The quantified movement revolution is providing fitness enthusiasts, runners, and cardio lovers around the world with a wide range of wearable technology solutions that are making it possible to gain powerful insights into their health and fitness performance. From GPS-enabled smartwatch fitness trackers to posture training coaches, wearable tech is constantly evolving and offering new innovative devices.
The latest generation of fitness wearables are providing never-before seen levels of functionality, offering live GPS tracking, sleep tracking, and even artificial intelligence coaching. Sometimes, however, less is more when it comes to fitness and health tracking. Running is an intensive whole-body movement that can be restricted by bulky and cumbersome fitness trackers.
In many cases, the simplest solution is often the most effective, and a new fitness tracker from Milestone Sports is proving to be one of the most elegant and simple fitness tracking solutions available on the market. The Milestone Pod is a revolutionary new fitness tracker that is designed specifically for running, and features a unique and innovative design that makes it entirely different from any other fitness tracker on the market.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the Milestone Pod and find out what makes it so unique to help you determine whether it’s the right running tracker for your needs.
What is the Milestone Pod?
The Milestone Pod is an incredibly simple run tracking device that almost isn’t a wearable at all. Instead of attaching to the wrist or body, the Milestone Pod consists of a tiny, incredibly light clip on pod that is attached to the shoe of a runner. Once attached to a shoe, the Milestone Pod begins collecting data on the running habits and performance of the user once it detects movement.
The creators don’t even describe the Milestone Pod as a wearable fitness tracker, but instead label it as a “smart shoe odometer” that removes the fiddling and fussing associated with manual tracking. The Milestone Pod is ideal for fitness enthusiasts that want simple, effective, set-and-forget run tracking that doesn’t compromise on accuracy.
Features & Functionality
The Milestone Pod incorporates a number of design features that make it one of the easiest run trackers to use on the market. Offering real time metrics that provide runners with the ability to track stride length, cadence, gait, distance, and duration, the Milestone Pod provides comprehensive running information via Bluetooth Low Energy.
The Milestone Pod doesn’t need to be paired to a smartphone to function, making it possible to leave the smartphone at home while running for an unimpeded cardio session. Instead of relying on a GPS signal to track the movement of a user, the Milestone Pod uses a simple accelerometer that works anywhere and everywhere, independent of GPS connection.
One of the biggest advantages of the Milestone Pod, however, is the low profile it offers. Weighing in at just 13 grams, the Milestone Pod is virtually weightless when compared to the total weight of a running shoe, and is completely waterproof, meaning it’s possible to track runs in even the worst weather.
The Milestone Pod holds another advantage over other fitness trackers- it doesn’t need to be charged, ever. Instead of relying on heavy lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries that require constant recharging, the Milestone Pod uses a standard watch battery that lasts up to 8 months before replacement is necessary.
Despite the small size of the Milestone Pod, it’s able to retain a significant amount of data before requiring sync. Each Milestone Pod is capable of remembering up to 20 hours worth of running data, and can be synced to the dedicated Milestone Pod app in seconds.
The Milestone Pod App
The Milestone Pod is available for both iOS and Android devices, and is used to view, manage, and interpret the data collected by the Milestone Pod. The data collected by the Milestone Pod can be broken down into a wide variety of metrics, including cadence, stride length, ground contact force, leg swing, foot strike, and even a total odometer for your shoe itself.
The high level of resolution offered by the Milestone Pod metrics can’t be found in any other fitness tracker. Once paired with the dedicated smartphone app, the Milestone Pod presents runners with basic performance data such as distance, pace, time, and calories burned, in addition to the more complex metrics offered by the platform.
The Milestone Pod app offers a simple, easy to use dashboard that presents a helicopter view of the total run metrics of the user, and can be swiped left and right to reveal more detailed information. A unique featured offered by the Milestone Pod is a total “Runficiency Score” rating, which takes a number of metrics into account and pairs it with the BMI of a user to provide an accurate assessment of their total cardio capacity.
Milestone Pod Verdict
The Milestone Pod is an incredibly elegant solution that provides one of the most intuitive, seamless run tracking experiences available on the market. If you’re looking for a highly accurate, reliable, and feature-rich fitness tracker that allows you to leave your smartphone at home, the Milestone Pod is the best option available.
