Polar Launches First Running Stride Sensor with Bluetooth® Smart

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Polar USA (www.polarusa.com), the leader in heart rate monitoring and fitness assessment technologies, today introduced the new Polar Stride Sensor Bluetooth® Smart, the first ever Bluetooth Smart sensor that will allow runners to track speed and distance and capture intelligent training data while using a compatible device.

"Bluetooth Smart is connecting technologies and people in ways that were never before possible," said Herb Baer, Polar USA president. "We worked to pioneer the heart rate profile for Bluetooth Smart, and we're excited that we're staying at the forefront of product development as we launch the Stride Sensor."

The Stride Sensor Bluetooth Smart is a small, lightweight device that clips onto the user's shoe, capturing a wide range of useful data including stride length, cadence, running speed and distance. Bluetooth Smart technology makes the Stride Sensor ideal for activities indoors and in less visible and dense urban areas because it can record data without a GPS device. Data recorded by the Stride Sensor during exercise can be analyzed and shared wirelessly via mobile training applications in smartphones, tablets or any Bluetooth Smart ready devices.

The Stride Sensor is compatible with the latest version of Polar Beat, the popular Polar training app currently compatible with the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. Polar Beat was recently updated to include Running Index, a unique Polar Smart Coaching feature that allows the user to monitor his or her running efficiency from training session to training session, improve running technique and maximize speed with less effort.

Polar Beat users will receive real-time running data from the Stride Sensor Bluetooth Smart during each training session, and the Running Index feature will provide a detailed breakdown of the user's performance figures, allowing him or her to track his or her progress and even calculate projected finish times for long distance events such as marathons.

"More and more people are taking an interest in analyzing their workouts and learning how to use data to reach their fitness goals," said Baer. "Bluetooth Smart products like the Stride Sensor and the H7 heart rate sensor, that Polar launched last year, are giving people more opportunities to see tangible information in front of them and act on it accordingly."

In addition to analyzing data using Polar Beat, Stride Sensor users can go even deeper into their training results by registering for the free Polar personal training website www.polarpersonaltrainer.com. Polarpersonaltrainer.com is designed to motivate and support Polar users, helping them to create training programs and targets that are easily shareable with friends. Polarpersonaltrainer.com was recently updated to include the following: an option to add "feeling" to exercise results so users can track long term changes in mood, categorized fitness test results, enhanced Polar Beat compatibility, improved homepage results filters and altitude details for workouts logged with the RC3 GPS wrist unit.

Key Features

• Monitors speed and distance without GPS
• Compatible with any Bluetooth Smart ready devices
• Helps improve running technique by determining running cadence and stride length
• Determines user's Running Index, which provides his or her running efficiency
• Small, lightweight design clips easily onto shoelaces
• Shock and water resistant

Availability

The Stride Sensor Bluetooth Smart ($79.95) is now available as an accessory set with user manual through authorized Polar USA retail and specialty shops, online (shoppolar.com), and in select fitness facilities.

About Polar
Headquartered in Lake Success, NY, Polar USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Finland-based Polar Electro OY, which invented the first wireless heart rate monitor (HRM) in 1977. Polar now operates internationally in more than 80 countries and its products are sold through 35,000 retailers globally. Polar heart rate and fitness assessment technology delivers unparalleled insight into the human body from valuable training guidance and feedback, to enabling individuals to improve their fitness level and sports performance.

Polar technology is key to the success of leading fitness facilities, athletic teams, corporate wellness facilities, health insurance providers and thousands of physical education programs around the world. Today, Polar training computers are the number one choice among consumers worldwide. For more information, visit www.polarusa.com.

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SOURCE Polar USA