Personal (Digital) Trainer: iRun, iListen, iHealthy

Credit: Apple Computer

When Apple named its new personal software suite iLife, it foretold things to come. Now, besides iTunes, iPhoto, iChat, iMovie, and iCal(endar), you can have your own iWorkout.

You need two pieces of gear to start: a pair of Nike+ shoes, which have a compartment for the Nike + iPod [1] sensor under the left insole, and an iPod nano. Then add a $29 Nike + iPod Sport Kit, consisting of the wireless sensor and a wireless receiver that plugs into your iPod. Start running, and the sensor sends updates on your distance, time, pace, and calories burned to your iPod display.

The iPod can also deliver real-time voice feedback on your performance and, at the touch of a button, will play your "PowerSong," the tune you chose to pump you through the home stretch. Back at home, a Nike Web site allows you to track your progress toward workout goals and enter virtual races. (Word to the wise: The sensor's battery is not replaceable, and the product Web site doesn't say how long it will last.)

Once again, Apple's crafty marketers have succeeded in coining a new term for the popular lexicon. "What's your PowerSong?" could become a get-to-know-you question among fitness buffs and on Internet dating sites. The company may have found yet another way to make a luxury gadget seem like a necessity. Working out with only an iPod is, like, so yesterday.