Japanese Pedometer roundup - Get moving!

Written by: Michael Keferl on December 18, 2008 at 10:55 am | In DIGITAL LIFE | No Comments

What we love about the Japanese gadget market is the ability to take a normal, boring product like alarm clocks and piggy banks and make them fun. In this case the same goes for pedometers, which fits in perfectly with a generation that is starting to be concerned with its health and relates well to gaming. Here’s a brief rundown of what we’ve found so far:

From Bandai, the Space Battleship Yamato (featured here) and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother pedometers take classic anime and make them an RPG game to be played while doing your commute.

TaxiWalker simulates a cab’s meter, showing you how much money you save by walking, and the Jinsei Game (Game of Life) pedometer gives you spins on the wheel for every 300 steps. If you don’t move, you can’t play, though pacing around your apartment playing the game doesn’t seem too healthy either.

More stylish offerings are in the Seiko Slimstick and health phones from Fujitsu that are made on a more practical level for health monitoring, but don’t entertain the walker. Lap Around Japan, however, isn’t a game either, but it keeps track of your steps as if you’re walking around the coast of Japan. When you get to a new place the device gives you locational and historical information about the area.

Health gadgets are definitely on the rise in Japan, and pedometers are just one example as to how this is manifesting itself in the marketplace. We know one older gentleman in television that now walks to and from work every day (30 minutes each way) all the while carrying his stylish pedometer, and then loves to show off the kilometers he’s racking up. Of course, he’s doing it for the health, not to level-up on the embedded RPG!

Tags: gadgets, health, Pedometers, Wellness
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Bandai RPG Pedometers animate your steps

Written by: Michael Keferl on October 17, 2008 at 5:45 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 3 Comments

Bandai will soon be releasing two new hybrid pedometer games to keep you entertained while racking up the miles as you go about your life. With two versions based on the classic anime Space Cruiser Yamato (Star Blazers) and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, the idea is to set personal goals of exercise and achieve them in a fun way.

The journey is supposed to be completed in about 90 days, and more steps bring the walker to daily goals which, once achieved, display icons and events along with the storyline.

To increase the interaction, users also create accounts for online access where they can keep track of body weight, health stats, and get free health advice. It’s also possible to track the storyline online while the journey is still in progress.

With a target market of thirty-somethings, the Bandai pedometers are set to be released in December for about $45 and are expected to sell 300,000 units each by March 2009.

Tags: Bandai, Electronics, Games, health, Pedometers, Wellness
Category: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

U-Mate Pedometer takes a Lap Around Japan

Written by: Michael Keferl on February 19, 2008 at 5:08 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE | 3 Comments

To be released on March 31st, gadget maker U-Mate is releasing the Lap Around Japan Pedometer (日本一周歩数計の旅), a device that you carry with you to count your steps and map out your virtual trip around the coast of Japan.

The tiny (14×42×78mm) pedometer counts the total distance around Japan from the starting point you enter. As you make your way through the 18,880 km journey (11,731 miles), you can zoom in and get information about 1,258 local sights, history, and products. Kind of like a Wikipedometer for city walkers.

Of course, the whole point is to be able to “travel around Japan” by commuting to work, a task that would take you about fifty years at a single kilometer per day. The concept itself is admirable, and is done in collaboration with the Japan Walking Association to encourage exercise.

Press Release

Tags: gaming, health, Pedometers, Wellness
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS