Nike+ SportWatch GPS Review

Your Shoes And Your Watch Are Talking To Each Other. Is That Weird?

Despite the fact that I try to mix up my workout regularly, I am a runner at heart. It is what I enjoy most and the thing that I feel that I get the most satisfaction out of. Running is the activity that gives me the most concrete reward. I know immediately if I’ve run farther than I did before. Whether it’s tracking the miles on a treadmill or reaching a new landmark, I know when I have beat my old record, and I like that feeling.

Nike+ SportWatch
See it at Amazon

That being said, I’m always hesitant to run outside by myself. I live in a safe neighborhood, but I’m directionally challenged at best. I worry about getting lost by myself. A running tracker with a GPS on it would really help me feel secure when I’m out by myself.

The World Is At Your Wrist and Sole

The Nike+ SportWatch Powered By TomTom has a GPS that you can wear right on your wrist. The map is available and strapped to you so you aren’t ever without it. TomTom is one of the leading producers of GPSes, so you know the information on the watch is good. With the GPS, you can figure out where you’re going as well as keep track of where you were. It lets you look back at your course so you can decide on your adjustments for the next time.

The GPS works alongside the Nike+ running pod that fits in your shoe to give you two ways to track your progress. As a result, you get a way more accurate reading of what you’re doing. I think that’s the part that I like most. I’m a big believer in wearing a belt and suspenders, and I would always rather have too much information than not enough.

The two ways to track your run make sure that you’re getting the best reading on the number of steps that you’ve taken as well as the distance that you’ve gone. If you have Nike+ shoes, the pod may fit into a pre-made pocket. Other shoes let you tie it to the laces or tongue.

You don’t have to use both ways to keep track of your movements. You can pick one or the other, but why would you want to? The pod is small and you shouldn’t notice it, and you’re not going to go running without the watch. It seems like a slam dunk combo to me.

Your Heart Wants In On The Game

On top of giving you an accurate read of your steps, it can also be used as a really precise heart rate monitor. Nike+ has also partnered with Polar so that you can connect it to a Polar heart rate monitor strap that will feed information to the watch. You can accurately track calories if you’re tracking your heart rate, so it seems like a great way to get everything under control.

Plug It In, Plug It In

I’m not too excited that you have to charge the watch rather than using a long-term replaceable battery. The features of this watch are probably way too powerful to be able to run off of a small watch battery, but I’m still not a big fan of plugging things in for a charge.

You can use the GPS and sensors for eight straight hours before it needs a new charge, though. If you’re running one hour per day, 6 days per week, you’re still going to have more than enough power to get through 7 days or more. The standby mode can last up to 50 days before needing another charge.

One of the bigger problems actually comes in at the USB port that is on the watch. It can be hard to fit the cord into, and some people say that it’s flimsy enough to break or stop working. Obviously, the watch doesn’t work if it isn’t charged, so you’ll probably have to be careful to make sure that the port is holding up.

Clear Out The Memory Or Feel The Freeze

The watch stores a lot of data on it, but it’s limited on memory. That causes a problem when you aren’t syncing it to the computer regularly. The excess and old data slows down the watch, which, as a result, slows down the GPS. The GPS also has to be updated regularly, and the watch will do that while you’re dumping the old information. If you don’t do both processes every few days, the watch will lag and the GPS has trouble finding the satellite.

It’s a little more labor intensive than just a heart rate monitor or pedometer, but it certainly offers way more punch.

Hit The Road, Jack. To Run, That It.

Nike+ SportWatch is one of the first products I’ve seen that could really change the way I exercise entirely. I could run comfortably and know that I won’t get lost. Not only that, but I love the double verification of information that comes from the foot pod as well as the GPS. It’s like an instant check of your stats that makes sure that the rest of the system is working.

If you’re totally pumped to hit the pavement like I am, run on over to Amazon and buy the Nike+ SportWatch there.

Further Information

• Nike+ SportWatch GPS Powered by TomTom