I probably went overboard in my criticism of Engadget in my earlier article called Engadget Repeatedly Disses Athletes. My wife Kathleen pointed out that Operation Gadget normally has a positive tone even when I disagree with something said on another website. I agree that my comments were uncharacteristic of the rest of this site.
I’d like to recommend a report about the Nokia 5140i mobile phone announcement published by MobileBurn.com. This article emphasizes the features of the 5140i that might appeal to fitness gadget fans. Here’s an excerpt:
Nokia recently announced the latest in their ‘rugged’ range of handsets, the 5140i. Targeted at fitness fanatics, athletes, and outdoorsy types, the 5140i includes much of the same features seen in the original 5140, including Push To Talk (PTT) and EDGE data. The 5140i now packs a 65k colour screen, though – a real improvement over the 4096 colour display in the 5140. The new model is also slightly bulkier all around….
The 5140i also features Fitness Coach, an interesting personal trainer program (originally seen in the 5140) that helps with general training by creating, tracking, and customizing fitness plans. Data from Fitness Coach can now be transferred to compatible wrist computers and heart monitors (produced by Polar Electro) as well as be sent to other mobiles via SMS.
If Engadget had reported on the Nokia 5140i announcement the way MobileBurn did, I would have linked to Engadget and praised them for pointing out the key differentiators between this handset and others already on the market.
You have to admit that the 5140i and its predecessor are unique products. I believe that U.S. mobile phone carriers will not be quick to carry either of these models in local stores, but they’ll never even consider stocking them unless there is some grassroots demand. A good feature summary from a big site like Engadget could help to build that demand.