Review: Getting Fit With Fit Deck for BlackBerry

Fit Deck is an application by MobileXware. The program installs as an application called NexFIT. The application holds a program which is based on exercises placed on slides. The exercises were created by former Navy Seal and ACE certified trainer, Phil Black. The program was originally fitness slides and cards and are now available for the mobile phone as well, which is where the name Fit Deck comes from: the deck of cards.

I really was excited to review this program, especially since I would be able to feel better about justifying my BlackBerry with another reason to be my partner, it can be my personal trainer as well. The Application is easy to use, and can be adapted for all fitness levels: Beginner; Intermediate; and Advanced. They are full body workouts that require no equipment, no gym membership necessary, using the NAVY Seals training of using your own body to keep fit. You can do it as long as you want. The Important Info explains how to use the application.

I installed and used the application on my BlackBerry Curve 8330. When I installed it, it showed up as an X icon. After installing the application and registering it, the menu that comes up has several options: Continue Workout; Shuffle Slides; Sort by Slide Name; Sort by Body Region; Goto Slide; Important Info; Exit; and Register. When the program is registered, you have fifty slides. Each slide tells you how long or how many to do per level. There is an introductory in Important Info that is 9 slides explaining the program and how to use it.
The Pros of the application are that you have your exercises with you wherever you go, it is easy to use and to understand, there is no getting lost or trying to figure it out. The exercises are not hard, because they can be adapted and easy to follow. You don’t have to do all the slides and can do them at your own pace. For instance, they advise each slide take one minute, to warm up and cool down before and after each workout, and they explain about proper hydration and what to watch out for. They also advise doing them every other day, and doing a few to start. I really liked the idea that there were no weights required, that the exercises can be easy and be made challenging to challenge and build strength no matter what your level of fitness is. There’s no more investments to be made outside the program itself.

The cons were that there is no place to include your weight or measurements, which would be a way of keeping track of progress. I would really have liked to have seen this included with the program. It would be nice as well for it to keep track of when you were last on, although it does remember the last slide you last viewed. Perhaps in the future they may include it, or it would be nice if they left an online site that you can log in and place your measurements or weight if it’s not included with the phone program. If you are not a self starter or have the will power to do it on your own, this may be hard to use unless you make your BlackBerry your partner in this quest for fitness.
I would rate the user friendliness as five stars, because it’s very easy and the concept is very nice. For presentation I would give it nearly four stars because it’s very basic, but it’s based upon the deck of fitness cards and looks just like them. And over all I would give the application four stars because of the lack of what it could include to make it a very impressive application.

Rating:

FitDeck is now available in the BlackBerry Sync Store for only $14.95 – Click here for details

Compatible Devices: BlackBerry 8100 (Pearl), 8110 (Pearl), 8120 (Pearl), 8130 (Pearl), 8220 (Pearl Flip), 8300 (Curve), 8310 (Curve), 8320 (Curve), 8330 (Curve), 8350i (Curve), 8700c, 8700f, 8700g, 8700r, 8700v, 8703e, 8705g, 8707g, 8707h, 8707v, 8800, 8820, 8830, 8900 (Curve), 9000 (Bold), Curve, Pearl, Storm