New Nokia Activity Monitor: Counts your steps. Accelerometer Inside.

In case you missed it, Nokia released the Activity Monitor. I almost missed it myself as I saw the screenshots and thought it was just the Sports Tracker app as the design looks pretty similar. I guess this is good as you should feel right at home when using this one.  I’ve just installed it, so I can’t comment yet; I will give it a try during the day and report back. For now, the accompanied text explains what it’s all about.

“The Nokia Activity Monitor displays charts and statistics, in real-time, about your movements while walking or running. It counts the number of steps, and determines the distance covered and the energy expenditure. Summaries are stored in a diary so that you can compare your activity level on different days, and over longer periods of time. Your steps are detected by analysing the output from the accelerometer in an S60 smart phone. It is most accurate when you attach the phone to your belt, or upper arm, and it also works well if carry your phone in a pocket of your clothing. It might underestimate the number of steps if you keep the phone in a bag that you hold in your hand (as opposed to over your shoulder), and the most difficult case is when you hold the phone in your hand. Inevitably, false steps are detected sometimes, for example when you are cycling or driving."

"The Activity Monitor currently runs on the N95 and the N95 8GB. You must have a memory card in your phone for the application to work. Be aware that the Activity Monitor's use of the accelerometer requires a fair amount of battery power. It does not shut down gracefully when the voltage drops, so keep an eye on the battery indicator during the day, and don't forget to stop the Activity Monitor before you go to bed!”

It does say that for now it’s only a N95 exclusive, but it seems to be working just fine on the N82. I think it’s safe to say that it should work on all accelerometer-enabled devices. Try it out and let me know what you think.  Activity Monitor can be downloaded here.