EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY: Samsung launches devices to track fitness levels

Former athlete and pacesetter Martin Keino trains with his Gear Fit gadget in Iten recently. [PHOTO:COURTESY]

For the past few weeks, Samsung has been in the limelight, supporting various sports initiatives in Kenya. The most notable discipline is polo.

The tournament, dubbed Samsung Galaxy Nairobi Polo Tournament was spread over two weekends and staged at the Nairobi Polo Club.

Apart from hospitality, Samsung had surprise packages for players and the spectators to sample.
One package was the high-end smartwatch Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear Fit.

These devices can be synchronised to 17 Samsung Galaxy Smartphones and Tablets.

Both gears can help sportsmen stay abreast with their health and fitness records.

The gears can help athletes benefit from their three core functions; Pedometer, Exercise and Heart Rate.
The Pedometer measures the rate of physical activity taken up by a player. It helps an athlete set goals before embarking on any strenuous exercise or game.

“It (Pedometer) records steps and rates at which they are taken whether an athlete is walking, jogging, cycling, hiking, playing or running,” says Robert Ngeru, Samsung Electronics East Africa Vice President.
“An athlete is able to know the distance he has covered and the amount of calories he has burnt after the game,” Ngeru adds.

“The device can help an athlete monitor his heartbeat on training.”
Samsung Head of Training, John Paul Macharia, explains that for an athlete to effectively measure his heart rate he should place any of his finger on the HRM sensor located underneath the Gear 2 or Gear Fit.

Macharia advises that for one to get appropriate results the press should not be long. “Just place your finger slowly on the censors,” he says, adding that the result can help reveal to an athlete whether they should see a doctor in case of any abnormality with the heartbeat.

Susan Kosgei, an athlete based at Kaptagat camp in the outskirts of Eldoret town says: “The Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch delivers an improved design, better notifications, a heart rate monitor, and basic fitness tracking and offers a lot of extras. It’s water-resistant, too. It’s my companion in my everyday training.”

Martin Keino, a former athlete and pacesetter who is also the son of legendary runner Kipchoge Keino is among the world beaters who were present at the launch of the device in Nairobi.

“I am happy and honoured to test the Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit. This is a device every self-respecting sportsman should own, its health and fitness benefits notwithstanding,” Keino, who is the Managing Director of Keino Sports Marketing Agency, told FeverPitch.

Ivan Colbeck, an international photojournalist who jetted into the country from his base in the US for the Samsung Polo tournaments revealed he is using Gear 2 while training on treadmill at home.

“With the Gear 2 on my hand I am able to take photos, store and listen to my cherished music and adjust my training schedules at will,” says Colbeck.

Colbeck, the first Kenyan photojournalist to win a Reuters Fellowship, with the prestigious University of Missouri in 1997, reveals he will be upgrading his Gear 2 whenever there is a new one in the market that supports any health benefits to sportsmen.

Gear 2 has other unique features including free swapping of straps and wallpapers, locating a misplaced phone, changing TV channels and volume, making and receiving calls and messages (without a phone).

Gear 2 currently retails for Sh31,999 in the market while Gear Fit is Sh21,999.

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