8,153
edits
Changes
no edit summary
Some of the problems of using a Smartphone can be alleviated with a SmartWatch. With the phone mounted on your upper arm, it's hard to see the display or control the app, but the SmartWatch can act as a remote display and remote control. A SmartWatch also allows you to turn off the display on your phone, which greatly prolongs battery life. My favorite iPhone app, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ismoothrun-pro-gps-pedometer/id410965399?mt=8 iSmoothRun], supports several smart watches including the Pebble and the Magellan Echo.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Pebble-Smartwatch-iPhone-Android-Black/dp/B00BKEQBI0 Pebble]. This is a small, lightweight SmartWatch that uses e-ink technology to provide long battery life, though not as good as the Echo. It works with a number of smartphone running apps, though the support is better on iPhone than android. The pebble also functions as a general purpose SmartWatch for receiving text notifications end of the like. (<jfs id="B00BKEQBI0" noreferb="true"/>).
* [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], and a new version called the [http://www.magellangps.com/lp/echofit/index.html Echo Fit has just been announced] that adds daily activity monitoring. (<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. This product has [http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/09/adidas-micoach-fit-smart/ only just been announced] (July 2014), but it's a product to keep an eye on. 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 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.