• by May 31, 2006

As we all try to get into shape for the summer, you may be interested to know that Nike will market a new product that can talk to Apple's iPod. The Nike+iPod Sports Kit ($29) hooks up to the iPod and can tell you how far you've run, so your sneakers can communicate with your ever-present iPod.

The wireless device can estimate distance, time, pace and calories, all of which turn up on the nano version of the iPod via a sensor inside the sneakers. The kit is expected at retail within two months.

Nike says its Nike+ Air Zoom Moire sneaker is the first shoe designed to work with the system. Apple will also offer a Nike Sport Music section on its iTunes music store.

Seguing to online ad forecasts, since we are just about at June 1--halfway through 2006--we remind you that eMarketer projects that Internet ad spending in the U.S. will grow by 25 percent this year to reach $15.6 billion by year-end. In 2005, that figure was $12.5 billion and in 2004 it was $9.6 billion.

Spending of online video advertising, in the U.S. this segment is set to nearly triple from 2005 to 2007, according to eMarketer, growing from $225 million in 2005, to $640 million in 2007. By 2009, the online data aggregator projects it will reach $1.5 billion.