Portable fitness monitoring systems, and applications thereof

1. A portable fitness monitoring system comprising:

a portable fitness monitoring device;

a sensor in wireless communication with said portable fitness monitoring device for sensing performance parameters during a physical activity conducted by the user and communicating performance parameter data to said portable fitness monitoring device;

a portable music device directly coupled to said portable fitness monitoring device; and

an audio output device directly coupled to said portable fitness monitoring device,

wherein music is transmitted from said portable music device to said audio output device through said portable fitness monitoring device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said sensor is a heart rate sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said sensor is an accelerometer.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said sensor is a heart rate sensor and wherein the system further comprises an accelerometer.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said music device is a digital music file player.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said music device is a mobile phone.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said audio output device is a pair of headphones.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable fitness monitoring device includes output means for communicating performance parameter data to a personal computer.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable fitness monitoring device wirelessly communicates performance parameter data to a server via a network.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable fitness monitoring device is capable of processing a workout routine.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the portable fitness monitoring device receives the workout routine from a computer.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein said workout routine comprises a series of time-based intervals, wherein each interval has an intensity goal.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the intensity goal is heart rate based.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the intensity goal is speed based.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein said portable fitness monitoring device does not include an integrally formed visual display for visually displaying information derived from the performance parameter data.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein performance parameter data is transmitted from said portable fitness monitoring device to a portable visual display device for visually displaying information derived from the performance parameter data to the user during the physical activity.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein said portable fitness monitoring device is a dedicated portable fitness monitoring device.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein said portable fitness monitoring device provides control prompts through said audio output device.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein said portable fitness monitoring device provides control prompts without visual display means.

20. The system of claim 1 , further comprising means for receiving voice activated user input.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein said portable fitness monitoring device may be adapted to be controlled by a user without manual input means.

22. A portable fitness monitoring system comprising:

a portable fitness monitoring device having an audio output for communicating audio performance feedback to a user; and

a music device in communication with said portable fitness monitoring device for communicating music data to the portable audio output through said portable fitness monitoring device,

wherein when music played by the portable audio output is modified by the audio performance feedback, the volume of the audio performance feedback is set based on the volume of the music just prior to the modification.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein volume of the audio performance feedback is set to be equal to the volume of the music just prior to the modification.