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Best Running Watch

1,662 bytes added, 12:53, 6 August 2014
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==Garmin 305/205==
The 305/205 are the earlier generations of Garmin GPS watches, and are getting hard to find. With the price drops of other devices these Garmin watches no longer offer reasonable value for money, though they offer great GPS accuracy if you can find one.
===Adidas Fit Smart===This is a rather strange hybrid device, that I don't recommend as a running watch. It looks like an activity monitor and functions a little like a sports watch, but in reality is neither. The Adidas has the same optical heart rate monitoring used in the TomTom, but this rapidly drains the battery giving only five hours of use, so it not an activity monitor that is worn all the time. It has to pair with a smartphone to provide GPS, makes it more of an advanced smartwatch, adding heart rate monitoring to the display functions(see below).
=Using a Smartphone=
Most smartphones have a GPS built in and support various applications that allow them to function as sports watches.
* Most touchscreens do not work well with gloves, in the rain, or with sweaty hands.
* Few smartphones are waterproof, so a specialist case will be required to protect it.
==Smart WatchesSmartWatches==Some of the problems of using a Smartphone can be alleviated with a smart watchSmartWatch. With the phone mounted on your upper arm, it's hard to see the display or control the app, but the smart watch SmartWatch can act as a remote display and remote control. 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"/>)* 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.
==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.

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