Just in time for Mobile Nations Fitness Month, RunKeeper 3.0 beta for Android has landed. RunKeeper is a personal workout app designed to help you keep track of how you exercise, primarily using using GPS on your phone to track the pace and distance of each workout.
There’s a wide array of activities programmed in by default, including walking, running, cycling and even snowboarding and swimming, assuming your device is hardy enough to withstand the elements. Workout plans are also available, and there’s an interface to allow you to set up your own custom workouts if you like. That means you can tweak exactly how much activity you’re doing, and whether you want to rest, warm up or cool down.
Once you get going, you can track your progress in real time, including distance, pace (minutes per mile) and calories burned. If you have to stop unexpectedly along the way, there’s a “pause” button that’ll ensure you don’t mess up your average pace. When you’re done, the app’s enhanced voice feedback gives you a run-down of what you’ve just done, before filing everything away.
The UI in this latest beta has clearly been created with Android’s “holo” design guidelines in mind, and it fits seamlessly into the rest of the OS. Common Android UI features like the action bar and swipeable elements come into play throughout the app. And performance-wise, the constant GPS activity didn’t seem to take too much of a toll on our Nexus 4, though this may vary from device to device.
There’s also a social aspect to all this. In RunKeeper 3.0 you can add friends through Facebook or your on-device contacts list, check in on what they’ve been doing, and get some competition going. And after each session, the app also gives you the option to share your progress to Twitter or Facebook, if you’re feeling particularly proud of yourself.
On the whole, it’s a worthy upgrade, and an app that could be a great help if you’re joining in Mobile Nations Fitness Month. For more on week one of Fitness Month, check out our portal page. And if you want to try out RunKeeper 3.0 for yourself, hit the link below for installation instructions.
Download: RunKeeper 3.0 Beta Test
