Retired All-Star pitcher Roy Halladay died today when his plane, an amphibious light-sport aircraft known as the Icon A5, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. Halladay’s death at the age of 40 was particularly poignant, and not only because of his stellar career as one of only six pitchers to win the Cy Young Award in the American League (with the Toronto Blue Jays, 2003) as well as the National League (with the Philadelphia Phillies, 2010). He received the plane a month ago from Icon Aircraft, and became one of its biggest boosters on Twitter: Can’t… Read More
[Love sports and technology? Sign up for our sports tech newsletter to receive this rundown from GeekWire’s Taylor Soper via email every week.] TAYLOR’S TAKE ON THE WEEK IN SPORTS TECH: I don’t start many stories talking about my sore butt, but it seemed appropriate for my review of electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) exercise technology. I spent several weeks testing EMS, which consists of wearing a wireless vest with 16 nodes that buzz your muscles during a 20-minute full-body workout. I definitely felt stronger after a few sessions and I liked not having to go lift weights at a gym. The one… Read More
Sensoria is getting into the high-tech shoe game. The Seattle-area startup today debuted its first-ever running shoe, which retails for $199 and features embedded textile pressure sensors designed to provide real-time biometric feedback. The pressure sensors are located at the plantar area of your foot and send data to a detachable electronic device on the heel of the shoe packed with an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer. The combined technology gives runners detailed information about their running form. Sensoria calls its new product, available for $99 for pre-orders that will ship in March, the “world’s first textile sensor infused running shoes.”… Read More
My butt has never been so sore. It was two days after my first electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) session, during which I spent 20 minutes wearing a wireless vest with 16 nodes that buzzed my entire body while I did simple exercise moves. I know the “good sore” feeling you get after weight-lifting, and this was similar. But instead of pumping iron in a crowded gym, I did some squats, arm raises, and other basic movements while electrical impulses zapped my muscles throughout a short session inside the GeekWire office — a full body workout in just 20 minutes. I was… Read More
[Love sports and technology? Sign up for our sports tech newsletter to receive this rundown from GeekWire’s Taylor Soper via email every week.] TAYLOR’S TAKE ON THE WEEK IN SPORTS TECH: Another tech exec is getting into the NBA ownership game. The latest is Joe Tsai, co-founder and executive vice chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. ESPN reported Friday that Tsai will buy a 49 percent stake in the Brooklyn Nets. I met Tsai at Alibaba’s headquarters on my trip to China in 2015, when the company hosted college basketball teams from the University of Washington and University of Texas. ESPN reports… Read More
