Nike+ and Earndit - Why can't we all just get along?

Today I will tell you a tale of two websites.  It's related to running.

Nike+ or Nike Running is better known as "that thing that works with your iPod".  I got my Nike kit when I finished grad school and I've been using it on and off ever since.  June 2012 marks the first serious re-design of the website that I remember.

The new website has a nicer cleaner look, and gives some good information.  For example, you can tell from this that I haven't been running with my iPod very much lately.

I love all the random new data that just appears, like what days I like to run (Mondays) and how far I like to go.  Not too far.  Apparently, I will exercise any old time.  Morning, noon or night.

 
The graphs of the runs look a lot better too.  The graphics are bigger and color coded by pace so it's more clear what was happening. 
The only flaw I can find in the new website - they seem to have lost the setting for 'use the most data points possible' which makes the line have lots of peaks and valleys but also be accurate.  Today, that flat line at the end should be way more like the beginning of the run becuase I was running in really short intervals. It looks like I ran one long slow interval instead. 

Even with the new shiny website (and I do like it; even works better on my iPod) there's some serious downfalls to the Nike+ system. 
Issue number 1 - I can't tell the system when I'm using it to track a walk, a walk/run, or just a run and the senor is too dumb to tell the difference.  So it tracks my progress as if the only thing I ever do is run.  That sort of screws up pace accuracy and wildly screws up "calories burned" accuracy.
Issue number 2 - I love that I can create my own workouts based on how many minutes, miles or calories I run.  I hate that I can't program an interval workout.  You work with Couch to 5K, so I know you can do this.  I should be able to make the voice tell me time is passing in some interval other than every five minutes.
Issue number 3 - calibration is hopeless and rarely, if ever, correct.  Perhaps if it could tell the difference between running and walking.  The calibration impacts the distances reported.  So, according to Nike, I am this fast:

I effing wish I had a 24:00 5K.  (World record for  5K is 14:11, by the way.)  I know where I was on January 10, 2009 and there's no way in the world I ran a 7:19 mile that day. 

With all of these shortcomings, why do I use Nike+?  Because the music player on my Android phone sucks rocks and my phone's GPS is spotty at best.  And because Nike+ can talk to this other website.  Which brings me to....

EarndIt is a site I read about on someone else's blog.  It syncs with several different fitness apps (including Nike+ and excluding Endomondo - lame) and gives you points for your workouts.  There's points for running, biking, and I think some other things that some of the apps track.  Points can be turned into gift certificates to some places that I've never heard of but have the potential to be cool including Shoebuy.com which looked promising until they didn't have any Brooks in stock; Akinz which I'd love if I ever cared about clothes (although a fat gift certificate is a step in the right direction); and fifteen thousand kinds of energy bars, drinks and snacks.  You can also donate to charities like  Heifer International and Zim Kids which helps kids in Zimbabwe raise chickens.

I was really excited about this website.  There's one place where you can make your own energy bars, like right down to do you want a puffy rice base or an oat base and how chewy should it be.  I cannot wait! 

And then the Nike+ update happened.

And now, none of my new workouts will update.  Earndit swears it's not their fault and they're working with Nike to make their new website still talk to the Earndit database.   For those of you using RunKeeper, MapMyRun, FitBit or BodyMedia fit - log in and let me know what you think of the site. 

If I ever get a reward, I'll write an update.