My Tracks For Android Is A Fitness Geek’s Dream
Android: If the GPS mapping and performance analysis of apps like RunKeeper give your Android phone iPhone envy, Google’s got a geeky alternative. My Tracks plots runs, cycles, and other fitness forays to custom Google Maps or a Google spreadsheet.
You get far more than just a line showing where you went on your last trip with My Tracks. While running or in front of your My Maps account, can see your elevation profile over time or distance, check your speeds, set up waypoints for longer sojourns, and share your GPX or KML output over email, Twitter via Twidroid, or export the data to your SD card.
Google recommends Android users download a few “sister applications” to make My Tracks more useful, including the aforementioned Twidroid, the Power Manager app to keep My Tracks from completely dousing your (admittedly spare) battery reserves, and the My Maps Editor to view and share your exercise maps. My Tracks still lacks the slick looks of RunKeeper or Nike+, but if you’re really impressed by raw data and beautiful statistics, you can get a whole lot of them, as evidenced in the example here (not mine, believe me).
My Tracks is a free download for Android-based phones.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@bubi73: yeah that's what i'm waiting for...att doesn't seem like its ever gonna flip the bill because of the iphone
I am a fan of Cardio Trainer: [www.worksmartlabs.com] But like any Android fan, I will test this one out, too.
shadyrudy
@[www.sportypal.com]
Alex Richards
And for Blackberry?
@eyeverve: HTC Hero coming to Sprint in September.
So how is this better than Buddy Runner for android?
@richNYC: That's one factor (buildings) that I haven't had to worry about so far. I live in a state with plenty of wide open spaces, and the occasional hike is pretty open as well.
As for the battery - the longest I've gone with MyTracks (and subsequently GPS) running on my G1 was about 4.5 hours (screen off and no other apps or synchronization running). By the time I got back to the car, I only had 3% battery charge remaining. But, since I'm often on the go, I always keep a cable in my car, allowing me to hop in and charge via my power inverter.
Monamo
How do I use it on my stationary bike?
Hoppes
@richNYC: That is true of any GPS based system. I've heard of people having issues with heavy cloud cover with getting an accurate GPS signal.
Runnin-Ute
It's OK. You need open space without tall buildings for it to track correctly (can be a problem in NYC). Plus, it kills the battery too fast. Otherwise, I like it for a casual GPS tracking. For something more serious I will still use my Garmin Edge 305 cycling GPS and free SportTracks software;)
460 km/h?!?!
uberben
I prefer SportyPal for fitness, My Tracks for mapping.
[www.sportypal.com]
Alex Richards
Looks like it's for running geeks, not fitness geeks.
Ike_Skelton
459.32 km/h huh? Impressive.
I've been using MyTracks for months and I absolutely love it. I typically use it when going out for a run/jog and monitor the results to compare my average speed and such. Though I'm not a particularly active runner, I still find myself wanting to know the particulars after I'm done.
One other nice detail that it tracks is the "Moving Time" entry. I had gone hiking when visiting the in-laws in PA and decided to use MyTracks to see how the actual trail compared to the parks trail map (dead on, btw). Afterward, I was able to break down our course in geeky delight, to include how much time we spent overall when we stopped for photos, water breaks, etc.
If you've got an Android device, I highly recommend giving this one a look.
Monamo
that looks awesome...i'm still waiting for android to show up on a carrier with descent high-speed coverage
When's it coming to iPhone?
pallendo