F50 AdiZERO II 2012; Boot with a brain...

The latest incarnation of the adiZero f50 have been created, and this time, they can monitor your performance. They have been calling this "the boot with the brain" but only time will tell and I think it's accuracy has to be correct and spot on in order for players both professional and amateur to get the benefit from the micoach technology. I have tested the Nike plus and the micoach in running shoes and many times the miles are off and you have to constantly readjust the settings. Only time will tell and I guess many of us Footy fans will not know until we get our hands on a pair.

As for the boots itself, adidas have changed the appearance of the boot to implement new technologies that will aid in support and increase the performance/fit of the boot which is a must in my opinion because too many consumers including myself did not feel like the synthetic version of the boot fit them well at all. With this boot adidas chose to stick with SprintSkin upper rather then the adilite material they have used on the primes which was more forgiving then the Sprintskin and in my opinion it was more form fitting. So maybe the next step is a SL version in this boot where adidas uses the adi lite upper to decrease weight... Only time will tell.

What has made this boot famous and such a hit on the Footy market is that unique outsole that adidas has created called the SprintFrame. With the SprintFrame outsole adidas can drastically decrease the weight of the boot which is a hit with consumers and competitive consumers because they want to be as fast as possible or at least feel light on their feet. With the 2012 adiZERO adidas has gone with the Sprint Frame and to aid in support with this super light weight boot adidas added 3D bridges to the outsole to increase support in the forefoot and in the toe box to help maximize a players change of pace and movement which is what you need if you are wearing a speed boot on the pitch. It is great if it is lightweight but unless it fits your foot and provides a lock down effect your foot will be swimming in the boot which many consumers with narrow feet experienced with the original adiZERO.

Furthermore, this brings me to my next point and after looking at pictures of the 2012 adiZERO it seems as if adidas has done their homework and made adjustments to further improve the fit of this release. If you notice the yellow warning strips all around the boot and are wondering what it is you can stop wondering and searching because it is called Sprint web and it is basically put in place to increase durability and to improve the fit/comfort of the boot. This webbing is basically a TPU overlay that provides support and durability to weak points in the boot. I have seen many times on the current model consumers blow through the toe or the outsidemof the boot which has been a problem. However, with this launch of the 2012 adidas has payed closed attention to the faults of the last adiZERO and really tried to improve the boot which is awesome for fans. Rather then just try to change the color of the boot adidas has obviously listened to consumers and tried to make a better/smarter product in this instance.

Why are they calling this the boot with the brain? No it doesn't do your homework or put the work in for you on the pitch it simply shows your performance on the pitch. With this boot adidas implemented the miCoach system in the base of the boot. The 2012 adiZERO boot includes a cavity in outsole unit which stores the revolutionary miCoach sensor. The miCoach records key stats like distance covered, average and maximum speed either from a game or training session then the information is transmitted to your chosen computer device whether that is a iPod, Pc or MAC. According to adidas press release "The miCoach Speed Sensor captures 360° movement and measures key performance metrics including speed, average speed (recorded every second), maximum speed (recorded every five seconds), number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels, steps, and stride rates. The on-board memory stores all your measurements during your game or training for up to seven hours and then wirelessly transmits the on pitch performance data to your tablet, PC, or MAC"

In addition, A great feature adidas offers you is that you can track your performance via graphs and pie charts. The great Lionel Messi himself will be posting his results online, so you can measure yourself against arguably the best soccer player in the world at the moment. Still waiting for Neymar and and Ronaldo to come play... In the end, this could be an absolute game-changer, just think of the possibilities a coach will have once the entire team is fitted with these boots, complete detailed statistics for every player, all trackable with the click of a button.

The boots are available to pre-order at soccer.com with a 12/1 ship date.