The Nike Experiment: How the Shoe Giant Unleashed the Power of Personal Metrics
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/17-07/lbnp_nike

"Call it Living by Numbers—the ability to gather and analyze data about yourself, setting up a feedback loop that we can use to upgrade our lives, from better health to better habits to better performance."

The Nike Experiment: How the Shoe Giant Unleashed the Power of Personal Metrics

article writing up the success & simplicity of nike+. Part of a bigger piece on improving our lives through tracking and managing personal data. Features my friend Michael Tchao who leads Nike TechLab.

Veronica Noone attached a small sensor to her running shoes and headed out the door. She pressed start on her iPod and began keeping track of every step she took. It wasn't a long run—just 1.67 miles in 18 minutes and 36 seconds, but it was the start of something very big for her.

As an iPhone owner who runs for exercise, my biggest disappointment at Apple's recent iPod event was the lack of Nike+ support for the GPS-sporting 3G iPhone. Instead, the second generation iPod touch has Nike+ built-in, and the iPhone still has nothing. I would be disappointed, but the power of the iPhone App Store pulls out a big win on this front, as several free Nike+ alternatives are already leveraging your 3G iPhone's GPS capabilities to provide you with much of the same functionality as you can already get from Nike+ and then some. Keep reading for a look at some of the best free Nike+ alternatives.