As of posting this all sizes from 6.5 to 9.5 available
Hi-Tec’s new smart shoes are a big step-forward in intuitive navigation. Find your way around any city or navigate the trails hands free without the need of a map or compass. Simply download the free Letchal app onto your phone, set your destination and connect to your new smart shoes with Bluetooth and just start walking. Inside the shoes sits the Haptic vibratory feedback receptors which vibrate when approaching junctions signalling which way you need to turn. Vibration sequences will also tell you when you have taken a wrong turn. The technological ingenuity continues in the construction of the shoe with a durable Michelin Outsole for grip, a lightweight XLR8 midsole for feedback and a waterproof Dri-Tec™ upper. The worlds first self-navigating shoes from Hi-Tec Smart shoe direction - Lechal vibrating navigator pods use Haptic technology to guide you in the right direction 100% waterproof protection - Dri-Tec™ and i-shield™ waterproof technology and a gusseted bellowed tongue to keep out dirt and debris Premium durability - tough ballistic leather uppers Comfort - padded tongue and collar Wicking lining - micro-fleece inner helps vent excess heat vapour Contoured grippy outsole - Michelin rubber outsole delivers multi-surface traction Supported devices - Android 4.3 and newer, iPhone 4s and newer, iPad 3rd Gen and newer and iPad mini and newer Connectivity - Bluetooth® Smart Recommended activity - hiking / walking
All comments (118)
v5535
23 Jul 17#1
Whaat
M_z
23 Jul 17#2
"Haptic vibratory feedback receptors" sounds more Ann Summers than Blacks ...
xstevo99
23 Jul 17#3
literally walk you home when you are drunk
davemhaynes to xstevo99
23 Jul 17#4
Assuming you can remember where you live lol. Programme them before u get hammered I guess :smile:
horton_graham
23 Jul 17#5
It's not 1st April
OldEngine
23 Jul 17#6
I couldn't resist it
jona77
23 Jul 17#7
Funniest product I've heard for ages heat added! oO
creepyg
23 Jul 17#8
Oof! They had me at 'gusseted bellowed tongue'
balluji
23 Jul 17#9
... it's the wrong shoes, grommet!
exsportssci
23 Jul 17#10
Saw the title Hi tech's was £230 and had to come on here for the bant. Reminds me when my mum got me Hi tech basketball trainners when everyone had Reebok pumps on the school playground in the early 90s, Hi techs were not cool, wonder if these smart ones could have walked me away from the school bully waiting afterschool lol
xenophon to exsportssci
24 Jul 17#61
In the 80's Hi Tecs were sought after, you would have been one of the in-crowd. Fast forward a decade and now persona non grata. Alas born too late.
.
Dr_Lovegod
23 Jul 17#11
What will they think of next
SusieM
23 Jul 17#12
Brilliant for visually impaired.
tek-monkey
23 Jul 17#13
Was just thinking that.
sydney871
23 Jul 17#14
Wow sounds good. Tempted.... and it's waterproof.
Ev0lution
23 Jul 17#15
Haptic feedback?
Do I hear Ready Player One?
Psalm23_UK
23 Jul 17#16
I put my mates on by mistake last week and it took me to his house. Well it's been great his wife is a much better cook than mine!
noddle36
23 Jul 17#17
These use to be a very cheap brand when I was younger. Blacks seem to have other sites selling the same product with the same logo but a different colour and ultimateoutdoors.com has a link to this site to share a deal:
How do you recharge them? Surely the haptic feedback and Bluetooth connection require power of some sort......
Or do they contain their own self sustaining power source?
only1
23 Jul 17#19
You mean hi tech have finally grappled with nucular fission and won? Well done chaps!
starguardian22
23 Jul 17#20
thanks for the info noddle, it was helpful xx
roda13
23 Jul 17#21
6.5 lmao.
rumble
23 Jul 17#22
Brilliant idea....until you're half way through an unfamiliar walk and the signal/battery or whatever fails.
RoosterNo1
23 Jul 17#23
When I was a kid, I had shoes with a compass in the heel ! (and that was 50 years ago)
tek-monkey
23 Jul 17#24
Some sort of kinetic energy capture system from pressure changes in the heel?
pedd
23 Jul 17#25
Anyone know what the sizing will be like on these? I'm usually a nine, but with merrells you have to go a size up
IronGlaive
23 Jul 17#26
Wonder if these Hi-tec's also allow you to run on water too like some of their other pairs were shown to do
tek-monkey
23 Jul 17#27
I'm a 10 in merrels so trying to decide if its worth risking a 9.5 in these.
WheresMeNuts
23 Jul 17#28
Does this mean that if I'm in the pub (instead of my work) & my wife decides to connect to my iphones Bluetooth, her wee shoes will vibrate her wee feet all the way to the pub I'm in & I'm caught out?
tek-monkey
23 Jul 17#29
Did some research, decided I wanted them. Largest now is 8.5 so guess I missed out!
DealJourno
23 Jul 17#30
OOS in size 9.5
DirtyPixel
23 Jul 17#31
SOOOOOO tempted - just for the Geek Factor :face_with_monocle:
memyhead
23 Jul 17#32
Great find!
Even if you don't use them for the tech, they are a quality walking/hiking shoe...
Also, use code NEWSU for extra 15% off at Blacks
t.rex
23 Jul 17#33
now £45........guess they didn't sell too well at £230 :wink:
davidridge1
23 Jul 17#34
Do you get a pair for the £45?
bluraymond
23 Jul 17#35
Hey, I think your spell checker might be on auto!:D
mutley1
23 Jul 17#36
looks like they have perfected and enhanced the design of wallace's techno trousers at last. lol :joy:
ezzer72
23 Jul 17#37
Me too, it really hurt!
quakerphil to ezzer72
24 Jul 17#83
Sorry, that's not a compass I'm afraid.
grv999
23 Jul 17#38
£230 for Hi Tech's. Wowzer.
DirtyPixel
23 Jul 17#39
If only I'd waited 10 minutes to see your discount code! Never mind, went for it anyway and returning a pair of Adidas I got here last week for pretty much the same price - these look much better and had the added bonus of geek :wink:
Not sure the navigation tech would be good for hiking mind you, as some of the reviews I've read seem to suggest it only follows mapped streets, and even struggled in Central Park, NY, compared to the decent performance on the streets.
Gonna be fun regardless. Cheers OP :smile:
MrZippo
23 Jul 17#40
Worth a punt for under £40 with collect at a local JD sports. Thanks for the code memyhead and thanks to the OP melamino for the heads up.
SS41
23 Jul 17#41
Is this a p i?? take or is mike ashley on his 20 pints a night pub crawl.
£230 rrp for hi tec?
Yeah right.
yant to SS41
24 Jul 17#68
Amusing. The only reason some peoples appear to find these shoes overpriced is because they are branded "Hi Tec". Nothing to do with the quality of the shoes or the technology in them. I guess if they were Nike or Vans (or whatever is trendy nowadays?) the price would be considered OK then? Or if they were endorsed by big name footballer maybe?
For what it's worth, I personally really rate these for indoor sports: hi-tec.co.uk/men…tml. Grippy, light and at this price, you can afford a new pair when they get worn out. But maybe my problems is that I rate them because of how they feel in my feet, on the court rather than if they have a "cool" brand name.
Daveaka
23 Jul 17#42
I'll not bother with a walk today. Im charging my shoes
DirtyPixel
23 Jul 17#43
'Twas the original price on Hi-Tec's own site to be fair:
I just hope the orifice is only used to insert one's foot.
komi
23 Jul 17#46
App is called lechal and not letchal (no T), full name is lechal gps navigation footwear (socre is 3.9 on android app)
buttondup
23 Jul 17#47
Don't you mean Cold Fusion?
Robbo11
23 Jul 17#48
Same here. They were called Tuff Wayfinders and had a compass in the heel and mine had animal tracks on the soles. I thought they were the biz back in the 60's as a kid.
salty35
23 Jul 17#49
Omg that was my school days aswel!
Stealth_Fox
23 Jul 17#50
Black's and Hi-Tec are both owned by Mike Ashley now aren't they?
format
23 Jul 17#51
sound like an utter waste of time and money and i would have ordered a pair if they still had them in my size - only 6.5 and 7.5 left across the various linked sites :worried:
SS41
23 Jul 17#52
You can put any price or rrp for a certain number of days to comply with the law so you can reduce them to a much lower price.
Doen't mean anybody bought them at the price.
Ashley's stores are very good at this sharp practice.
soldierboy001 to SS41
24 Jul 17#74
Ashley bought the manufacturers so he could price as he likes, just does not mean they were worth that price.
Fixitgel
23 Jul 17#53
How come they don't make these for women? I did a google search for women's navigator shoes and no results, guess us women cannot afford them as the men at the BBC get paid more and they just presuming we got less money.
VDisillusioned
24 Jul 17#54
You lucky beggar, I remember them and desperately wanted a pair, but fat chance of my mum buying anything so frivolous.
B_T
24 Jul 17#55
Just got size 8
format
24 Jul 17#56
women can ask for directions, men need shoes that direct them where to go as they'd rather end up 10 miles away than suffer that indignity.
ezzer72
24 Jul 17#57
Surely you know your way around the kitchen by now? :wink:
baalberith
24 Jul 17#58
was me!!!! lol I could sell to you full price?. they only had one looks like I've even can't wait!.
Tweedie to baalberith
24 Jul 17#60
second hand now mate, so, really, its only a bargain at half of the price you paid, but I'll do you a favour - £30!
By the way, looks like the page is down - probably OOS
BigD83
24 Jul 17#59
I looked at these once, daft idea and the tech makes the shoe really heavy, I wouldn't bother but a good price if you did want them.
simba2585
24 Jul 17#62
I don't think those buying these actually realise they are buying HI TEC branded shoes....must be mistaking them for a latest and greatest high tech innovation of footwear oO
TBC15
24 Jul 17#63
Reduced as the latest ones with public house bar park assist are coming out next month.
knocik
24 Jul 17#64
Where is USB port to charge it?
cannibalwombat
24 Jul 17#65
Neat idea, but seems like best use would be turn-by-turn navigation in a city. Who wants to wear hiking boots to walk around a city? Places you might actually be 'hiking' surely it's a case of "walk in that direction for a few miles over that big hill" and that's even if you can get data/GPS signal!
davidbrent
24 Jul 17#66
Hi Tec 'em back if I were you.
sean316
24 Jul 17#67
Thanks, these will go nicely with my Crosshatch t-shirt and Henleys jeans
Daves_mate
24 Jul 17#69
I never buy shoes that don't have wifi or 4K resolution!!!
People are now gonna be in the newspapers with their best `sad faces` for following sat nav guided shoes over train tracks, into rivers and off cliffs.
Sdolwane2000
24 Jul 17#72
Once the Michelin tyre threads become illegal and of course to avoid getting points, do they do a cheap replacement tyre
Maverick77
24 Jul 17#73
Can't help but think about this :
"Sometimes, I think it's cruel giving machines a personality. My mate Petersen once bought a pair of shoes with Artificial Intelligence. 'Smart Shoes' they were called. It was a neat idea. No matter how blind drunk you were, they could always get you home. But he got rattled one night in Oslo and woke up the next morning in Burma.
You see, his shoes got bored going from his local to his flat. They wanted to see the world, you know. He had a hell of a job getting rid of them. No matter who he sold them to, they'd show up again the next day. He tried to shut them out, but they just kicked the door down.
The last thing I heard, they sort of... robbed a car and drove it into a canal. They couldn't steer, you see..Petersen was really, really blown away about it. He went to see a priest. The priest told him... he said it was alright and all that, when shoes are happy that they'd get into heaven.
You see, it turns out shoes have soles."
[Red Dwarf, S02E05]
gaijintendo
24 Jul 17#75
Don't step on my Bluetooth shoes.
sparklehedgehog
24 Jul 17#77
Try being ginger too! I had no hope....
SammyTSquib
24 Jul 17#78
Typical. Missed it. Just getting a 'page not found' error now.
Update: Ooh you know what, looking at the feedback on the Android app, plus the fact that its highly unlikely to now get fixed...probably best I missed it after all.
19batman79
24 Jul 17#79
Totally agree still not cool
porshacat
24 Jul 17#80
So, men can now get Bluetooth, guidance shoes! WTF? Bet they don't guide them to the kitchen sink, the laundry, past the rim of the toilet, or to a woman's G spot!!
19batman79
24 Jul 17#81
Plastic bag is also waterproof
DamienB
24 Jul 17#82
Sometimes, I think it's cruel giving machines a personality. My mate Petersen once bought a pair of shoes with Artificial Intelligence. 'Smart Shoes' they were called. It was a neat idea: no matter how blind drunk you were, they could always get you home. But he got ratted one night in Oslo and woke up the next morning in Burma. You see, the shoes got bored just going from his local to the flat. They wanted to see the world, like, you know. He had a hell of a job getting rid of them. No matter who he sold them to, they'd show up again the next day. He tried to shut them out, but they just kicked the door down, you know. Last thing he heard, they'd sort of, erm, robbed a car and drove it into a canal. They couldn't steer, you see. Petersen was really, really blown away about it. He went to see a priest. The priest told him... he said it was alright and all that, like, and that the shoes were happy and that they'd gone to heaven. You see, it turns out shoes have 'soles'.
NeilV
24 Jul 17#84
It's not being a sheep & following the crowd that has made you the person you are today. Well done your Mum!!
baalberith
24 Jul 17#85
Size 10 came back in stock now gone but I got size 10 yay! thanks to the op!!!!! deal of the year!
Tweedie to baalberith
24 Jul 17#93
had a size 10 in my basket but couldn't complete the purchase as someone (ie probably you) swiped it!
RoosterNo1
24 Jul 17#86
Hubby left the cellar door open again ?
gtd65
24 Jul 17#87
Clark's Commandos if I recall correctly?
scuzzlebutt
24 Jul 17#88
Is it April 1st
Rickardo
24 Jul 17#89
This is not an Ashley store - Sports Direct own a small part of JDSports PLC (6%?), who own Blacks, but as seen by their more successful profits, JD operate completely separately.
dereklogan7
24 Jul 17#90
Me too. Completely forgot about them. I was in the Scouts at the time. X)
retrend
24 Jul 17#91
I wonder if they sold any of these at £230.
OldEngine
24 Jul 17#92
Got mine today, they are just charging up.
LazarusGravity
24 Jul 17#94
Wayfinders! Animal-print soles. Different gravy!
dandman8484
24 Jul 17#95
If they have GPS, I'm buying them for my girlfriend
watchcam
24 Jul 17#96
Which marketing genius thought of this idea? No wonder they are being cleared.
Rickardo
24 Jul 17#97
No, unless very recently happened. Sports Direct own a small part of JDSports PLC (6%?), who own Blacks, but would not have significant influence. I don't think Hi-Tec have any connection to Ashley at all.
Ralph888
24 Jul 17#98
All gone as of 11-10am monday
HotChulent
24 Jul 17#99
OOS?
commenter14
24 Jul 17#100
Hi Tec shoes are not worth £45. Some silly Bluetooth gimmick doesn't change that.
StolenDiagram
25 Jul 17#101
Has anyone used these yet? Mine got delivered to store today to collect after work, just curious to see if someone with the android app has it working or not.
NuttyShopper0
26 Jul 17#102
Sizes 6.5 and 7 are back!
StolenDiagram
26 Jul 17#103
Does anyone have any advice on how best to remove and then re-insert the soles? It's a real struggle :disappointed:
nasteestu
26 Jul 17#104
removing.. was fairly straight forward.. i just lifted from the instep/middle,down from the tongue get a finger underneath then lift out from the heel , came out easily .. not sure about getting bck in, will have to wait for it to charge.
pretty heavy shoes :smile:
OldEngine
26 Jul 17#105
I have been trying them out today, the shoes are good very well made and grippy, I would pay £45 for them by themselves. The app is a bit iffy with frequent disconnects, probably not so great for navigating. The step counter is very accurate and works well when it syncs up to the phone. Navigation only works when the screen is on but it did work ok and told me the right way, I would just be worried about disconnects.
hemanpaul87
26 Jul 17#106
Just brought a size 9. Worth a punt for £40
zggb0b
27 Jul 17#107
Just went on this expired link again out of curiosity as I was gutted that I had missed out on them.... to my surprise, there was a pair available in 10.5, so snapped them up with the 15% discount. Welcome to Wallace World! :grin: :wink:
MrZippo
27 Jul 17#108
Well I got the trainers today but unfortunately the app doesn't load on my galaxy s8.
I decided to restart my phone and it's working now, just downloading the maps and charging the pods now. will probably do a test run on the weekend. The trainers themselves are very well made only downfall is that they are a tad on the heavy side.
hemanpaul87
28 Jul 17#109
Got mine in the post today. I noticed in the box there was receipt purchased from Millets Exeter for £39.20 in early June.. I've also noticed the separate box with the batteries and charger has already been opened as the seal is broke. So I'm guessing I have a returned item. I have put the batteries on charge and will try it out tomorrow. Hopefully I haven't got a faulty pair.
Has anyone else came across this?
DirtyPixel
30 Jul 17#110
If you're an Android user, I think they're faulty be default I'm afraid. I had no luck connecting after charging and adding registration details, but then tried using the Fecebook account link and they connected. I updated the firmware, but didn't restart and messed around with them walking and on my bike - seemed to be working fine. Left them connected for a quick car journey, but they disconnected when I went in to a petrol station and I've not been able to connect them since.
Rebooted the phone and the pod scanning interface looked different, so guessing the firmware update had applied, but doesn't seem to have done anything to help connection. Tried everything I can think of, but my phone will flat out not connect to the pods any more.
Android app is absolute garbage in my experience, but like the shoes themselves so going to keep them. Don't hold out much hope for selling the pods on their own - not a single reference on them on eBay. I'f I'd paid £230 for them, I recon I'd be swinging from my nearest big tree by now :disappointed:
melamino
30 Jul 17#111
If anybody missed out on these they do have size 9.5 only at the same price at this place
Removal I've found pretty easy. The insole is quite raised on the inner foot side where it supports you arch - just get your finger under that part and they pull out quite easily.
Re-fitting was a bit (LOT!!) more fiddly at first, but I've got it down to a pretty quick method now. Put the toe end of the insole on your open hand so that the end lines up roughly with the end of your finger tips. Cup your hand / fingers slightly, then slide your hand as far into the shoe as you can - if your fingers can touch the toe end of the shoe, even better. While doing this, gently push on the heel of the sole and when you think the toe end is as far as it can go, remove your hand and the heel end of the sole should push home with a bit of force.
Check the toe end has seated correctly by running you hand inside the shoe again and it's all good. The sole itself is quite rigid, which helps with the above process.
Hope that helps :wink:
DirtyPixel
30 Jul 17#113
So seemingly my trying 'everything' wasn't actually everything (_;) Just found a video on the Lechal site showing how to reset the pods themselves, and would you believe it - it worked!
No, I didn't read the manual :wink:
B_T
30 Jul 17#114
Looks like there were two versions of the lechal pods - Silver (one in my shoe, also called essential) and black (premium - current version on their site).
Any ideal what the differences are - lots of sites say battery life is around 15 days for the premium version but no info on the essential version.
bellboys
31 Jul 17#115
What's the sizing like? I'm normally a 10 but may go for the 9.5s.
zggb0b to bellboys
11 Aug 17#117
I managed to get hold of a 10.5 UK size a couple of days ago... delivered today. I am a size 10 normally, but the 10.5 was spot on and comfortable.. Just a heads up... this deal is still running with Blacks in restricted sizes... changes day by day, so worth keeping a regular check if anybody wants a pair.. Set everything up, went for a walk to get the hang of it and the App.(IOS) ... seemed to work OK Will give it a more rigorous try out tomorrow now I understand the process a bit better. Hot from me..... :grin:
russellnaguicnic
2 Aug 17#116
If the bluetooth fails can you do a reset like taking the shoes off and putting on again?
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Opening post
m.ultimateoutdoors.com/pro…13/
As of posting this all sizes from 6.5 to 9.5 available
Hi-Tec’s new smart shoes are a big step-forward in intuitive navigation. Find your way around any city or navigate the trails hands free without the need of a map or compass. Simply download the free Letchal app onto your phone, set your destination and connect to your new smart shoes with Bluetooth and just start walking. Inside the shoes sits the Haptic vibratory feedback receptors which vibrate when approaching junctions signalling which way you need to turn. Vibration sequences will also tell you when you have taken a wrong turn. The technological ingenuity continues in the construction of the shoe with a durable Michelin Outsole for grip, a lightweight XLR8 midsole for feedback and a waterproof Dri-Tec™ upper. The worlds first self-navigating shoes from Hi-Tec Smart shoe direction - Lechal vibrating navigator pods use Haptic technology to guide you in the right direction 100% waterproof protection - Dri-Tec™ and i-shield™ waterproof technology and a gusseted bellowed tongue to keep out dirt and debris Premium durability - tough ballistic leather uppers Comfort - padded tongue and collar Wicking lining - micro-fleece inner helps vent excess heat vapour Contoured grippy outsole - Michelin rubber outsole delivers multi-surface traction Supported devices - Android 4.3 and newer, iPhone 4s and newer, iPad 3rd Gen and newer and iPad mini and newer Connectivity - Bluetooth® Smart Recommended activity - hiking / walking
All comments (118)
.
Do I hear Ready Player One?
ultimateoutdoors.com/men…85/
millets.co.uk/foo…71/
Or do they contain their own self sustaining power source?
Even if you don't use them for the tech, they are a quality walking/hiking shoe...
Also, use code NEWSU for extra 15% off at Blacks
Not sure the navigation tech would be good for hiking mind you, as some of the reviews I've read seem to suggest it only follows mapped streets, and even struggled in Central Park, NY, compared to the decent performance on the streets.
Gonna be fun regardless. Cheers OP :smile:
Thanks for the code memyhead and thanks to the OP melamino for the heads up.
£230 rrp for hi tec?
Yeah right.
For what it's worth, I personally really rate these for indoor sports: hi-tec.co.uk/men…tml. Grippy, light and at this price, you can afford a new pair when they get worn out. But maybe my problems is that I rate them because of how they feel in my feet, on the court rather than if they have a "cool" brand name.
hi-tec.co.uk/men…tml
Doen't mean anybody bought them at the price.
Ashley's stores are very good at this sharp practice.
By the way, looks like the page is down - probably OOS
"Sometimes, I think it's cruel giving machines a personality. My mate Petersen once bought a pair of shoes with Artificial Intelligence. 'Smart Shoes' they were called. It was a neat idea. No matter how blind drunk you were, they could always get you home. But he got rattled one night in Oslo and woke up the next morning in Burma.
You see, his shoes got bored going from his local to his flat. They wanted to see the world, you know. He had a hell of a job getting rid of them. No matter who he sold them to, they'd show up again the next day. He tried to shut them out, but they just kicked the door down.
The last thing I heard, they sort of... robbed a car and drove it into a canal. They couldn't steer, you see..Petersen was really, really blown away about it. He went to see a priest. The priest told him... he said it was alright and all that, when shoes are happy that they'd get into heaven.
You see, it turns out shoes have soles."
[Red Dwarf, S02E05]
Update: Ooh you know what, looking at the feedback on the Android app, plus the fact that its highly unlikely to now get fixed...probably best I missed it after all.
pretty heavy shoes :smile:
I decided to restart my phone and it's working now, just downloading the maps and charging the pods now. will probably do a test run on the weekend. The trainers themselves are very well made only downfall is that they are a tad on the heavy side.
Has anyone else came across this?
Rebooted the phone and the pod scanning interface looked different, so guessing the firmware update had applied, but doesn't seem to have done anything to help connection. Tried everything I can think of, but my phone will flat out not connect to the pods any more.
Android app is absolute garbage in my experience, but like the shoes themselves so going to keep them. Don't hold out much hope for selling the pods on their own - not a single reference on them on eBay. I'f I'd paid £230 for them, I recon I'd be swinging from my nearest big tree by now :disappointed:
m.ultimateoutdoors.com/pro…13/
Re-fitting was a bit (LOT!!) more fiddly at first, but I've got it down to a pretty quick method now. Put the toe end of the insole on your open hand so that the end lines up roughly with the end of your finger tips. Cup your hand / fingers slightly, then slide your hand as far into the shoe as you can - if your fingers can touch the toe end of the shoe, even better. While doing this, gently push on the heel of the sole and when you think the toe end is as far as it can go, remove your hand and the heel end of the sole should push home with a bit of force.
Check the toe end has seated correctly by running you hand inside the shoe again and it's all good. The sole itself is quite rigid, which helps with the above process.
Hope that helps :wink:
No, I didn't read the manual :wink:
Any ideal what the differences are - lots of sites say battery life is around 15 days for the premium version but no info on the essential version.