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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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* You may be able to use the smartphone as an MP3 player.
* It is possible to use a [[Heart Rate Monitor]] and a [[Footpod]] with a smartphone.
==Smartphone Cons==
* A smartphone is heavy, bulky and has to be mounted on your upper arm, making it hard to see the display (a smart watch helps solve this).
* 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.
==Heart Rate Monitors for Smartphones==
There are a number of options for adding heart rate monitoring to a smartphone.
* The [http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bluetooth-Smart-Heart-Sensor/dp/B007S088F4 Polar H7 heart rate monitor] is [http://www.polar.com/us-en/support/compatibility_of_polar_h6_h7_heart_rate_sensor compatible] with iPhone 4S/5 and many Android phones, and it's my recommended approach for getting the best and heart rate monitoring. It supports many apps, including [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ismoothrun-pro-gps-pedometer/id410965399?mt=8 iSmoothRun], [[Runkeeper]], [[Mapmyrun]](+), EndoMondo (Pro), Runmeter, and others. It also works nicely with [[Heart Rate Variability]] apps. (<jfs id="B007S088F4" noreferb="true"/>.)
* For optical heart rate monitoring, the Scosche RHYTHM+ goes around your upper arm and is less intrusive than a chest strap. However, this device requires recharging periodically as it only has seven hours of battery life, and optical heart rate monitoring is not as accurate as a chest strap. In particular, it will not provide [[Heart Rate Variability]] data.
* The [http://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-Fitness-WFFisica01-Key-iPhone/dp/B0042WGO3Y Wahoo Key] is a $55 dongle that adds Ant+ support to an iPhone 4S/4/3GS. This allows you to use the {{Garmin HRM}}, {{Garmin Footpod}} and other Ant+ accessories. It works with most apps including RunKeeper, MapMyRun(+), EndoMondo (Pro), Runmeter. Note that the dongle may cause problems finding a waterproof case.
* The [http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Adapter-iPhone-Monitor-Cadence/dp/B005ZSYEOK Garmin Ant+ Adapter] is similar to the [http://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-Fitness-WFFisica01-Key-iPhone/dp/B0042WGO3Y Wahoo Key] but it has limited app support.
* The [http://www.amazon.com/Zephyr-HxM-Delivers-BlackBerry-Smartphones/dp/B002PL33AQ Zepher HxM] is a $79 (+shipping) heart rate monitor that works with Android and Blackberry phones.
* Some [https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId=%7bf3027e90-f8de-11e0-73d0-000000000000%7d Sony Ericsson android phones] have Ant+ support built in.
==SmartWatches==
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. 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.
* 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.
