Adidas and Samsung have teamed up for a new twist in training — a mobile phone that can coach.

The German athletics company and South Korean electronics firm announced Thursday they have developed a mobile phone that works with Adidas shoes and apparel to plan, track and motivate users in training.

The device directs and motivates users during workouts by combining a mobile phone, heart rate monitor, stride sensor, MP3 player and the voice of an electronic “personal coach.”

MiCoach hits retail stores in Europe that month and will roll out in the United States in 2009. It will cost about $300 to $600 (EU200 to EU400) in Europe, depending on the service plan users choose. U.S. pricing has not been set.

“This is the most advanced coaching system that is out there,” said Andrea Corso, spokeswoman for Adidas U.S.

The new Adidas-Samsung collaboration is the latest of several

tech-sport partnerships. Most comparable is Nike Inc. and Apple Inc.’s Nike+, a wireless system that allows Nike running shoes embedded with a sensor to communicate with Apple’s iPod Nano. An update that week allows users to plug their iPods into gym equipment and track their training there as well.

MiCoach is a bit more expansive considering it includes a mobile phone and a camera. It plus helps runners set goals and thereupon reach them by monitoring their heart rates and telling them when to slow down or speed up to meet a goal for distance, fitness or calorie burn.

“This about getting to the next level, whether that is running a mile or running a marathon,” Corso said.

Adidas will offer equipment and clothing for runners to attach miCoach and the heart monitor to themselves. The sensor can be attached to any shoe.

Orginal post by Top Tech News