A towel may be the most useful item in the universe, but if you step out onto a tennis court, even for a what seems like “just a friendly game,” with only a towel, you’re doing yourself a disservice. There are too many smart add-ons to your regular gear that help improve your tennis game for going old-school to make sense. You could always try Qlipp, the new tennis stroke analysis attachment that launched today on Indiegogo.
The little eight-gram square fits any racket, attaching below the first string, right above the bridge with its own twist-locking mechanism. Qlipp reads shot type, speed, spin, and ball contact accuracy plus consistency. It knows where you catch the ball with your racket, and how often you hit the sweet spot right in the center. Even though it’s the lightest tennis sensor out right now, it doubles as a shot dampener, reducing strain on your hardest strokes. The sensor is designed to last about four hours, and takes about an hour and a half to charge.
Keep your iOS or Android phone within 50 meters, and the free Qlipp app will pick up the data via Bluetooth Low Energy in real-time, so you can check your progress during practice. The app can even shout info out to you, so you don’t have to run to the sidelines to check your phone for shot data. If you use your smartphone to catch video of your gameplay, the Qlipp will sync the stats on your shots with the image. Analyze your form in slow motion and save each session so you can track your improvement.
The app also links with other sensors (FitBit, MIO), so you can get a broader picture of your overall fitness. The average tennis sensor app might not pick up that you ran ten miles before you hit the court, but Qlipp shows you that info in one place.
Of course, Qlipp lets you brag or share stats and videos on your favorite social platform, too. You can compare yourself with other players using Qlipp, set up matches, and keep challenging yourself. Leaderboards are an excellent motivational tool.
9 Degrees Freedom, the Singapore design think-tank that designed the Qlipp, is asking for thirty grand in funding to take the prototype to the next level, building the mold, purchasing materials, and securing FCC and CE Bluetooth compatibility certification. The company plans to ship in the third quarter of 2015 and retail for $130. If you haven’t committed to another tennis sensor like Zepp’s or Sony’s yet, you can pick one up on the Qlipp Indiegogo page for $80.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.