Gear Preview -- HangTimer

DropZone Corporation was co-founded in 2004 by a veteran Microsoft product developer of the X-box video game consol. So it’s no wonder that the company’s latest product, the HangTimer (www.hangtimer.com), is billed as “the measurement accessory for those who equate defying gravity as athletic triumph.”

I have yet to huck with this thing, but once I’m ready with skis or a mountain bike, the HangTimer, with its built-in accelerometer, is set to measure my precise time in the air.

It measures the time you are airborne, starting from the moment you leave the ground, and then saving a time the moment it senses you land, er, I mean crash.

Your buddy should have it on video, too, ready for You Tube.

Clip it to a belt loop or in a pocket as close to your waist as possible, and the device senses your leap to record times automatically.

The HangTimer is made for snowboarding, mountain biking, skiing, wakeboarding, BMX, motocross, or any other “watch-me, watch-me!” extreme/stunt action-sport where “getting air” is a primary focus.

Its sensitivity measures to the fraction of a second that you’re up and flying. It keeps a history of your last 10 jumps, your best hangtime, and your average hangtime.

There’s a sensitivity setting, from 0.25 to 2 seconds, to adjust for sport and experience. Like it’ll not need to record as precise for a B.A.S.E. jump as for a five-foot leap on a skateboard.

It’s water resistant to three meters submerged, and, thank goodness, it is “shockproof.” It weighs 2.5 ounces and measures 2.5×3 inches.

Additional features include time and date functions, lap time and temperature.

Available now.

$99

www.hangtimer.com