Run-n-Read, A Virtual Steadicam For Reading On Your iPad

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I can think of little more boring than grinding away on a gym treadmill the thump, thump thump of your heavy feet slamming out a soporific beat over the even more mind-numbing whirr of the machine. Running outside is dull enough; running inside must be insufferable.

Which is why Steve invented the iPad. For reading while you’re at the gym: how else can you explain its bright, easy-to-read screen or it wipe-clean glass front? The problem? Jiggle. That is, your head is moving, your iPad’s screen isn’t and the mis-match makes reading hard, which is the problem the Run-n-Read purports to solve.

The Run-n-Read is a “Dragon Innovation” project, which is like Kickstarter only with dragons. It’s a little dongle that clips to your collar or headband and communicates with your iPad via Bluetooth 4. It measures how much bounce you’re giving, to the ounce, and transmits the info to the companion reader app on the iPad. This then bobs the displayed words up and down making them easier to read.

It’s a great idea I guess, but I can’t help thinking that it might just be easier to listen to a podcast or audiobook.

Then again, you could just run outside, and use the time to disconnect from the virtual world in favor of the real. Just like how stuffing sugary ice-cream down your gullet all day long makes you stop tasting to the sweet flavor, so a stretch of disconnection can make your online life that much sweeter when you get back. Also: fitness.

The Run-n-Read starts at $45 and then goes up, depending on how late you add your pitch. It might be worth checking into Dragon Innovations terms, too, before you spend anything, just so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Source: Dragon Innovations

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