iphones strapped to upper arms

I've been seeing people with their iphones strapped to their upper arms.. can anyone tell me more about this? is there an app that goes with it? is the strap like the strap of a heart rate monitor? thanks

Replies

  • LorienCoffeeBean
    LorienCoffeeBean Posts: 227 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Do they have head phones in? If so, they could be listening to music or the radio.

    Apps like Zombies,Run! will use the accelerometer in the phone to track steps when GPS isn't available. When you turn on the option, it asks if you will have your phone in your hand or an armband. I'm sure there are other apps out there that do similar things.

    I used to have an app on my phone to track workouts (had to check in at a gym) and it would track my workouts by using the accelerometer. If I met a certain amount of workouts of the week, then I get paid a couple dollars at the end of the week. If I missed a workout, I'd have to pay for missing the workout. I got rid of the app when I got rid of my gym membership.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    It's called an armband, and you get find them at walmart, target and amazon.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Multiple reasons, they could be listening to music or tracking distance speed through GPS. You can also get heart rate monitors that use bluetooth to communicate with your phone. You still have to wear a chest strap though, it just means you don't have to buy or wear a watch to go with it
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,607 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
    so it's really just an armband to hold the phone and the mapmywalk bases calorie burn on distance, not heart rate? how is it for listening to music? I;ve found that my iphone is really REALLY sensitive to being bounced around... it jumps songs constantly and volume is wonky too, when it bumps around.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
    so it's really just an armband to hold the phone and the mapmywalk bases calorie burn on distance, not heart rate? how is it for listening to music? I;ve found that my iphone is really REALLY sensitive to being bounced around... it jumps songs constantly and volume is wonky too, when it bumps around.

    There is a setting to shake to switch songs. Turn it off (google for help).
    The sound thing sounds like crappy earphones.

    You can get heart rate apps but you need an attachment to help.
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    Music or zombies, run!
  • tidesong
    tidesong Posts: 451 Member
    This is, unfortunately, what we call "bait" for opportunistic muggings. We've had a rash of them in my neighborhood the past few weeks. Rather violent muggings, just so they could steal smartphones. Displaying them is a bad idea. If you're going to use them, keep them well hidden.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    This is, unfortunately, what we call "bait" for opportunistic muggings. We've had a rash of them in my neighborhood the past few weeks. Rather violent muggings, just so they could steal smartphones. Displaying them is a bad idea. If you're going to use them, keep them well hidden.

    Wow, that sounds like a depressing neighbourhood :/
  • MyLittleOwl
    MyLittleOwl Posts: 217 Member
    Hi! I have one and I use the app - mapmyrun. It's great, it saves how far you travel, calories burned, logs different types of workouts (not just running), it's FREE, and I find it to be a good supplement to this site. I try to walk just about every day on top of my regular exercise. I use mapmyrun to keep track of what I did, then I come onto this site and log it in my exercise diary. For the most part the calories are kind of close, but I just got an actual Heart Rate Monitor so I use that. The neat thing about mapmyrun is that it has routes that other people may have plugged in near you, so you can find new places to go!

    Good luck with your exercises!
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,607 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
    so it's really just an armband to hold the phone and the mapmywalk bases calorie burn on distance, not heart rate? how is it for listening to music? I;ve found that my iphone is really REALLY sensitive to being bounced around... it jumps songs constantly and volume is wonky too, when it bumps around.

    There is a setting to shake to switch songs. Turn it off (google for help).
    The sound thing sounds like crappy earphones.

    You can get heart rate apps but you need an attachment to help.
    more detailson the hr app attachment please? the itunes store is kind of vague.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
    so it's really just an armband to hold the phone and the mapmywalk bases calorie burn on distance, not heart rate? how is it for listening to music? I;ve found that my iphone is really REALLY sensitive to being bounced around... it jumps songs constantly and volume is wonky too, when it bumps around.

    There is a setting to shake to switch songs. Turn it off (google for help).
    The sound thing sounds like crappy earphones.

    You can get heart rate apps but you need an attachment to help.
    more detailson the hr app attachment please? the itunes store is kind of vague.

    I don't have one, sorry.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
    I have one strapped to my arm during my runs/walks to track my distance in conjunction with my sports watch & HRM. I use Endomondo. I also use it to listen to music (w my headphones). Mostly Pandora. There is a great Pop & Hip Hop Power Workout station that gets me going. They also have a cool Rap Workout station and others. If I'm doing a slow walk, I'll listen to the Yoga channel.

    Oh and about the sound, I have NO issues. None, period. Not even if I listen to the music on my iTunes.
  • kwedman488
    kwedman488 Posts: 132 Member
    I have an armband for my iPod touch, and I use it to keep my iPod out of the way. I'm doing P90X, which goes off of videos-meaning I have to let the video play without locking my screen or it'll pause the video. If I put it in my pocket it presses buttons so it pauses or skips or exits the video, so I got the armband. Mine just wraps around my arm but has holes on either side to stick my headphones. That way I can listen to the videos without worrying about messing with my iPod and wasting time.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I have an iPhone but hate running with it. I bought a nano just to run with... way nicer and comes with the Nike+ app.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
    so it's really just an armband to hold the phone and the mapmywalk bases calorie burn on distance, not heart rate? how is it for listening to music? I;ve found that my iphone is really REALLY sensitive to being bounced around... it jumps songs constantly and volume is wonky too, when it bumps around.

    There is a setting to shake to switch songs. Turn it off (google for help).
    The sound thing sounds like crappy earphones.

    You can get heart rate apps but you need an attachment to help.
    more detailson the hr app attachment please? the itunes store is kind of vague.

    Runtastic sells a hr chest strap that uses Bluetooth to sync to their app on iPhones or androids. I know polar has a Bluetooth chest strap as well but I'm not 100% sure if that works with runtastic or a different app
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    i have one. i use it when i walk/jog. i use mapmywalk which gives me the rate im moving at, how many kms ive gone, and calorie burn.
    i also just use it to listen to music.
    there is no upper arm heart rate monitor that ive heard of
    so it's really just an armband to hold the phone and the mapmywalk bases calorie burn on distance, not heart rate? how is it for listening to music? I;ve found that my iphone is really REALLY sensitive to being bounced around... it jumps songs constantly and volume is wonky too, when it bumps around.

    There is a setting to shake to switch songs. Turn it off (google for help).
    The sound thing sounds like crappy earphones.

    You can get heart rate apps but you need an attachment to help.
    more detailson the hr app attachment please? the itunes store is kind of vague.

    Runtastic sells a hr chest strap that uses Bluetooth to sync to their app on iPhones or androids. I know polar has a Bluetooth chest strap as well but I'm not 100% sure if that works with runtastic or a different app

    Yep polar has a bluetooth one too. You have to download a free polar app to go with it. I had one for a while and it worked quite well until I lost part of it - whoops!

    Re: the song skipping when moving issue - this only happens on my phone when it isn't locked so as long as I press the button on the top to lock it it isn't an issue
  • weevil66
    weevil66 Posts: 600 Member
    I think I got a groin pull just looking at jerber160's profile pic