Showing posts with label Watch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Watch. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Garmin Fenix 5

It's CES time and DCRainmaker has the scoop on the latest watches from Garmin.

The mapping feature looks very cool, but I don't know how much I'd use it.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Garmin TrueUp

Garmin released a new feature called TrueUp that will sync the data between various devices.

I just checked my Vivosmart HR and, sure enough, it includes all my steps from my 12 mile run this morning that was recorded on my Forerunner 235.

Check DC Rainmaker for all the details.

(He generally recommends that you stick with an ecosystem. So if you have Garmin watch, get a Garmin activity tracker. This feature is a great example of that advice paying off.)

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Vivosmart HR Update

So after about a week, I can't say that I love my Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It just doesn't seem to be that accurate.

Sleep
It says I got 10 hours of sleep last night. Ha. I went to bed at 11:30 PM and got up at 5:00 AM to run. I took it off around 8:00 PM to wash some dishes and somehow that was recorded as sleep.

Heart Rate
I thought it was reading high on both my resting and running heart rate. I did a track workout yesterday and it had my heart rate at 200 bpm for a lot of it.

I'm going to try some of the recommended troubleshooting (tighten the band, swap arms, move it up the arm, have it face the inside the wrist, etc.), but I really wanted it to just work.

Phone Notifications
The phone notifications are a nice. I didn't think I would care, but there is some value in being able to glance at my wrist and not pull the phone from my pocket.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Fitness Friday

Lots of things in the fitness arena converging today...

Running
Bad news for us older folks... the data shows a strong correlation between age and decline in speed:

By age 35, the rates of decline are so predictably linear that this calculator by a Yale economics professor maps out just how slowly you can expect to run the same distance as the years run by.

https://fairmodel.econ.yale.edu/aging/runoth.htm
The good news is that I don't think I've hit my peak yet, so I hope to keep seeing improvements for some years yet.

Cross Training
I've built a fairly large collection of dumbbells that my wife and I use to workout at home. I think something like these Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells would be a good supplement to our home gym. It would keep us from replicating all the weights and definitely would save space. (Our family room is also our gym.)

Fitness Tracker
I bit the bullet and after a small USPS delay, I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It monitors the usual steps and stairs, but I bought it for the heart rate monitor and sleep tracker. In addition to tracking my heart rate throughout the day, it will link to my Garmin GPS watch and share the heart rate information. I've only done that once - it's a little more awkward wearing the two devices than I expected.



The sleep monitoring is cool. I feel like I don't get a lot of quality sleep and I know I get up a lot. I'll have the data to back that up now.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Tech Fatigue

People are getting tried of keeping up with all the changes or maybe most things are good enough.

In the last year, I went from an old 42 inch HDTV LCD to a new, thin Vizio 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV. I upgraded to an iPhone 6. I've had an old iPad Mini for years that I rarely use. I don't have a smart watch. I've had my Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats for a while. I'm not really interested in a drone.
I might upgrade my Garmin GPS running watch or add a fitness band. I geek out over the data, so I'd like to have the heart rate and sleep information that something like the Garmin Vivosmart HR would provide.


Monday, November 16, 2015

Garmin 220

Despite the fact that GPS always overestimates the distance, I still wouldn't run without it. I linked to the Garmin 620 on Friday, but if $200 is too much for your budget, you can try the Garmin 220 for $166.

DC Rainmaker review of the 220 and 620.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Garmin 620

I've enjoyed my Garmin 610 for years now. It's had a few hiccups, but it works and the battery is still going strong, so I'm not inclined to shell out for an upgrade. If I was in the market, I'd definitely grab the Garmin 620, since it is discounted to $200 now.

Via The Wirecutter

Friday, November 14, 2014

GPS vs. Certified Course

An infograph:


I see the difference even on short courses. I have a goal of breaking 20 minutes for a 5k. I've come within three seconds of doing that - except for one race, my time was 19:40 for the course. I don't think I magically gained 20 seconds - and my watch that normally reads high for distances, only reported 3.03 miles.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Dumb Glass

From my Twitter feed:

BenedictEvans Spoke to a big UK broadcaster this week - apparently their strategy team is worried about the TV becoming 'dumb glass'. Nice new jargon...
Thu, Sep 12 13:06:46 from Twitterrific for Mac
retweeted by tim


I can't wait until it is smart enough to filter the ticker that runs across the bottom of my screen, so I can eliminate all those MLB and NBA scores that I don't have any interest in.

Friday, January 20, 2012

MEGA-Watch

What do you call a watch that combines my smartphone, my GPS run tracker, and a Surefire flashlight?

MEGA-Watch!!!

Okay, it doesn't really exist, but just looking at the size of the Surefire alone suggests it would be a large clock, err lantern, err watch. Convergence has its limits today.


Surefire Watch via Says Uncle



Thursday, January 19, 2012

Form Factor and Integration

We want to do more and more with our personal computing devices - smart phones, GPS watches, tablets, etc. We've seen new smart phones get larger, so that we can have bigger screens. The GPS watches are not exactly tiny. Tablets come in a variety of sizes, too.

I think this really is the future - wearable computing. The key will be the integration of these devices in a personal area network (PAN). I'm sure the internal electronics will continue to get smaller, but if the devices can leverage each other, so there isn't so much redundancy, there is a real opportunity do more with less.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Phosphor World Time Sport Watch with E ink

While not a fancy GPS running watch, I like the looks of the Phosphor World Time Sport Watch in orange. (For some strange reason, I like orange stuff.) Since I need to replace my $25 Timex Ironman and I don't think I would wear the 610 all the time, I might drop a "Benjamin" on the Phosphor. From the product page:
"The new World Time Sport with E INK display debuts a state-of-the-art buttonless touch lens operation, allowing for a sleek, ultra-modern look, and the ability to change modes with simple finger swipe across the case. The new World Time Sport offers the ability to select from 24 time zones for one display mode, while optionally displaying a second time zone simultaneously . The dual time zone display can also be configured to simply display the time of day or both the date and time in either over-sized or conventional-sized segments. 
These unique capabilities are packaged in a sleek, ultra-thin, curved case only 9.3mm thick. Incredibly versatile, the new World Time Sport gives you an assortment of different functions and display modes."


Via Geek Dad

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Tempted - Garmin Forerunner 610

So I've been running a bit - even completing a half-marathon recently. As with any hobby, you have to get the toys. I'm so tempted by the Garmin Forerunner 610. I've been using RunKeeper on my Android phone. I really like RunKeeper, but the phone isn't the best solution. However, the Android/RunKeeper solution is free. The watch is $350.

The Virtual Racer feature would be a good training tool.