s cert means is that their system can reliably prevent access to identifiable patient information by individuals who don’t need to see it.
Yeah, definitely familiar with HIPPA being all about the platform for patient information. Which is what’s strange to me that it in theory allows the ‘prescription’ of this specific Jabra device. Since by extension that would imply said device is certified by the FDA for use as a medical device. At least, that’s the epicenter of the entire Fitbit lawsuit (class action one, not the other one vs Valencel).
A doctor can practice medicine however they chose, which means they can prescribe virtually anything (think the very common practice of off label use of medicine). The HIPPA part of this means they can do so while still abiding by the patience privacy laws – a potential big stumbling block for any cloud based data transfer that a doctor may want to use. This could conceivably give them piece of mind.
What the FDA does is regulate the claims that a manufacture of a (medical) device may include in any sales/marketing literature. So without FDA clearance Jabra shouldn’t be able to actually make any accuracy/performance claims to doctors, payors (CMS/insurance companies), or patients.
Still want a McD activity tracker? Drop me a line. Definitely game for some hijinx. And I have family heading to Fontainbleau this week.
I think I’m probably good! After all, I can’t pick it up with a Happy Meal myself. :(
Appreciate it though!
Do you plan on having Lucy test the Garmin Delta Smart?
I think it’d be pretty big on her. :(
Hi Ray,
Anyway we see any info on a new or updated version of the 920xt?
Yes. Please let us know. I need new watch and dont want to buy a 920 if its changing soon.
I think it’s HIPAA (health insurance portability and accountability act), not HIPPA.
The LA times article posted states 5 hour battery life for the new Apple Watch. Is that correct?
It’s correct in that it only has 5hrs of GPS battery life. It’s about 24 hours of regular life.
Hey Ray,
Since you haven’t put up a post page yet for the FR 35. Here’s a question for you…
According to the user manual the FR 35 will have Move IQ. Will it really? Seems a bit strange that none of the videos mention it.
I have to say thanks for the information on the KK smart trainer. I am a happy user of a KK road machine and was looking to upgrade in the future. Based on their responses, no ANT+ and the upgrade price I probably be looking else where when that time comes. Have a good day.
Ray, any chance to put your hands on a Tacx Magnum?
Indeed. :)
Since you’re the first to ask, I’ll give you the super-secret link to the video I made about it (but that hasn’t been published yet): link to youtube.com
I haven’t published the video merely because I haven’t had a chance to write the accompanying post on it, which is slated for tomorrow. Enjoy!
I watched the video and that is crazy (and I don’t just mean the price)! I suppose if you are in the market for both a high end trainer and a high end treadmill at the same time it might make some sense, but even then, there is still quite a premium on top. I love how it auto stops when you hit the back because the entire time I was watching it I was thinking of the youtube videos you see of people shooting off the back of their treadmills while running and it would be so much worse on a bike.