iLounge

Abvio has released updates to Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter, its trio of iPhone GPS-based fitness apps for tracking exercise performance. The three applications are built from the same foundation, each optimized for running, cycling and walking, respectively. The apps allow users to track their workouts recording such data as time, location, distance, elevation and speed and then view their results on maps and graphs organized by routes and activities with a summary for different time periods. Users can also automatically post workout-related status updates to Twitter and Facebook and hear responses from their online friends during their workout using the built-in text-to-speech engine. Version 5.0 adds integration with leading social community dailymile.com allowing users to automatically sync and share their workouts in real-time with the dailymile community and hear messages of encouragement from dailymile friends during workouts. The new version also introduces a Virtual Competition feature that allows users to import a route to add a virtual competitor to run, cycle or walk against. Routes can be imported from previously recorded workouts, friends’ workouts, social fitness sites, or any other GPX-compatible data source.

Additional new features in the latest update include an enhanced text-to-speech engine with a new and improved built-in voice. An additional 16 voice options and dialects for the text-to-speech feature are also available via in-app purchase, including male and female voices in American and British English, German, French and Canadian French. The update also includes 25 configurable voice announcements for distance, time, speed and more with improved voice quality. Additional enhancements include a configurable stopwatch display with up to 40 different statistics, the ability to enter notes before and during a workout, improvements to the responsiveness of speed and pace displays, support for tracking descent, grade and energy burn in kilojoules and more. The three applications Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter are sold separately in the App Store for $5 each. Text-to-speech voices are available via in-app purchase for $1 per voice.