High-Tech Gadgets Go on Active Duty

You thought the Army special forces were tricked out with all the latest gadgets. Well, clearly you haven’t been paying attention to the many “ultimate fit” guys on the ski slopes, trails and boardwalks here at home. Already well equipped--with skis, heart monitors, surf watches, bike shorts, bike racks, lightweight boots, goggles, blades and wetsuits--many of these active civilians will be receiving the latest tech fitness goodies now appearing in fitness magazines.

Here is a sampling, from the December issue of Men’s Fitness: a state-of-the-art jump rope ($50); an electronically heated hiking jacket ($500); a stationary bike with video games ($600); a slick headlamp for working out at night ($35); a global-positioning wristwatch ($500); a hand-held TV-computer with high-resolution sports programming and memory for workout and nutrition data; and a tiny camera from which “photos of your muscular bad self ... are downloaded into a printer,” the magazine reports.