Tag Archives: Interactive

"The Tempo Move offers compact storage, a great app, and plenty of workouts to target every part of your body."

benefits

• Excellent device storage

• Intuitive app

• Responsive AI and reactive fitness tracking

• Support for up to six users in a Tempo household

• Competitive price compared to comparable options

disadvantage

• No Android support

• No live classes (currently)

• App can be finicky at times

The last few years have been incredible for the world of home fitness equipment. Today, more than ever, we're buying treadmills, stationary bikes, and other interactive fitness equipment that takes full advantage of the current state of the smart home. Through apps and touch screens, we can track everything from calories burned to training goals for the day, week, month and year.

While some of these home exercise machines advertise impressive features, many also offer top prices. Yes, we all want the luxury of being able to exercise right from our living room, but not all of us can afford the thousands of dollars it takes to do it. That's where hardware like that move pace come inside.

From the creative workout minds that brought us the incredible mirror-mounted Tempo Studio, the Tempo Move is the company's latest technology. Designed for budget-conscious buyers and using our iPhones instead of a dedicated touchscreen, the company's latest addition to its impressive fitness range makes the grade? Read on to see what we thought after using the Tempo Move for a few weeks.

From the box

First impressions matter and the Tempo Move is designed to impress as soon as you unbox the device. For starters, we don't think we've ever seen a fitness company put as much thought into storing gear — let alone hardware — that costs as little as the Move package (currently available for $395).

Weights, dumbbells, and the Tempo Core Module are all designed to fit in a stowable cabinet that's 22 inches high, 13.5 inches wide, and 13.5 inches deep. Closet color options include light blonde and maroon wood finishes.

A magnetized mesh cover slides back to reveal two shelves for storing weight plates. Wooden inserts for weight, resistance band and cable storage can be cleverly removed at the top. There is also a hinged compartment where you can put the dumbbells. Weight plates range from 1.25 to 5 pound increments and the included dumbbells weigh 7.5 pounds each.

A center cut-out can be removed to allow the Tempo Core to sit on top of the cabinet, although you can always place the module right next to your TV if you have space. The Core itself comes with an HDMI/USB-A combo cable.

Apartment dwellers, you're in luck. The Tempo Move is the perfect home setup when you're short on space. Better still, if you don't have enough space in the TV room to store everything, you can always store the cabinet in another part of your house. When it's time to train, just grab the Tempo Core along with the weights you need for the day.

initial setup

Getting the Tempo Move to work is a fairly simple process. To get started, the first thing you should do is create a Tempo account. You can do this by going to members.tempo.fit/register. The website will ask you to register the device and enter a payment method. While the first 30 days of your Tempo membership are free, after the trial period you'll be spending $40 per month – a price that compares to competitive training subscriptions from companies like Peloton.

In addition to the impressive A.I. skills is the amazingly interactive pace app.

Next, grab your iPhone and download the Tempo app from the App Store (you can also scan the QR code on the quick start guide in the box). Once you launch the app, scan the bottom of your Tempo Core to pair your membership. The first few screens are all about collecting data about what kind of person you are (height, weight, training experience) and what type of goals you want to set (weight loss, muscle gain, etc.).

Next up is the Tempo Core, the actual A/V engine and iPhone docking station, which is your essential A-to-B connection from your Tempo hardware to your TV.

In the box you will find an HDMI/USB-A cable. Plug the HDMI part into any free port on your TV and the USB-A connector into a free USB port on your TV. In case your TV's USB port is already in use, you can use a dedicated USB power brick instead.

The last step is to dock your iPhone. Since the Tempo Move uses the iPhone's True Depth Sensor for motion tracking, you'll need an iPhone XS/XR or anything up to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Speaking of mobile hardware: Sorry Android users. As of now, Tempo Move is only available for iOS devices.

During setup, we actually had some trouble getting our iPhone 12 to handshake with the Tempo Core. We've followed a few troubleshooting tips, including HDMI and USB-A unplugging and replugging, but to no avail. However, after restarting the phone, everything was connected correctly. Ah, tech.

features

The key technology behind the Tempo Move is 3D Tempo Vision, an A.I. Learning system that tracks your training style and keeps track of everything from form to reps over the long term. Over time, the system becomes intelligent enough to know your training style, which allows it to recommend weight sizes, for example.

As you mimic what your trainer is doing, the exact exercise you are doing is displayed in the top left portion of the TV screen, with the remaining rep time displayed in the top right corner. Actual reps, pace, and heart rate (which requires a compatible wearable) are recorded at the bottom of the screen.

The higher-priced Tempo Studio has 3D Tempo Vision integrated directly into the touchscreen mirror. As for Move, 3D Tempo Vision forms an alliance with your iPhone's various motion tracking features via your device's True Depth Sensor.

In addition to the impressive A.I. skills is the amazingly interactive pace app. At launch, the Home tab shows you how many courses you've completed on the current date, along with calories burned and leaderboard stats (if you're interested). Here you can also see which workouts you have completed throughout the week.

Under the Classes tab you'll find a wide range of training tools, including thousands of classes covering everything from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to stretching, yoga, strength, cardio and more. Tempo Move doesn't currently offer live classes, but we're betting they will soon.

The Programs tab lets you choose from a mix of pace-curated workouts for everything from losing weight to getting definition. For those who need a recommendation, a separate "For You" sub-tab suggests programs based on the training experience you entered during registration.

Then there's the Profile tab. Here you can see how many workouts you've completed, how many calories you've burned, and your total. Date ranges include a week, the last 30 days, and all times. If you select the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, you can customize notification settings, change your password, invite up to five family members to your Tempo membership, and more.

training experience

Now it's time for the mat. We placed our Tempo Core on our TV stand, slightly in front of the TV. After docking our phone, the first thing we were asked to do was set up our exercise mat. Ideally you should have this about 5 feet from your TV stand. During setup and throughout your interactive workout, a mat gauge appears at the bottom of the screen to let you know if you're properly within your workout zone.

We started with a 20-minute low-impact cardio workout, because your humble reviewer isn't that adept at the art of training. The onscreen trainer was energetic and encouraging but incredibly talkative. A little too talkative. No big deal – we need to pump up!

As you mimic your trainer's moves, the exact exercise you are performing is displayed in the top left of the TV screen, with the remaining rep time displayed in the top right corner. Actual reps, pace, and heart rate are shown at the bottom of the screen. And hello, it works! Sometimes the little things really count when it comes to consumer tech, and watching the rep count increase with every pathetic squat I performed confirmed that my iPhone was playing well with the Tempo hardware.

The leaderboard is displayed on the right side of the screen. However, I was scared of other people's achievements, so I've hidden this real-time chart (you can do this by selecting Leaderboard on your iPhone and choosing the Hide setting). In the app you can also choose from different music genres during the workout and adjust the volume balance between the music and the trainer.

When you pause a workout (by pressing the big pause icon on your iPhone screen), your TV screen will show your current circuit along with any upcoming forms that are in the circuit of the workout you're currently working on. All of this information is also displayed on your phone screen right before the actual workout starts.

In my 25 minute total body building and 35 minute strength training classes, it was nice to have the required weights displayed on the screen. However, on both exercises, the Move struggled to keep track of my reps. Even though I left the mat zone a few times, the move still wasn't counting my reps or tracking my pace when I nailed the form to the mat (or nailed it as close to it as possible).

Looking at things later, I realized that this probably wasn't a bug. In fact, the Move doesn't track reps, tempo, or offer form correction for any exercise. A bit of a shame, but I think interactive feedback is provided on enough workouts not to make this such a big deal.

price and guarantee

Tempo is currently offering a solid discount on the Move. Normally, the Tempo Move package costs $500, but Tempo is currently dropping $100 off the retail price. So for $400 you get a solid workout package, a versatile storage cabinet, and a three-year warranty.

However, there is more money to spend. The Tempo Move requires a Tempo subscription, which will set you back $40 a month after the 30-day free trial. All in all – including the massive range of classes, fitness customization, and support for up to six unique users – this isn't a bad monthly premium in our opinion.

Our opinion

If you're looking for an all-in-one home workout experience at a reasonable price, Tempo Move is a fantastic package that we definitely recommend. While you might not get exactly the same experience as the company's more expensive studio hardware (or its competitors' equally priced workout gear), the Move effectively takes your iPhone's performance to the next level.

The fitness tracking is on point, the workouts are rich and the sky is the limit for new features to add. True, it's no fun that Android followers can't play along too. But if you've got a fairly new iPhone and a little cash to spare, both upfront and month-to-month, this is it move pace is the perfect way to get your reps off the ground in the comfort of your living room, bedroom, or basement gym.

How long it will take?

With the Tempo Move, you only rely on two pieces of equipment to power your workout. There's the Tempo Core, which is covered by Tempo's three-year warranty, and the iPhone, which you use for the Tempo app. That being said, we're betting you'll have a successful few years with the Core module, with performance only improving as app updates are rolled out.

In fact, Tempo already has plans to take advantage of more advanced hardware features in later iPhone models, so you can expect improvements and new features in the foreseeable future.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want a more robust platform, Tempo's pricier Studio ($1,995) includes an interactive touchscreen that doubles as a training mirror. Negating your iPhone, everything you would use the Tempo app for is built right into the display. And don't forget: The Studio includes live classes (the Move doesn't).

As for an alternative that matches the price of the Move, we're having a hard time thinking of one. Home fitness equipment typically costs thousands of dollars on top of the monthly subscription you have to factor in.

should you buy it

Absolutely. The Tempo Move offers an incredible training experience through solid equipment and an intuitive companion app.

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