The Lifestyle Device

Back in October, I was cleaning out a desk drawer and found an old iPod Nano. I was given it by a past employer during a management retreat. Although at first I winced at that reminder of a stage of my career I am well past, I remembered that I had purchased about 200 songs from iTunes, and subscribed to a couple of podcasts and the like during 2007, when I was using it pretty actively.

There is even a label here on the Hawksbill Cabin blog for the playlists, although it is not often used. So I decided to update the Nano with a new one, shown here. There are a lot of upgraded features, and using it has gotten me interested in figuring out ways to do even more with it…making it a true “lifestyle device.”

First of all, the device has a pedometer on it, which I’ve been using for the last six weeks or so. A pedometer can really let you know how little exercise you get in your daily activities, if you tend to let them slide by. On the other hand, one of the things we know from business is “what gets measured gets managed” and since I have begun using the feature I know that I average 3,000 steps a day, an increase over what I was doing when I first bought the Nano.

And I want to do more, now that I see the results every day. It’s part of a New Year’s resolution to get myself up to 5,000 a day, and use that platform as a way for other lifestyle changes. I won’t be shy about the reason for my sudden interest in this topic, either: this year I heard about or saw two heart attacks that happened to my colleagues in the workplace – fortunately both survived, but I took a lesson away that I’ve got to pay more attention to my health, beginning with more exercise.

It’s ironic that Apple and Nike have brought this matter to my attention, since I have also been trying to observe more closely my consumer behavior. They jointly developed the application – obviously to sell shoes and other stuff – but for now, I’m going to use it as I mentioned, to get myself to a stable platform of increased activity before developing some new goals. I’m introducing a new label with this post, “stepping,” to keep track of how it’s going.

Now, about other lifestyle enhancements the Nano facilitates. Besides getting some of my music back into rotation, the Nano also has a camera, video cam, and recorder. I haven’t figured out what to do with these items yet, since I use the Moto Phone Cam exclusively for the blog – later this year I may change over to the iPhone when contract time is up, though. I’ve also used the phone to listen to two Audiobooks, this is a great feature when I have found time, and I welcomed the opportunity to reconnect with some podcasts like “Indiefeed,” which showcases independent music.

I may find ways to do more with the Nano – I think it is a pretty incredible lifestyle device. Maybe a Hawksbill Cabin podcast series, definitely keeping up with the Audiobooks. But for now, babysteps, and that means using this pedometer to improve my health.

…and here’s to a healthy 2010 to all of our readers here at Hawksbill Cabin.