Using your iPhone or iPod Touch as a fitness tool isn’t anything new, but now that support for multitasking is rolling out soon, step-counting apps such as However, before dropping $1 on Footsteps – Pedometer, you may want to give the free version a go. In the full version, I found the step counter to be relatively inaccurate. The device needs to be close to your body, but because the app is so sensitive to motion, I don’t know that it would fare well in a purse. At the same time, the app was equally buggy, constantly forgetting to count steps. Modifying the step lengths may give you better results.
The app stops counting when you receive a text or phone call — something that would maybe change with multitasking. However, once you’ve answered the call, you can relaunch the app and have a conversation while talking. The app is also a battery drain, as it currently has to be running at all times to count, but you can at least lock the screen while the app is running and still see your stats.
An update to Footsteps does integrate the iPod Touch, so you can at least listen to music while you walk or run. The app also lets you create playlists in-app, so you can easily make a custom walking mix.
