Every Move You Make: Free Smart Phone App Helps Burn Calories From: ACM TechNews - 05/29/2009 University of Houston professor Ioannis Pavlidis, along with other developers in the university's Computational Physiology Lab, have developed Walk n' Play, an iPhone application that enables users to keep track of their physical activity. Walk n' Play allows players to compete in real time against other iPhone users or a simulator and watch their calories burn as they go about their day. "You just keep the phone attached to your waistband or carry it in your pocket as you normally would, and it records every little motion you do - from walking to climbing stairs - and translates it into calories burned," Pavlidis says. "The game operates on a 24-hour cycle and tallies everything up daily." Pavlidis says Walk n' Play turns the world into a treadmill and gives a more accurate calorie count than exercise machines. A major aspect of the application is its gaming and competition function. Users could enter a buddy system with a friend, or challenge themselves against a simulator that is programmed to follow an ideal routine for maintaining or losing weight through healthy activities. "Modern conveniences have changed our way of life," Pavlidis says. "The basic idea behind the application we've developed is for people to get motivated and back to living more active lifestyles." Read the entire article at: http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2009articles/may2009/05182009_pavlidis_iphone_app.php http://newswise.com/articles/view/552691/ http://www.physorg.com/news161880764.html http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/uoh-emy051809.php Links: Ioannis Pavlidis http://embc2006.njit.edu/pavlidis.php http://www.tlc2.uh.edu/files/Ioannis_Pavlidis http://cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/gcc/GCC_Directory_Detail.cfm?CAID=133&FID=40851 Walk n' Play http://www.cpl.uh.edu/projects/walk-n-play http://appshopper.com/healthcare-fitness/walk-n-play