coaches

Exploring expert guidance through Glass

CNET Update hits the bullseye:

In this special edition of CNET Update, I put Google Glass to the test as a coaching tool. Since I need to learn archery to become a proper heroine (e.g. Katniss, Merida, Lara), I wanted to try an archery coaching session through a Google+ Hangout.

I reached out to CoachUp.com to find a coach that was willing to go on this tech adventure with me. CoachUp connected me with M.J. Rogers, an archery coach in South Dakota who has worked with Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

I traveled to Pro Line Archery Lanes … Read more

Task Coach 1.3.29 Review

Even the busiest people can use a little coaching now and then, but most of the time they're on their own. Task Coach is a free, open-source task and to-do list manager that can help you manage the most hectic schedule and just about any kind of task. For example, you can drag an e-mail message from Outlook, Thunderbird, and other e-mail clients and drop it right into Task Coach to view, attach a task or subtask, or create a new task or reminder. It can track time spent on tasks, export task data as CSV or HTML, and … Read more

Prepare yourself with Basketball Roster Organizer

Basketball coaches have a lot to keep track of, and who's playing when in each game is one of the most critical pieces of information. Basketball Roster Organizer is a simple program that can help coaches plot the starting lineup for each quarter of each game and analyze the performance of past lineups. It's not a particularly sophisticated piece of software, but it's easy to use.

Basketball Roster Organizer has a straightforward interface. Clicking New Game Roster presented us with a series of drop-down menus containing the names of each player on the team; from these we … Read more

Lark is the startup you'll want to sleep with

Hark! Lark is adding new personal sleep coach software to its silent alarm clock and sleep tracker that you wear on your wrist.

Tracking how much your arm moves as you sleep, Lark sends data via Bluetooth to an iPhone app indicating how well you're sleeping. When it's time to wake up, the device gently nudges you awake with vibrations. This is especially helpful for people who wake at a different hour than their partner or roommates. Now, with today's software launch, you can not only track how you sleep but you can get personalized advice on … Read more

Lark's silent alarm wakes you, not your bunkmate

Alarm clocks are so primitive. At the appointed time, your device shrieks to life, rudely startling you awake--along with whoever is next to you.

Entrepreneur Julia Hu wants to bring modern sleep science into your bedroom with Lark, a vibrating, silent alarm buzzer you wear on your wrist. The device doesn't just buzz at the appropriate hour, though. It also beams data over Bluetooth to an iPhone app about how well you're sleeping, based on how much your arm moves. An Android version is coming soon.

The device will be sold in Apple stores starting June 14, and its available now on Lark's Web site for $129, plus an additional $60 to get the feature that shows you a seven-day personal sleep assessment based on the data the wristband collects. The sleep analysis is based on algorithms developed with the help of Harvard University sleep expert Dr. Jo Solet and professional sleep coach Cheri Mah.

"Sleep is the under-appreciated third pillar of health next to a healthy diet and regular exercise," Hu said.

In my own trial of the "Silent Un-alarm Clock" a few nights ago, Lark told me I got 6 hours and 28 minutes of sleep. It also said that it took me 32 minutes to go to sleep and that I woke up 5 times--none of which I remember. Yet apparently this level of nighttime activity is pretty good. It was worth an 8.9 out of 10 on the Lark scale of sleep efficiency. … Read more

Tasks on the go

One of our major complaints about PC-based task lists is that such programs are fine when you're in front of the PC, but not available when you're out and about or on another machine. For this reason, we favor Internet-based task managers, but Task Coach Portable is another solution to this problem. This lightweight application is, as the name would imply, designed to be portable, making it easy to carry with you on a USB drive or other portable device.

The program's interface is plain and intuitive, and Task Coach Portable actually packs a surprising number of … Read more

Zeo Personal Sleep Coach provides bedside brain-wave analysis

Analysis of your sleeping habits (or perhaps, lack of) usually involves an overnight stay at a hospital where you are covered in wires and surrounded by machines. However, in 2003 three sleep-deprived students at Brown University in Providence, R.I., thought that consumers should be able to monitor their own health.

Enter the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach, a device that lets uses measure, track, and analyze their sleeping patterns at home.

It's a gadget that, according to Zeo, functions like a professional sleep monitor, but with only two parts: a headband and a wireless receiver designed as an alarm … Read more

Tennis playing and coaching game

Tennis fans and fantasy sports fanatics will enjoy this simulator. Tennis Elbow Manager replicates the experience for running or managing a tennis player from your home PCs. The application lets the user test their skills at picking and working with players according to the players' skill sets and capabilities.

Tennis Elbow Manager launches a colorful, nicely designed interface with sport-appropriate graphics. It leads the user through choosing players and assigning skills and player qualities (such as charisma, fast learning capabilities, good traveler, and so forth), but navigating through its various levels isn't intuitive: because of the design of the … Read more

Exploring the world of relaxation gadgets

Too much technology seems designed to actively stress us out, from checking your BlackBerry to dealing with computer security. Fortunately, there's a handful of devices deigned to promote relaxation, and I showed off a few of them earlier today on New York's WPIX-TV.

Of course, your mileage may vary with any of these, so don't come complaining to me if trying to set up your heating vibrating massage face mask isn't totally relaxing. Check out the clip below and let the chilling-out commence.