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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Running with a Smartphone (iPhone and Android)}}
[[File:Yosemite.JPG|right|thumb|500px|One of the advantages of [[Running With A Smartphone]] is you always have a camera with you.]]
Most smartphones have a GPS built in and support various applications that allow them to function as sports watches. There are quite a number of advantages and disadvantages to using a smartphone compared with a dedicated watch, some of which can be alleviated with a companion SmartWatch (see below). Personally, I much prefer running with a dedicated sports watch, but I know many people that get on well with a smartphone.
=Smartphone Pros=
* [http://www.amazon.com/Magellan-Echo-Smart-Sports-Watch/dp/B00FZHUNSC Magellan Echo]. The Echo is designed as a sports focused SmartWatch, rather than the general purpose pebble. One of the coolest features of the Echo is that it uses a standard watch battery to give 6 to 12 months of battery life, so there's no need to recharge it. The Echo works with iPhone and [http://magellanfitness.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/echo-android-update/ a limited number of android phones]. (<jfs id="B00FZHUNSC" noreferb="true"/>.) You can get the Echo with a heart rate monitor bundled, but I'd strongly recommend getting the [http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bluetooth-Smart-Heart-Sensor/dp/B007S088F4 Polar H7] instead. There is also a version called the [http://www.amazon.com/Magellan-TW0200SGXNA-Sports-Activity-Tracking/dp/B00NWRPAIU Echo Fit] that adds daily activity monitoring. If you want an activity monitor, the [[Basis Activity Tracker]] has far more sensors and does a much better job than the simple accelerometer based monitors like the Echo Fit. On the other hand the Echo Fit is not much more expensive than the base Echo, so the additional functionality might be worth considering.
* [http://www.amazon.com/adidas-miCoach-Smart-Black-Small/dp/B00NHAIFQ6 Adidas Fit Smart]. The Adidas adds optical heart rate monitoring to the SmartWatch equation, but unfortunately it only works with Adidas' own smartphone app. I think that having a SmartWatch that provides optical heart rate monitoring combined with a good smartphone would be a really nice combination for many people, but the limited display and relatively high price make this a poor option.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Casio-STB-1000-1CF-OmniSync-Bluetooth-Enabled-SmartWatch/dp/B00IOOB1RU Casio Men's STB-1000]. This looks like a 1980's Casio watch, so you might consider it retro, ironic, or horrid. Sadly I found it to be more horrid than ironic, as it was not only retro in looks, but also retro in usability. The buttons are fiddly, with too many labels, the user interface is cumbersome, and it has a tendency to lose communications with the phone. The Casio only works with iPhones, not Android, and only a few running apps. In fact, the only reason to consider the Casio is that it's one of the few devices supported by the excellent running app [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runmeter-gps-pedometer-running/id326498704?mt=8 RunMeter]. On the plus side, it does have a long battery life (2 years), and it will function as a standalone stop watch.
=Recommended Running Apps=
My favorite iPhone app is the [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ismoothrun-pro-gps-pedometer/id410965399?mt=8 iSmoothRun], which offers great functionality and ease of use. It exports to many social networks, plus Dropbox, supports smart watches, and has great configurability. I've tried a number of Android running apps, but I never found anything I liked as much as iSmoothRun on the iPhone. To use an Android phone with the Pebble smart watch I used Pebble Runner, which was rather basic, but worked. I also like [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runmeter-gps-pedometer-running/id326498704?mt=8 RunMeter], which is free for the basic app, but you need to pay $5 to unlock the Elite functionality. It shows far more data than iSmoothRun, but is less easy to use and supports fewer devices.