Turns out I was right to be so overprotective because, according to a recent report by a local Houston news station, many users are finding that even just the moisture from their hands are causing iPhones to malfunction, and the immersion sensors in the devices to trip, which means Apple wouldn’t replace the devices, even if they’re under warranty. The people cited in the report had used their iPhone while working out at the gym, and when they brought the now-broken devices to the Apple store, employees suggested that the water damage came from holding the phones in their sweaty palms.

Far be it for me to criticize the wisdom of gripping any phone in your hands while you’re running or otherwise working out, but I do think exercising (pun intended) a little more caution when you’re using a $200 to $300 (subsidized) device might be in order. Still, users who’ve encountered this kind of problem aren’t completely out of luck, since Apple has recently introduced a new exchange policy for water-damaged devices that allows people to exchange them for a working unit for $199.

That’s still a little bit pricey, and all replacement units are refurbished hardware, but it is better than nothing. Admittedly, Apple should either stop marketing the exercise aid potential of the iPhone, or improve its moisture resistance, but until that happens, think twice about whether or not you really need that phone by your side when you’re pumping iron. Or, you could take your chances and luck out, like this guy.

Image courtesy wholikespotatoes on Photobucket

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From the coders who brought you Trip Cubby and Gas Cubby (both of which I use weekly), comes Health Cubby.

If you’ve used either of the aforementioned iPhone and iPod touch apps from App Cubby you’re already aware of the kind of data collection they are known for, and the subsequent graphs of that data. After playing with Health Cubby over the past couple of weeks, I can honestly say that it carries on the tradition of quality design.

After some hang-ups in the App Store approval process, Health Cubby is now here to help you track your New Year’s resolutions. But unlike many of the other Exercise/Health tracking applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, Health Cubby focuses on less detail and more realistic goals (more on this later). The feature that makes Health Cubby the most interesting of the Health apps I’ve tried, is the ability to sync your progress with friends, using it as a sort of buddy support system — or bragging rights, if you want to use the built-in messaging feature for such things.

Health Cubby’s trackable metrics are sort of an enigma. On the one hand there are very specific bits of data that you can track, such as weight (obviously), body fat percentage (if you have easy access to that sort of data), and various body part measurements. These are all very specific metrics that will help you have a full understanding of the progress (or lack there of) that you are making in your diet and exercise regimen.

On the other side of this coin are Meals and Vices. Tracking meals is just a free form entry of whatever it is you’ve eaten, logging the meal type, a description, notes, and a rating. Vices are the other part — decide how many vices you’ll allow yourself each week, and then log them as you cave. Again, you’ll log the vice type (donuts, fast food, etc) along with a description or note if you see fit. From my perspective tracking such vague details does little good in helping me achieve my goals — I’m more the calorie counting type, but as with anything, your mileage may vary greatly from my own. Of course Health Cubby also tracks your weight exercises and cardio time too.

The true redeeming value of Health Cubby comes with the ability to share your results with friends, and track their progress as well. Whether you’re competing in some sort of ‘Biggest Loser’ competition, or just working out together, it’s a great way to see how the numbers stack up. Of course no App Cubby application would be complete without some snazzy graphs representing the data, and it does this very nicely — both with your personal data, or combined with any friends with which you’re syncing results.

If you prefer to count your calories and know specific numbers from your diet and exercise efforts, Health Cubby probably is not going to be for you. But if you just need to be reminded that you’ve already eaten a dozen donuts and had 15 Big Macs this week, and want to be able to share that with others (so they can either ridicule you or encourage you to enter competitive eating contests), then $4.99 for Health Cubby will be well spent.

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Meet the Contenders

Since the iPhone apps have some built-in advantages, I chose four programs that work with GPS devices, heart rate monitors or other accessories – such as the Nike + iPod kit – to even the playing field.

Garmin Training Center
Maker: Garmin
Price: Free
Compatibily: OS X 10.4+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS

rubiTrack
Maker: toolsfactory
Price: $39.00
Compatibily: OS X 10.5+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS, Nike+iPod, Amod GPS

Ascent
Maker: Montebello
Price: $40.00
Compatibily: OS X 10.4+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS

TrailRunner
Maker: Berbie
Price: Free
Compatibily: OS X 10.5+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS, Nike+iPod/Sportband, iPhone/iPod

NOTE: Real world workout data from Garmin and Nike+ devices were used in testing all four applications.

Garmin: Late to the Gate, Still in the Running

First up is Garmin’s flagship OS X offering. Fitness Center for Mac (GTC) is designed to be the way to get data from your Edge or Forerunner onto your Mac, and both device families offer GPS-tracking and optional heart rate monitoring, with the Edge also featuring cadence & power tracking for cyclists. The sampling from these sensors can be imported, reviewed and displayed in tabluar, graphical and cartographical format. GTC does a good job figuring out which activity (cycling or running) you were engaged in when it auto-classifies your imports.

You can customize user profile settings, including heart rate data and speed zones along with gear details and information on other activities, such as hiking, skiing or kayaking.

Workouts can be reviewed by date or type, and you can schedule, group and categorize them via recorded sessions or from various online sources. Any workout you define or find can also be uploaded to most Garmin devices.

If you have full Garmin map data sets, you can use other Garmin Mac utilities to get them onto your Mac (which will help GTC route maps look a bit nicer).

GTC will import and export TCX (a Garmin-originated XML format describing GPS and “fitness” data) files which many programs and web applications can work with, so you are not locked-in to them by any means.

Striving for Peak Performance with Ascent

While Garmin may be a bit generic, Ascent definitely has the feel of a more seasoned OS X application.

Most of these fitness-tracking programs provide a similarly paned “browser” to access your activities. Ascent kicks up the visual display a bit with map data from either VisualEarth or USGS, both of which have multiple feature display options.

Ascent provides more fields to describe your activities and has an amazing replay mode that will animate your recorded workout, showing key data in a “HUD” as the points move along. While it will sync from your GPS device with ease, the Montebello developers also added a wide assortment of import and export options, including reading data from Polar heart rate monitors, full manual entry of activity information and sending data out to Google Earth for a very spiffy fly-by.

Unfortunately, while the program provides many ways to view and analyze your workouts, you will not be using it to push data to your GPS.

TrailRunner Charts Your Path to Fitness

This once commercial offering is now free and takes a unique approach to tracking your training. As the name indicates, it is geared more for running, but can handle other activities.

If you are truly dedicated to your training program, TrailRunner will be a great digital partner and includes a highly-detailed diary view (that lets you post activities right to your blog) and an “event planner” (for that upcoming marathon).

TrailRunner also has a playback mode, but the most differentiating feature may be the ability to easily share your routes with other athletes and also find new routes (i.e. escape the rut). It also works with iTrail (for you iPhone-wielding fitness geeks) and can store routes notes and route “snapshots” to your photo-enabled iPod, which is especially helpful if you are racing un-tracked or with a non-GPS-enabled device (such as the Nike+ iPod kit).

To get the full feel for TrailRunner, you really need to download it and play with it a while. New features keep popping up as you explore the application and it will definitely have you looking at your workouts in a very different way.

One Step Ahead: rubiTrack Tracks With Style

Despite having a Leopard-only offering, the talented folks over at toolsfactory managed to make the most modern, Mac-like program of the bunch, which is evident right from program launch.

Map data crisp and the view options are abundant. One feature detail that I considered truly innovative was historical weight tracking, making the workout details very accurate over time.

Activities are auto-grouped by category on import and can be manually tweaked. rubiTrack also has “smart groups” (think iTunes Smart Playlists) which can auto-classify by any combination of activity details.

While it lets you review past workouts and activities, you will not be able to schedule a workout routine with this application and you will not be creating tracks to bring back to your training devices.

The Final Analysis

GTC is the least “Mac-like” application out of the four and is not even on equal footing from its PC counterpart. While it is completely functional for basic operations, it is obvious that Garmin wants you to continue to invest in their online offerings and map products to get the most out of your fitness routine. However, if you want to plan new workouts and have seamless integration with your GPS devices, GTC will have a place in your Applications folder.

Ascent was my primary tracking tool prior to rubiTrack (I paid for both programs). I would definitely pay for an upgrade if they keep enhancing both the visual elements and the core feature sets. It is also very geared towards cyclists and I expect enhancements to continue that focus.

TrailRunner is a must have for the avid runner. It does rely on many helper apps (including GTC) to import data. The blogging feature is something I wish more fitness apps thought to include. TrailRunner also has the most diverse maps and is perfect for those who wish to be part of a community of folks interested in fitness.

At the end of a ride, however, rubiTrack is the application that I fire up first. If you are just getting into a fitness routine and want some positive, visual reinforcement this will be a very easy program to get started with and will definitely help motivate you to constantly do better.

Despite all four applications being “made for Mac”, none of them auto-sync weather details and none of the ones with workout scheduling capabilities integrate with iCal. Even with those missing features, you now have no excuse to shake off that tryptophan haze and shed some of that holiday poundage. If you do receive Garmin or Nike+ gear for the upcoming gift-giving season, definitely give these programs a workout.

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