The first part of the video is focusing on the Nike + SportBand, a product that has been recalled by Nike back in November 2008 so don’t pay to much attention. What I’ll focusing on in this post is the Nike + iPod Sport Kit.

So ahem yes, farewell Nike + SportBand we hardly knew you. Now going back to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit if you have any model of iPod Nano or an iPod Touch second generation this baby will only set you back $30 and here is why. Nike and Apple are telling you that you’ll need the Nike + running shoes but in reality you don’t. I am personally using the DLO action pocket but you could easily make your own.In fact this I believe most of the issues people are having with Nike + are related to inaccurate information. For example this video is wrong.

At no point are you presented with a login window in iTunes and that left me scratching my head for a while until I figured, all I had to do was sync my iPod then chose to visit nikeplus.com when offered by iTunes and use the “save your run” function.Love:

Spoken Feedback: While running and listening to music on your iPod you will get feedback on the distance you have already run or what is left once you pass the halfway point. They will come up every mile or kilometer based on your preferences and you can chose a male or female voice. You can also manually trigger feedbacks by hitting the center button.

Distance measuring units: You can select miles or kilometers depending on your personal taste and of course if your training for distances like 5 or 10k.

Power Song: Oh man this is one of my favorite features! Select a song on your iPod that motivates you when running and when you need a little boost all you have to do is hold down the center button (before you ask: Gonna Fly Now)

Workout Options: Not only can you select time , calories or distance but distance covers everything from a 1k to a Marathon! If you have no specific goal in mind you can just select basic and Nike + will just keep track of your run. Also the workouts you are using the most will appear on the very first menu.

The Nikeplus website: Ok, I have to admit, I hated it at the beginning but I really got into it and I love the options of setting youself goals and also register for challenges with other Nike + runners.

Hate:

The Nikeplus website: But more specifically the social networking aspect of it. To use a video game analogy it’s like Nintendo’s friend’s codes. They’ve made it so safe, you can’t really hook up with anybody unless you use the forums and I find them for the moment at best confusing.

User’s Manual and online Tutorials: Both contain either wrong or outdated informations.

It’s easy to recommend the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. It’s well designed and fairly easy to use. I wrote in this post mostly about the technical aspect of things but the incredible value comes in the motivation it gives you to run. You just want to get out there and not make a complete ass of yourself.

On a final note if you’re considering accessories, you might want to skip the Nike + iPod Watch remote, I didn’t find it particularly useful.

P.S.: The sport kit is only compatible with the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch second generation or higher, not any other models of iPods.