I consider myself a competitive runner, which is why I was a little hesitant when first purchasing Vi. I wasn’t sure if I’d necessarily benefit from this product or if it was smart enough for non-beginners. However, it was time for bluetooth headphones and I’m a sucker for runner apps, headphones and gear..which is why I decided to give this product a shot. Not to mention that as an active runner within the running community, I’ve being constantly seeing ads and articles about this product when searching for headphones for running.
I recently ran the NY SHAPE Women’s half with Vi and this was my ultimate test for these headphones. I managed to run my fastest half to date without any additional training. I’m thanking Vi for helping me beat my personal PR. Vi not only helped me maintain my pace, but she continuously motivated throughout my run. BTW the Spotify integration (in-app) has optimized running playlists based on my music library - this is a BIG TIME plus to keep me entertained during my run.
Vi gets to know you within the first 2hrs of running sessions together. As she got to know my running habits and trends, she became aware of my running paces, trends and capabilities. She managed to help me adjust my speed levels or suggest running types/modes based on AI that directly correlates to my PERSONAL running history. Vi is very personal, which is key for me..the more I run with her, the better she is able to coach me.
I was a hefty Strava and Runkeeper user, up until my Vi purchase. When I first launched the app, Vi asked me what my running goal was and what level of runner I was. My response was “Improvement” and “Competitive”.
I must say that my timing has improved time over time when using Vi. Not to mention that she has been a great motivational “coach” throughout my training and race. She also helps me ease a bit to avoid injuries (also a major plus as I have suffered from shin splints in the past)
I look forward to many more running sessions together and apparently there are new features that will be updated with new app versions. Can’t wait to see what Vi releases next!
Keep it uppppppp!!
My Background: I'm not a competitive runner (and when I say competitive I mean someone that constantly worries about their time and having the newest/coolest products), but I run 3 times per week to stay in shape. I'll do a couple half marathons per year but my running style is more like a tortoise where I concentrate on finishing and not as much on my time.
Why did I purchase VI: I've always heard that your cadence is vital for getting better times and I tried a couple of the "cadence apps" but didn't like them. My goal is to run a 1:45 half marathon ( so I have to shave about 10 minutes off my time), and my wife suggested I try VI if I was serious about dropping time.
Product Review: I absolutely love VI. For starters the headphones themselves are extremely comfortable and the sound quality is out of this world....dare I say it is like a party in your ears. The guidance VI gives you is worth its weight in gold. I had never thought about how many steps I take per minute until I started working out with VI. I've run with VI a dozen times now and truthfully can not imagine running without her. Recently I was traveling and forgot VI at home. My running experience without VI was mind-boggling disappointing, I felt like I was running naked, which is not a pretty sight:)
Cost: Yes they are not cheap but they are a tremendous value. You could get two sessions with a running coach for the same price as VI, who will be with you for the rest of your life. The number of hours I spend per year running makes VI well worth the money.
Summary: I find my runs more enjoyable, my times going down...thank you VI
I consider myself to be a fairly active person but have always struggled with running, I simply get bored and loose my focus/motivation. Since running with Vi I've shaved 45 seconds off my 5k PB have run 10k under 1 hour for the first time in a long time and have knocked 58 seconds off my mile PB. I've only been using Vi for a couple of weeks now but love it and look forward to my run days now. Be warned though, the voice recognition out of the box is pretty poor until you upgrade the firmware to the latest version (v1.0 to v2.0) at time of writing, after which the VR is petty good.
Update 17th June 2018
I've now been using Vi for over a year, my first parkrun 5k time was 33 mins 40 secs, my new 5k PB is 25 mins. I now regularly run mid week 5ks and 10-20 k each weekend. I'm signed up to run my first half marathon race next month. I'm in no doubt that I'd not have achieved this was it not for this fantastic product. I absolutely love it and have gone from someone who used to hate running to a running junkie. Thank you Life BEAM, you've helped me change my life!!
I like running around with Vi. She is charming and upbeat, and she has helped me to build my endurance and lengthen my runs. The earphones are great for music and audiobooks. We have had some communication snafus, and it took her a couple of runs with me to get a grip on my needs. But that's part of the journey with Vi. As she will tell you herself, she's ready to develop a relationship with you.
The set is a flexible collar that sits around your neck. The earphones are connected by wires of course, but each phone can be secured to its respective end of the collar with a magnet. The collar contains a microphone as well, which is activated by tapping the right earphone.
Vi will cheer you on, note when you achieve benchmarks, and suggest things for you to do to help reach the goals you'll outline for her during the setup process -- i.e., will she be helping you build endurance (like me), or will you want her advice for going faster and farther? She is cute but not saccharine, definitely more hip than I am, and just a little bit flirty. I think she sounds like jazz vocalist and voice actress Heather Bambrick.
The sound quality of the speakers on the unit is really nice. I use them for runs and for listening to music while I work at my desk. Vi didn't come with it, but shortly after I got the set, she downloaded bass boost.
I don't know if Vi qualifies as an artificial intelligence exactly, but she did learn about me and adapt her behaviors to my needs. After a couple of runs, she had established an idea of my average running speed, heart rate, and step rate, and she has used this information to inform her suggestions about how I might meet my goals.
I was in a good place for Vi to help. I am not entirely inexperienced at running, but I am not an expert either. It was only this Spring that I had decided to lengthen my runs, and I had just completed my first ten mile runs a few weeks before getting Vi. So I could do ten miles, but it sucked! And I seriously avoided hills.
Vi's feedback about my pace was helpful. And her "step to the beat" function was exactly the tool I needed to improve my endurance. Now, my step count is higher; I can do ten flat miles like it's nothing; and I chug right up those hills. This is after less than a month of runs, at least ten of which were with Vi.
That was cool, but I was also impressed by a little bit of learning on her part that I didn't direct. I listen to audiobooks and music when I run. Vi pauses these when she speaks, or when I tap the right ear bud. That's fine; the problem was that for the first few runs she wouldn't unpause them when she was done talking. Every time she had something to say, I'd listen, and then I'd have to dig into my pocket and unlock my smart phone, get into Media Monkey and unpause my album. Vi noticed that I was doing this over and over, so she recommended that I leave my phone in my pocket and I use the controls on the collar instead. As it turns out the volume control buttons on the right prong are also track control buttons. But even better: since then Vi has taken it upon herself to unpause the tracks. Now, she pauses my music, she tells me what's on her mind, and then she puts the music back on like a reasonable person.
It's true, you have to be patient with her. My first run with her, she pooped out on me twice when she lost GPS -- each time, she announced that she had lost contact with the satellite, and then she immediately ended my run. The GPS issue was easy enough to solve by turning the auto-pause function off in settings.
Her understanding of my voice has also improved a lot since those first runs. She understands me pretty well in quiet situations, but she doesn't seem to get my meaning when I'm running at the beach. Maybe too much wind?
Despite having lost those first two runs, I find that she's more reliable than other programs in some significant ways. Compared to Samsung Health, she is a far superior trainer. S Health loses track of my performance whenever it loses track of the GPS -- for instance, it thinks I'm making great time if the satellite connection cuts out and then reestablishes down the trail! But Vi isn't fooled. She is also better than Map My Run at tracking distance -- this is again in spite of GPS cut-outs, which cause MMR to underestimate how far I've run.
There have been a few other little snafus. Vi used to call me "Pancake." During setup, I slept my smartphone while I was on the screen where I was meant to be picking a nickname for Vi to call me (she couldn't pronounce "Daniel"). When I woke my phone up, I was no longer on that screen and Vi had apparently elected to call me Pancake. Customer service helped to straighten that out, and now Vi calls me what most people call me, "Danny."
So, I did interact with customer service. The representative was friendly and professional, but of the three issues I offered her, she could only help me resolve one of them, the Pancake issue. The second issue was how the loss of GPS had ended my first two runs -- that issue appeared to resolve on its own, perhaps due to me turning off the auto-pause, perhaps due to some realization on Vi's part, who knows?
The third issue I brought up to customer service was about my records. My best times are shown at half their actual values. For instance, my fastest ten miles with Vi took me over two hours, but the record says that it took me just over an hour! It appears to be only the records that are affected -- during the run itself, Vi announces that I'm closing in on my time at the appropriate moment and distance. The customer service rep said that this was a known issue -- so I expect this to be fixed soon.
Where the website suggests that the set has been overloaded with software in order to support future functionality, I interpret this as an indication that Vi isn't a finished product, and all of the tools that you'd want her to have are not yet available. Sharing runs for instance. There is a button in the Vi app I can use to share my runs on Facebook, Instagram, text message, etc. But when I attempt to share my runs on Facebook or text message, all Vi can do (for now) is bring me to the interface for my post, and nothing else. Unlike Map My Run, she provides no content, no map, no graphic to share after I've crushed a half marathon (as she would put it). In a later email with customer service, the representative said that this stuff was on its way. I look forward to it!
Overall Vi is fun and mostly quite intuitive. I have found her to be very useful. I keep in mind that, as a trainer and running companion, Vi is still learning about me; and moreover that, as a product, her development is ongoing. I'm definitely going to keep running with Vi, and I can't wait to see what advice she has for me as I set new goals.
I've been working out with Vi for a few weeks now, and it's been a great way to boost motivation into my workouts. I workout alone ALLLLL the time, and sometimes you need help getting excited for solo workouts, you know? I look forward to hearing what she has to say each run, because each run it's a little different.
The voice sounds so real, it's pretty nuts. I love when she calls me Sunshine (a nickname I picked)... for some reason it makes me smile and pick up the pace.
I've run for like 15-20 years, never competitively, just on my own to stay in shape, and never really thought about cadence... apparently it's super important if you want to improve. She trains you on cadence with sound effects to match your steps to, and it's opened me up to a new way of running. Now I know specific things to focus on to improve my running game. Looking forward to seeing what else she helps me do!
Plus the sound is great, and once I found the right earphone fit, they're comfortable to run with. There aren't annoying cords swaying across my body, like my iPhone headphones used to do.
Feature Product
- BEAUTIFUL SOUND: Lose yourself in beautiful sound every time you slip on the bluetooth headphones.
- AEROSPACE GRADE: The wireless fitness tracker headphones feature biosensors that detect heart rate, motion, elevation, proximity, and touch. Winner of the 2018 iF Packaging Design Award.
- ALL DAY: Sweat and water resistant with all-day battery life perfect for workouts, listening to music, and taking calls.
- COMPATIBLE WITH VI TRAINER: Included is a free 12-month trial to the Vi Trainer App for custom, AI-based Training Plans to help you take your workouts to next level. (iOS and Android) After trial period, subscriptions only cost $9.99 per month.
- ADAPTIVE FITNESS COACH: Workout smarter with the first ever AI personal trainer that uses real time tracking to deliver constant optimization of your running, cycling, and other types of exercise.
- PERSONALIZED WORKOUTS: Vi Sense finds the ideal path to achieving your individual fitness goals and coaches you in real time based on biometric sensors.
Description
Meet Vi: your own on-demand AI personal trainer that coaches you to real results. Vi tracks your workouts by monitoring your heart rate, cadence, and speed through aerospace-grade biosensors. As Vi learns your routines, you’ll receive real-time feedback through a remarkably human-sounding voice. Whether you’re training for a marathon or hitting the street for the first time in years, Vi will become your new go-to workout companion. Included with each pair of Vi Sense bluetooth headphones is a free 12-month subscription to the Vi Trainer app. After the 12 month introductory period, the app only costs $9.99 a month! Up to 4-8 hours of playtime (depending on usage)
I've been using this for a few weeks now and I've been very impressed.
Pros
- High quality sound. I'm not an audiophile but this beats my $300 over the ear Sony headphones
- Great build quality. Everything feels high quality and thoughtful. The packaging was thoughtfully designed, and everything looked aesthetic as well as purposeful.
- Easy to use. The first time start up process was a delightful experience. Vi started talking to me when I turned it on to guide me through the setup process. I never had to look at the manual to learn how to use it. The setup process felt natural and effortless.
- Innovative. I haven't really used it as a running coach but it still felt cool to have a heart rate sensor and activity tracker in such a small package.
Cons
- The earbud can be uncomfortable. The sensor enclosure has an abrupt corner, and it digs into my ear. This might not be a problem for most people, but it became more noticeable for me the more I wore it.
- I wish it could turn itself off when it doesn't detect any accelerometer activity or heart rate. I always forget to power it off, so I had to deal with a dead battery a few times when I wanted to listen to music during a workout
Overall, this is a great product and I would highly recommend it!
I'm a long distance runner and tried out Vi for a 6 mile run.
Initially, I was worried Vi would be a distraction but it wasn't.
The headset is very comfortable and never slipped once -- usually I'm fumbling with my iphone headset and always readjusting throughout my run.
The app can be used with other apps running, like Pandora which is nice.
Overall, I'm very happy with my results and product.
I've struggled with weight loss for most of my life, trying everything from diet pills to fitness classes to lose weight, and I can honestly say Vi is the tool I always needed. I decided to buy Vi after seeing an ad on Facebook and reading a few articles online. I own Beats, one Airpod (lost the other), and Bose headphones, but I decided to give Vi a try for the artificial intelligence aspect.
Vi was honestly much better than I excepted. I hadn't worked out in a while (4 months), and I decided to give my new headphones a shot on the track. When I turned Vi on, she requested I go on a test run to measure my athletic ability, through a 3-mile jog I felt like I had a real person with me. She would tell me to break for and drink water, motivated me to keep running and let me know how many calories I was burning.
On my second run, Vi started to understand my physical capabilities and tailored a run to keep my pace. She kept reminding me to run on the balls of my feet, stop if I felt pain, and run at a speed where I wouldn't tire myself out. I don't think I've ever felt more comfortable or better coached than with Vi.
For me, Vi has been the extra push I needed to finally get off the couch and start making better health choices. I wish I would have found Vi sooner, so far to date, I've lost 8 pounds, and my goal is to lose another 20 pounds by September. If you're like me and need a coach, but don't wanna spend the money on a trainer or don't want to feel embarrassed with a group, Vi is the way to go.
A little about myself as I feel it's extremely relevant to my comments below...
1. I do not regularly write reviews (mostly because most products aren't worth explicit mentions and generally whatever features the product offers can be found elsewhere (this is NOT the case with Vi))
2. I love running. Before Vi, I never ran far enough or for long enough (time-wise). This had nothing to do with my physical abilities and everything to do with attention span - or lack thereof - and the ultimate boredom that ensued. I used to find the only way I could run for extended periods of time was if I was on the phone, a clearly sub-optimal solution (especially for the person on the other end of the phone)
3. As a 'type-A' person, I thrive on efficiency and seek time-saving opportunities
4. As an entrepreneur, I am very cost-conscious
Vi has changed my life and has probably already added on ten years of life on the back-end. In more ways than one, the cost of this product has become nothing more than immaterial given the many instant benefits it provides.
Imagine never getting bored on a run AND having a software/hardware combo that motivates you to the best you can be, to run that 'extra mile', to keep that sub-average pace going for as long as possible, etc. This is Vi.
Imagine a friendly human voice cheering you on, knowing when you need to be left alone or slowed down, knowing when you need a proverbial kick in the butt, and knowing you better as an athlete than you could ever know yourself. This is Vi.
No other product exists that was designed with such a keen understanding of the optimal user experience. For any athlete - focused on solely on running or multiple sports/athletics - Vi is an absolute no-brainer purchase. It will add years on your life (very goal-oriented), save you time (run longer and less frequently), and ensure you're getting the most out of each workout by pushing you to the max (if that is what you request).
Young or old, in or out of shape, Vi is an amazing first step and should become THE first step for all.
For myself, I foresee only endless steps taken with Lifebeam's Vi.
As a new owner of the Vi my experience so far has been great. During your initial run the Vi will ask you a lot of questions which is good and is the development of (AI) machine learning. When running you really don't notice or feel the device around your neck which is great. The app is user friendly and offers different running programs.
A couple minor flaws I believe needs to be improved, the feedback from the Bluetooth connection. You'll sometimes hear subtle fuzzy radio like interference. This interference is only heard when your indoors in a quite area. Second, the charging cord is super short and should be made longer.
Overall I am excited to continue to use the Vi I am sure the experience will get better as new releases come out on the app.
Happy running!
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