Android-powered MotoACTV fitness accessory touches down

The Gadget Show  Thursday 01 December 2011

Falling somewhere between a portable music player and a training device, Motorola’s Android-powered MotoACTV is now officially available in the UK.

Announced alongside the Motorola RAZR smartphone last month, the MotoACTV enables you to set up and monitor your training regime via the touch-sensitive 1.6-inch screen, and load up the 8GB of on-board storage with your favourite tunes to keep your mind in the zone while you’re out and about.

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It’s by no means a new concept, of course, as Nike+ users will know, but there are a few interesting touches that add value to the basic idea.

For starters the MotoACTV, which runs a modified version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, is capable of syncing with your Android smartphone (provided it has the companion MotoACTV app installed, of course), and display basic information such as missed calls, messages and the like.

And even when you’re not actively exercising it will use the built-in accelerometer to keep track of the number of steps you’ve taken through the day and how many calories you’re likely to have burned off.

Also, when you’re within range of your smartphone or connected to the web via Wi-Fi the MotoACTV will feed details of any workouts saved on the device to your MotoACTV web account, where they can be accessed and analysed at your leisure. This info is totally private (unless you don’t want it to be) and will be summarised neatly on an easy-to-use calendar interface.

The Motorola MotoACTV is available exclusively from specialist running store Sweatshop, where it’ll set you pack a penny shy of £250.