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:
Sunday:Week in Review–February 6th, 2017
Monday:5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Tuesday:ISPO 2017 Roundup: Kuai Fit, Coros, Garmin, Salming RunLAB, Digitsole, LG, Casio, Kettler, Bonx Grip, Wiralcam
Thursday: Hands-on: Staaker Action Sports Drone
DCR Podcast!
Here’s a handful of the topics discussed in this past week’s podcast:
– Ben’s selling the Airstream
– My Dad and LinkedIn
– Will we see new metrics like blood saturation level on Garmin devices?
– Quantifying left/right leg balance on trainers
– Swappage of cassettes on trainers or not?
– Where the heck is my Garmin Edge 820 review?
– And the Edge 820 touch screen
– A new and cheap Bluetooth Smart footpod
– Where the heck is Recon?
– What about a new Polar V800?
Listen to the full podcast here on the Podcast player, or just download the audio file from the same spot.
February Sports Tech Sale Continue:
In case ya missed it a week or so ago (details here), here’s the list of active sports tech deals going on over the next week or so.
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Sale Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | AmazFit T-Rex 3 - $40 off | $240 | Amazon | |
 | Amazon Echo Dot Kids - 42% off | $34 | Amazon | Despite being a tech-focused dude, our kids don't actually get much tech in their lives. However, we got these two years ago for them in their rooms, to play music. They do lots of other things, but our kids mostly just use it to play music (from Spotify and Apple Music too), and occasionally they ask it questions. It has all the parental controls I want, so it locks it down from bedtime/etc...For $34? Solid deal (The coolest 'nice touch' feature is that if you whisper to it, it'll whisper back...in the owl kids voice it has.) |
 | Apple 11" iPad - (Wi-Fi, 128GB) - $70 off! | $279 | Amazon | ⚡ This is an awesome deal. I use my iPad primarily for TrainerRoad as well as Zwift when not with a larger display. I also occasionally use it for other apps, namely Indievelo, Kinomap, Rouvy, and Peloton. But I pretty much test every smart trainer app on it. For all these cycling apps, the graphics capabilities is really pretty irrelevant, so having the absolute top-end/latest model won't make any difference. I prefer the budget options. |
 | Apple AirPods 4 - $60 off! | $119 | Amazon | |
 | Apple Watch SE (2022/2nd gen) - $100 off $249/$299 (cellular) | $169 | Amazon | It's really hard to beat $169 for an Apple Watch. Again, like the other Apple units on this list, the SE3 was announce last month - which adds an Always-on Display, among other features. But at $169 with otherwise all the same software features as the higher-end Apple Watch units, this continues to be one of the best deals in smartwatches out there. |
 | Apple Watch Series 10 - $120 off $399/$499 (cellular) | $279 | Amazon | With the Series 11 out last month, you'll see sales on the Series 10. That said, there isn't a huge difference between Series 11 and Series 10. So if you were looking at the Apple Watch SE3, this might be worth grabbing instead for the added features. |
 | Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium - $150 off | $649 | Amazon | With the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 announced last month, it's time to clear some Ultra 2 inventory. This is pretty much the 'normal' sale price for the Ultra 2. |
 | DJI Mini 4K Drone - $60 off | $239 | Amazon | If you're looking to get into flying with a DJI drone, this is a solid place to start. Of course, moreso than that, the days are very limited for how much longer you can actually buy at DJI drone in the US. So, grab them while you can. |
 | DJI NEO - $30 off! | $159 | Amazon | This is the lowest price on this drone, and is a great option if you want a follow-me drone that's pretty hard to kill, at a price point that's still super reasonable. |
 | DJI OSMO 360 - $137 off | $412 | Amazon | NOTE: This is not sold by DJI directly via Amazon. DJI itself is NOT selling the OSMO 360 in the US, and WILL NOT support/repair it in the US. That said, it's a solid deal if you're ok with those risks. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 - $73 off | $267 | Amazon | ⚡At $267, it's pretty much impossible to beat this deal in terms of bike computers. There's no competitive option that beats it on features/battery/etc at this price, or frankly anywhere near it. Sure, it doesn't have a touchscreen, but it's not as bad as it used to be (I did a stint on it this winter for a week or so, and was fine). |
 | Garmin Epix Pro - $250 off! $899/$999 | $499 | Amazon | ⚡ This is avery solid deal! The Epix Pro has the latest optical HR sensor in it, and thus has full ECG support as well. Note, this is for a 'renewed' model. In Garmin lingo, it means it went back to the (same) factory in Taiwan, and went back to the assembly line and is effectively a new watch again. I wouldn't have any concerned with a renewed model, but some might. |
 | Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $50 off | $149 | Amazon | This is Garmin's standalone radar+taillight option, and $149 is pretty much the standard sale-price. Even despite all the new radars out there, this remains the most accurate option on the market. Now, only if Garmin would just re-release it with USB-C. C'Mon Garmin... |
 | Garmin Venu X1 - $100 off! | $699 | Amazon | This is the first time we've seen the Venu X1 on sale, since it came out this past summer. This is a good deal, though, I do wonder if it indicates the original pricing wasn't quite right here. |
 | Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $40 off | $360 | Amazon | This is a pretty small deal for this product. This is my defacto satellite communicator when out of coverage area, and I've used it on a number of major treks over the past two years when well outside of cellular service, both in a 24x7 tracking mode for friends and family, but also there in case of emergency. Would strongly recommend for anyone doing anything in the wilderness. |
 | Garmin inReach Messenger Plus - $100 off! | $399 | Amazon | This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted. The key difference with the new Plus model is that it adds the ability to send photos and voice messenges via satellite. I've used it a bit, and it's pretty cool because it makes it a lot faster to just say something rather than type it out, but the $499 price seemed excessive. $399 makes it slightly more palatable. |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black - $50 off | $349 | Amazon | |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black Bundle (extra battery/SD card/floaty) - $100 off! | $379 | Amazon | ⚡ This is a very solid deal. It's a Hero 13 Black on discount, but then an extra battery tossed in, then an SD card, and then a floaty. |
 | GoPro Hero 4K - $20 off | $199 | Amazon | While the new Hero Lit was announced a few weeks back, which includes a front LED light, for the most part it's the same camera inside. Note I'll have a full comparison shortly though between the GoPro Hero Lit, DJI OSMO Nano, and Insta360 Go Ultra. |
 | Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) - $70 OFF | $229 | Amazon | The newer Pixel Watch 4 came out last month, and will start shipping this week. I see the Pixel Watch 4 as a pretty substantial hardware upgrade over the Pixel Watch 3, notably due to satellite SOS, as well as a user-replaceable battery. Still, this is a solid deal. |
 | Insta360 X5 360* Action Cam - $50 off! | $499 | Amazon | |
 | Polar H10 Chest Strap (Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart) - $15 off $89 | $84 | Amazon | |
 | Polar Verity Sense - 15% off $99 | $82 | Amazon | I use this as one of my reference devices for heart rate accuracy testing. |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) - $100 off! | $549 | Amazon | |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch8 - $35 off | $314 | Amazon | |
 | Sony Alpha 7 IV Full-frame Mirrorless Camera w/ 28-70mm Zoom - $400 off | $2,398 | Amazon | This is the main camera I use for still photography and video b-roll. I recently wrote about all the photography gear I use, linked at side here. |
 | Suunto Run - $50 off! $249 | $199 | Amazon | This is a very solid deal. It's got virtually all the software features of Suunto's higher-end watches (minus the app store), and just came out this past May. |
 | Suunto Vertical - $120 off! | $379 | Amazon | While the new Suunto Vertical 2 just came out last week, if you wanted to stock-up on MIP-based display watches before they disappear, here's your chance. |
 | Suunto Wing headphones - $30 off | $119 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo ACE Cycling GPS - $90 off! $599 | $531 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo BOLT V2 - $30 off $279 | $237 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo KICKR 2022/V6 - $155 off! $1,299 | $894 | Amazon | ⚡This is actually the lowest price we've ever seen on the KICKR V6. Wahoo says we won't see a new top-end KICKR this fall, with them instead focusing on the new KICKR Bike Pro, KICKR CORE 2, and all their new bike computers/radar/etc... |
 | Wahoo KICKR Core Smart Trainer - $75 off! $499 | $427 | Amazon | This is basically the lowest price we've ever seen for this trainer as far as I know. It's still a very solid trainer, and the cornerstone to the new Zwift Ride bike as well (it uses the KICKR CORE as the base). It works with the Wahoo KICKR CLIMB too. |
 | Wahoo KICKR Desk - $30 off | $199 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo KICKR ROLLR - $130 off $599 | $569 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo ROAM V3 - $70 off! | $395 | Amazon | This is the first time we've seen the ROAM V3 on sale (notably the BOLT V3 is not on sale, though the larger ACE is). |
 | Wahoo TRACKR Heart Rate Sensor - $15 off $89 | $84 | Amazon |
And of course, using any of the links above helps support the site. Enjoy!
YouTube Videos I Published:
Here’s some YouTube goodness that I published this past week:
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.
1) NBA bans teams from using wearable data in contract negotiations: Seems like a bit of an odd ruling to me, and one that likely won’t stand the test of time. Plenty of other sports use sports tech data in hiring, such as cycling with power meter data, or even the speed a pitcher throws a ball in baseball. Not sure why this would be categorized any differently.
2) Verizon announces their own Android Wear watch: Kinda comes out of nowhere…yet not surprising at the same time. The carriers are constantly trying new wearables, and have an entire division of folks dedicated to trying to stock just the right ones. I’d look at this as a random experiment the company is doing, more than any strategic direction.
3) Suunto opens up Summit 2017 application site: This is the summit I mentioned a week or two ago, designed for ‘passionate’ Suunto users/fans. Note that this would be a bit different than a media event.
4) Baby Climbing Mockumentary: A short and funny video about competitive infant climbing. Any new (or probably even old) parents will enjoy and likely relate.
5) AirDog opens up funding round: With SeedInvest you can actually put down your money for a stake in the company. So it’s like Kickstarter…except you actually have ownership vs just a project reward. Interesting to see the numbers of units shipped. I hope that’s early Q3 2016, but would have expected it to be higher by now.
6) Unlockable firmware features: Good or bad? Good write-up on re-using the same hardware with differing software levels. (via Keith Wakeham)
7) Paris offers runners a way to water plants: Or…something like that. These public urinals will in turn water the flowers. One probably needs to understand that in Paris it’s completely normal to see folks peeing on the side of buildings/windows. We *see* it happen at least once a week at the DCR/Bertie’s Cake Studio locale. And that’s only the times we witness it.
8) Jawbone to pivot to medical space: In a move that should surprise no one, Jawbone will likely soon end their consumer focus of activity trackers and instead focus on the medical side of the house
9) TrainingPeaks updates on API, and backtracks a bit on WKO closures: TrainingPeaks has made a bunch of API changes, and then they had previously announced that older WKO+ users would no longer be able to install the software they bought on new computers (i.e. moving to a new computer). Since that announcement, they’ve come to their senses and will now allow users to install for another year.
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.
Polar V800 GoPro Update: You can now control your GoPro. Details in my post here.
Stryd Power Meter Update: Some improvements to the cadence algorithm, as well as other tweaks. This is good, because I haven’t seen the indoor accuracy previously being all that great. As an aside, TrainingPeaks now offers running power zones with an update this week.
Tacx Neo Firmware Update: This one isn’t really detailed anywhere yet. But, it includes what they call ‘Smart’ Cadence, which will calculate the gear ratio and store the values. They’ll in turn use that data to cross-check speed and then allow more accurate cadence calculations. Next, there’s been changes within Erg mode, which should both increase the speed of power adjustment but aimed to minimize overshooting the power goal during large shifts, they did this by decreasing the virtual mass (in ERG mode specifically) to minimize the overshoot. Lastly, for downhill simulation, they increased the limit from 30KPH to 40KPH, including adding this when unpowered. Also, they made tweaks here that ensure that if you accelerate during downhills, that it’s accelerating from 40KPH and not from 0KPH (in terms of power).
—
Thanks for reading!
What happened to the AW Series 2 review coming Thursday or Friday?
Was kind of wondering about that too. I thought it would have been posted by now.
Me, three! Where the heck is the Apple Watch Series 2 review? :-D
Coming up tomorrow. Sorry, pool closures for holidays was a bit unexpected. Couldn’t get the final shots I wanted on Thurs/Friday. :( First up tomorrow morning.
Awesome; thanks!
In my experience, it’s not the closures that are unexpected, it’s the unexpected holidays. “Oh, yet another ‘pont’ again.” :-D
Yeah, the little one isn’t in regular school yet – so I didn’t expect the school closures (which is odd because last time they were open longer for the school holiday days…sigh.).
Did I miss the NB RunIQ blog-article? I like your Hands-on video, especially the last 2 minutes :-D
Nope, I haven’t quite written anything yet. I just did the unboxing video and will go from there into some sort of review likely.
As for the final two minutes…it’s what happens when you get distracted editing and didn’t put in the marker for that section to come back to it to finish. Doh!
Ha… I figured you were “over it” by the time you got around editing and said screw it… I’m leaving it in… Good stuff.
While that was probably true, it wasn’t international to leave there.
The actual unedited unboxing was over an hour. Lots of stuff I ended up cutting around pairing/etc because it was just so clumsy.
Ray, wahoo also updated the firmware on the Kickr (Gen1) to 1.5.63 (from 1.4.47). I’ve been unable to locate patch notes but I’ve noted that it does provide progressive resistance now when powered but not connected to any external device… dumb trainer mode.
Just did some digging, here’s the firmware page for the KICKR: link to support.wahoofitness.com
I had created an alert on the ELEMNT one, but didn’t have one setup for the KICKR. Added…
Hi,
I just did the update but could not find any patch notes.
It also offers an advanced spin down in the wahoo utility. (Android version)
If you choose that option the app warns you that after that adv. spin down the strength gauge will be disabled permanently. Seems like they switch it to the New Kickr mode.
I didn’t do it because of the warning that it is not reversible. I wanted to do some research first but couldn’t find any information on that feature nor patch notes.
Any infos on that patch would be very welcome.
I just submitted a request on their web page to publish the patch notes.
Let’s hope for some info.
Just found out that you can turn on the strain ( not strength – sorry for that) gauge again via an option in the hidden menu of the app. There is also a short patch note in the hidden area ->
improved power measurement
improved responsiveness
Studio mode has been added
But it does not tell you if you should do the advanced spin down.
I do not have a power meter to compare the two modes.
It would be great if somebody could test both options and post the differences.
Just got this answer from Wahoo support.
Hello Robert-
Thanks for using the KICKR. The update notes will be posted shortly to this link: link to support.wahoofitness.com
This video outlines the features of the new update.
link to youtube.com
Thanks,
Dub
Ray. I have a suggestion/request of kind: Just like you did here, with the Neo sw, if would be really nice, if you could give a line or two, about Garmins updates. And yes, I know there is A LOT of products and a LOT of updates. Not asking you to rewrite their change log, but “just” a brief mention, when there is a noteworthy fix/feature for their top of line products. Like Edge 1000/820/520, Fenix 3/5 and Forerunner wysf (what you see fit)
Like Edge 1000 11.10. It added IQ 2.2 support. But what does that really bring to the party?
Like Edge 1000 11.20. “Improvements to Workout Data Screen”. Could be a big thing. Could be “not worth the upgrade”
The Garmin sw seem to just be left with the link. It goes a long way, in most cases, but it’s hard to find more info than what Garmin posted. Other that starting poking around with the unit. This request to save us all from having to do that, to figure out what the changes are.
Looking forward to that Apple Watch review!
Seems like the run Iq watch video needs a bit of editing! Quite fun though, shows us a bit of behind the scene…
Had not seen you already adresses the issue, sorry
Is the Garmin Forerunner 35 review on the docket for anytime soon? I have had mine almost since release but Im curious to see what you think about it
Hey Ray,
Did we gain any clarity from Polar/Go-Pro if the V800 update would include the GP4 Session models? Would be nice for them to still service this great little camera.
Kind Regards
Garry
Ha ha – the last two minutes are priceless. The #reboxing was funny too. Glad you kept all of that in there.
Training Peaks has offered running power zones for a few months now. I’ve had mine set for a while. The link you listed simply says that they now offer to calculate them using the methods in Jim Vance’s Run With Power book.
Using the Stryd Connect IQ data field power shows up just fine in Training Peaks now and it’s so much better than it was last year when you either had to use the Connect IQ App or send the data through their website.
Re: the unlockable firmware features, this is pretty common in many industries and frankly makes a ton of sense for the manufacturer. Hardware is really expensive to make, especially in low volumes. Having a one product – one feature feature set is indeed a simplified model . But the ability to offer meaningful feature differences to address customer needs / price points via software and not have separate hardware can benefit everyone: customers, dealers, and manufacturers. While customers may view it as annoying or a money grab (they built it already, why don’t they give it for free?) it can allow them to only pay for the features desired. Dealers benefit from a reduced number of items they need to order, stock, and display. Manufacturers benefit from lower development costs as noted in the article, and this in turn helps keep prices down for the end consumer.
An example is the high-volume printer market. In the old days you had to change the internal gears to get different speeds. Different speeds = different models with production, stocking, etc. Now an “engine” (industry term for the part that puts marks on paper) is often designed to one standard, and can print at different speeds via a software license. The customer decides how fast they want to print and pay for that speed. It’s really handy when they have a peak print volume at certain times of the year and can buy a temporary speed license to meet the demand. (Maybe go from 150 pages a minute to 300 ppm). The customer benefits because they meet their demand with the same product, but are not paying for a service that’s not needed the rest of the time. The manufacturer benefits because the only design a single physical product. And the dealer benefits from having to stock only one box, and apply a license when it goes out the door.
I think these software-license models are going to move from more business-to-business products and start showing up more in the consumer market, but it will take time for the markets to adjust.