Sports gear gets more gadget-y

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sporting goods makers who once treated technology as a threat are boosting revenue with online social-networking tools, mapping programs and wireless gadgets.

The shift is driven by falling costs for global positioning systems (GPS) and other technology, making once-pricey consumer goods affordable. In addition, educators are scrambling to get tech-savvy kids to exercise more.

Start-ups and other companies plunging into the industry are chasing consumers like Robert Parris, a sales and marketing executive in Atlanta shopping for his first set of golf clubs. Parris, 43, likes tech, and has budgeted up to $500 for "the latest and greatest," he says. He'd consider a GPS device, too, "if it makes it easier to find the ball."

Technology has become such a force that the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association is hosting a three-day conference on the subject starting Tuesday. Speakers are to include executives from Google and Nike.

A second service, to be launched in November, lets subscribers track, for example, a runner's marathon progress in real time on Location Nation's site; monthly fees start at $12.95.