Home Forums
TSMF-Forum  


No Nanos allowed.
Date: 2009/09/22 16:50 By: KatiePery Status: User  
Karma: 0  
Platinum Boarder

Posts: 1388
graph
MP3 players are a frequent sight at most health clubs, but the new iPod Nano from Apple is turning heads.

The controversy is brewing over the video camera and recording feature that is now included on the new Nano, making a popular music player at gyms and health clubs into a potential tool to violate someone's privacy, WISC-TV in Madison reported.

In fact, Life Time Fitness, a major health club chain in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., has restricted the use of the new Nano, saying that it fears people may use it inappropriately by taking videos of people working out or in locker rooms.

At Gold's Gym in Fitchburg, they aren't taking that step but are instead keeping a firm stance on their policy that prohibits the use of recording devices in the building.

"Certainly, you can't micromanage every person in your facility," said Michael Benso, general manager of Gold's Gym.

Most new cardio machines -- including stationary bikes and stair climbers -- have built-in ports for iPods that allow users to plug them in and watch a video as they're working out. So, saying "no" to the nano may be a hard rule to enforce.

Benso said he trusts members of the gym to police the rules themselves by reporting any violations, and he said his staff is always on the lookout to protect members' privacy.

"There have been instances out there with other facilities that may have happened, and our policy is pretty strict -- if you violate the policy, we don't allow the member back into the facility," Benso said.

Privacy policies have always been an issue for health clubs. Most, if not all, began introducing policies prohibiting cell phones in locker rooms when they started coming equipped with cameras.

Although some clubs that have invested in iPod-dock machines may be scratching their heads over this new challenge, Benso said that iPods and other music players are great tools that motivate people to hit the gym more often.
The administrator has disabled public write access.

Articles

elite

Elitecashwire
Elitecashwire

 

Section