Hi-tech gear for tomorrow's traveler

As if to prove that wireless RFID (or near-field) technology really is the future, Japanese healthcare specialist Tanita has managed to fit it into one of the most humble gadgets on the market -- a common pedometer.

Tanita’s ¥7,035 ($77) FB-730 (PDF) is a dull-looking step-counter designed to be worn on a waistband, but which comes with a trick up its sleeve.

Instead of just giving a readout of distance traveled and calories burned, the device shoots the data off to a nearby RFID travel card of the type common on train and bus networks in Japan, Hong Kong and London.

Whether you’re holding a Suica card, an Octopus or an Oyster, the technology’s the same -– the card holds data such as prepaid balance, a monthly pass or, in this case, a workout summary.

Once home, the data can be synced with a PC and uploaded to the company’s Karada Karute (Body Card) website, where ongoing progress can be monitored or, most likely, ignored after the first few spins round the staggeringly complex maze of options.

Although Tanita’s system currently works only in Japan, the possibility of taking the combined healthcare and travel card global is clear.

Tanita’s elderly target customers aren’t likely to wander too far on the daily constitutional, but if they do there’s always the option of tracking them using the new Trackstick Mini, a GPS route recorder that promises unprecedented accuracy.

The US$300 gizmo monitors every aspect of any trip, from location and travel speed to altitude and even temperature. Naturally, the whole record can be uploaded to a website or even combined with geotagged photos snapped en route.

One last piece of travel gear that might appeal to tech fans is the upcoming Potenco PCG1 Personal Device Charger, which does precisely that -– it juices up a range of portable gadgets.

Although Potenco is still looking for funding to actually market the product, the ability to pull a ripcord and charge anything that can be powered up via a USB is very compelling.

The company says yanking the chain for a minute is enough to power an MP3 player (read, iPod) for six hours or a phone for 20 minutes of talk time. We’re keeping our eyes peeled for this one, so come on angel investors.