Fitness watches?

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fizzychicken

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#1297867 4-May-2015 19:12

Geektastic:

Bit the bullet Fizzy. Fenix should arrive Weds. Bought from same place: rang Wellington store direct and managed a small discount to boot!

nice, which one did you get?
I got the stainless steel with normal strap and HRM bundle (which I think they all have maybe?)
bought and extra strap (yellow) from garmin too as i have a tendency to break straps on every watch ever somehow?

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Geektastic

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#1297963 4-May-2015 22:44

fizzychicken:
Geektastic:

Bit the bullet Fizzy. Fenix should arrive Weds. Bought from same place: rang Wellington store direct and managed a small discount to boot!

nice, which one did you get?
I got the stainless steel with normal strap and HRM bundle (which I think they all have maybe?)
bought and extra strap (yellow) from garmin too as i have a tendency to break straps on every watch ever somehow?

I got the sapphire one with no HRM. It's very unlikely I would require that functionality. If it was built in like the Fitbit ones I may use it just because it is there, but I do not expect to become an athlete at the age of almost 50 to be honest! Anyway, it's easy and inexpensive to add if I want it at a future time.

I worked out what they charged me for it and it is exactly what the US price is, so no complaints there (in fact it is technically cheaper, since my price includes 15% sales tax and US prices do not show that). The guy in the store said they had one, it came in yesterday! He said they are hard to get and Garmin can take months to fill their orders.

Quinny

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#1298061 5-May-2015 09:12

Brought the gamin vivosmart 6 months ago and love it. Think goes all you asked but for the gps thing. Battery lasts a week with bluetooth on and sync to my phone. Swim and shower with it on. Once you have app on phone you tell it what features you want. Overtime I have dropped most away to just the steps now. Sleep monitor was cute to start but thats it. The phone alert bit is useful as can see what an incoming call is while leaving phone in bag. Was 150ish on special at Harvey Norman.

Geektastic

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#1298933 6-May-2015 11:30

fizzychicken:
Geektastic:
I agree. In fact there is no reason why they can't have an app with dual personality.
You're that guy who thinks the Marathon de Sables is a stroll in the park? Use Expert Fitness mode.
You just want to count steps, calories, go for the odd jog, swim and walk etc? Use Personal Fitness mode.

I actually think the fenix already is like that. By default after initial setup, it is a simple watch that has step/sleep tracking with altimeter/temp/barometer/compass enabled and running automatically...it will happily run for over a month on one charge like that. no config or fiddling with it is required. you can even tell it to go pure watch mode and the battery life goes up to multiple months (apparently...I haven't owned it that long).

If I then want to do an actual activity I use the start button and select the predefined activity from a list, that initiates all relevant extras for that one type of activity and alerts you clearly when it is ready to go, then once you say you've finished that activity it reverts to being the watch again and disables anything that isnt needed. Same goes for Wifi up/downloads and bluetooth smart watch features and so on, they only stay on if you tell it you want that to happen.

If I want to go 'expert' I can drop into the menus and start to configure all manner of sensors and plans and onscreen GPS routes to follow or lap targets etc.

At no point has this thing ever seemed complex or 'too much'....especially compared to the garmin920xt which was pure ¿?¿?

The only thing that would make this a bit more friendly for most is touchscreen but I am actually glad it doesn't have that as Id forever be hitting the wrong thing during activities or struggling with wet fingers. I think if you found this too 'expert' then the vivoactive is what you would probably prefer. And if that is too much and you just want a basic smart watch with activity step based tracking then it would be the vivosmart. If it is just for step based tracking then I love the pure simplicity/batterylife (yet oodles of dashboard data) and pure indestructible build of the fitbit flex.

Yes the watch can be used like that, but the app on the phone or computer could be split into two versions with different personalities - a fun one for the casual user and a serious one for the competitors.

bazzer

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#1299140 6-May-2015 14:55

Geektastic:
fizzychicken:
Geektastic:

Bit the bullet Fizzy. Fenix should arrive Weds. Bought from same place: rang Wellington store direct and managed a small discount to boot!

nice, which one did you get?
I got the stainless steel with normal strap and HRM bundle (which I think they all have maybe?)
bought and extra strap (yellow) from garmin too as i have a tendency to break straps on every watch ever somehow?

I got the sapphire one with no HRM. It's very unlikely I would require that functionality. If it was built in like the Fitbit ones I may use it just because it is there, but I do not expect to become an athlete at the age of almost 50 to be honest! Anyway, it's easy and inexpensive to add if I want it at a future time.

I worked out what they charged me for it and it is exactly what the US price is, so no complaints there (in fact it is technically cheaper, since my price includes 15% sales tax and US prices do not show that). The guy in the store said they had one, it came in yesterday! He said they are hard to get and Garmin can take months to fill their orders.

How much did you get the Sapphire for? Did they have anything with the HRM bundle? I think the HRM is over $100 to buy separately.

I wouldn't mind waiting a little while anyway, didn't it only come out recently?

Geektastic

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#1299515 6-May-2015 22:19

bazzer:
Geektastic:
fizzychicken:
Geektastic:

Bit the bullet Fizzy. Fenix should arrive Weds. Bought from same place: rang Wellington store direct and managed a small discount to boot!

nice, which one did you get?
I got the stainless steel with normal strap and HRM bundle (which I think they all have maybe?)
bought and extra strap (yellow) from garmin too as i have a tendency to break straps on every watch ever somehow?

I got the sapphire one with no HRM. It's very unlikely I would require that functionality. If it was built in like the Fitbit ones I may use it just because it is there, but I do not expect to become an athlete at the age of almost 50 to be honest! Anyway, it's easy and inexpensive to add if I want it at a future time.

I worked out what they charged me for it and it is exactly what the US price is, so no complaints there (in fact it is technically cheaper, since my price includes 15% sales tax and US prices do not show that). The guy in the store said they had one, it came in yesterday! He said they are hard to get and Garmin can take months to fill their orders.

How much did you get the Sapphire for? Did they have anything with the HRM bundle? I think the HRM is over $100 to buy separately.

I wouldn't mind waiting a little while anyway, didn't it only come out recently?

I was surprised that what I actually got was indeed the HRM bundle, so that bit I left in the box for later..!

The US price not including sales taxes is equivalent to $900NZD with the HRM and I got it for $795 including shipping. Expensive but it is extremely clever and a very good looking thing, unlike many - this one you can wear with a shirt and not look a bit odd. As I said, it is a bit GI Joe but I guess the clock should be pretty accurate since it syncs to the atomic clocks in the GPS satellites - and no need to change it when I travel..!

It is also possible to download a wide variety of additional things - I added multiple time zones and some different watch faces. There are loads more.

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bazzer

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#1299707 7-May-2015 10:06

Geektastic:
bazzer:
Geektastic:
fizzychicken:
Geektastic:

Bit the bullet Fizzy. Fenix should arrive Weds. Bought from same place: rang Wellington store direct and managed a small discount to boot!

nice, which one did you get?
I got the stainless steel with normal strap and HRM bundle (which I think they all have maybe?)
bought and extra strap (yellow) from garmin too as i have a tendency to break straps on every watch ever somehow?

I got the sapphire one with no HRM. It's very unlikely I would require that functionality. If it was built in like the Fitbit ones I may use it just because it is there, but I do not expect to become an athlete at the age of almost 50 to be honest! Anyway, it's easy and inexpensive to add if I want it at a future time.

I worked out what they charged me for it and it is exactly what the US price is, so no complaints there (in fact it is technically cheaper, since my price includes 15% sales tax and US prices do not show that). The guy in the store said they had one, it came in yesterday! He said they are hard to get and Garmin can take months to fill their orders.

How much did you get the Sapphire for? Did they have anything with the HRM bundle? I think the HRM is over $100 to buy separately.

I wouldn't mind waiting a little while anyway, didn't it only come out recently?

I was surprised that what I actually got was indeed the HRM bundle, so that bit I left in the box for later..!

The US price not including sales taxes is equivalent to $900NZD with the HRM and I got it for $795 including shipping. Expensive but it is extremely clever and a very good looking thing, unlike many - this one you can wear with a shirt and not look a bit odd. As I said, it is a bit GI Joe but I guess the clock should be pretty accurate since it syncs to the atomic clocks in the GPS satellites - and no need to change it when I travel..!

It is also possible to download a wide variety of additional things - I added multiple time zones and some different watch faces. There are loads more.

I'm using one of the old Forerunners and looking for an upgrade. I've somewhat balked at paying $500+ for a new watch that isn't that much better than my current one. But if I could wear it as my daily watch, it could be a goer.

Good price! They have the bundle at $791+GST on their website.

Geektastic

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#1299735 7-May-2015 11:06

bazzer:
Geektastic:
bazzer:
Geektastic:
fizzychicken:
Geektastic:

Bit the bullet Fizzy. Fenix should arrive Weds. Bought from same place: rang Wellington store direct and managed a small discount to boot!

nice, which one did you get?
I got the stainless steel with normal strap and HRM bundle (which I think they all have maybe?)
bought and extra strap (yellow) from garmin too as i have a tendency to break straps on every watch ever somehow?

I got the sapphire one with no HRM. It's very unlikely I would require that functionality. If it was built in like the Fitbit ones I may use it just because it is there, but I do not expect to become an athlete at the age of almost 50 to be honest! Anyway, it's easy and inexpensive to add if I want it at a future time.

I worked out what they charged me for it and it is exactly what the US price is, so no complaints there (in fact it is technically cheaper, since my price includes 15% sales tax and US prices do not show that). The guy in the store said they had one, it came in yesterday! He said they are hard to get and Garmin can take months to fill their orders.

How much did you get the Sapphire for? Did they have anything with the HRM bundle? I think the HRM is over $100 to buy separately.

I wouldn't mind waiting a little while anyway, didn't it only come out recently?

I was surprised that what I actually got was indeed the HRM bundle, so that bit I left in the box for later..!

The US price not including sales taxes is equivalent to $900NZD with the HRM and I got it for $795 including shipping. Expensive but it is extremely clever and a very good looking thing, unlike many - this one you can wear with a shirt and not look a bit odd. As I said, it is a bit GI Joe but I guess the clock should be pretty accurate since it syncs to the atomic clocks in the GPS satellites - and no need to change it when I travel..!

It is also possible to download a wide variety of additional things - I added multiple time zones and some different watch faces. There are loads more.

I'm using one of the old Forerunners and looking for an upgrade. I've somewhat balked at paying $500+ for a new watch that isn't that much better than my current one. But if I could wear it as my daily watch, it could be a goer.

Good price! They have the bundle at $791+GST on their website.

You can certainly wear it as a daily watch - indeed if you intend to use the fitness tracking bit of it you would have to as it cannot (obviously) count your steps etc if you are not wearing it. The Sapphire version is muted in colour so looks a bit less 'sports watch' on the wrist and blends well with normal clothes.

Minor improvement would have been gained if they had put anti-reflective coatings on both sides of the sapphire face (as Breitling etc do on their watches) to improve legibility but it is not a deal breaker.

Handsomedan

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#1299809 7-May-2015 12:34

I have to say that several weeks on with my Fitbit Surge and I am still quite impressed.

It remains comfortable enough to wear as a daily watch and gives me all of the data that I need/want.

The HRM is a gimmick, for me. I am not a serious athlete, so the data for Heart Rate is actually of little consequence, other than as a talking point.

Battery life is stable at around 5-6 days and I am enjoying the gamification aspect that Fitibit promote with the weekly/daily challenges and the community aspect where I can challenge friends who also have Fitbits.

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