Nike+ app ditches sensor for iPhone 4

Nike+ adds more to the iPhone
Nike+ adds more to the iPhone

Nike has announced a new version of its Nike+ app - but only for the iPhone 4 and other iOS 4 enabled devices that feature GPS.

It ditches the need for a sensor in your shoe, and adds in the much-needed support for GPS tracking.

A number of other apps out there, notably the Adidas MiCoach application, have had such functionality in for a while, and offer better accuracy when tracking run speed and distance.

The new Nike+ app curiously doesn't support the new Polar Wearlink+ transmitter, which was designed to supply heartrate information to the application - so users which forked out for the band will likely be irked they can't hear their 'power zone' or whatever lingo they use.

Fancy features

However, there are a raft of new fancy features in the Nike+ App: a colour-coded pace tracker allows you to see how fast you were running over your route (brought to you using Google Maps).

'Challenge Me' also allows you to race your best, longest or fastest runs and get a gold medal should you kick them into touch - complete with a manly roar at the end.

The Nike+ App does cost to buy though, which is a shame as the first iteration was free - you'll need to fork out £1.19 for the pleasure of hearing Paula Radcliffe at the end of particularly decent run.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.