We already talked about how download and update free TomTom maps from Iberia and today we are going to surprise you again. Smartwatches come to follow the same path imposed by smartphones, that is, to create a device capable of doing multiple things although they have little or nothing to do with telling the time. In this sense, the journey of smart watches has just begun and bets like the one offered by the TomTom Runner Cardio they are much more efficient within the sports field.
A smartwatch will tell us the steps, calories burned, distance traveled or it may even give us the heart rate but still, it is still far from what an athlete who trains daily looks for in a Sport watch.
TomTom Runner Cardio, first impressions
As soon as we take the TomTom Runner Cardio out of its box we realize that we are facing a generously sized watch whose strap, made of high quality flexible rubber, allows multiple adjustments by means of its triple buckle closure. This will ensure that the watch adapts to multiple wrist contours and, best of all, there is no chance that it could accidentally fall while playing sports (something that does happen with more than one model of activity bracelet on the market).
Regarding the body of the watch, there are two well differentiated areas on its front. On the one hand we have the 22 x 25 millimeter screen with a resolution of 144 x 168 pixels and on the other, a four-way pad that we will use to move through the menus.
I am one of those who thinks that the moment you start practicing sports with a certain degree of commitment and demand, the response offered by a button is much more appropriate than that of a touch interface, especially if you usually use gloves. Therefore, the solution by The one that TomTom bets seems to me to be the most successful.
The screen is perfectly readable under any conditions, even in direct sunlight so again, those who practice outdoor sports will not be disappointed in this regard.
At this point, surely many of you wonder if the TomTom Runner Cardio is submersible to water And indeed, it is. The watch can be submerged up to 50 meters so we can shower with it or bathe in the pool without fear of damage. Unfortunately, the TomTom Runner Cardio has been conceived as a watch for people who like to run both outdoors and indoors, therefore performance in other sports practices is more limited due to a lack of dedicated options for practices such as swimming, cycling, etc.
If we turn the TomTom Runner Cardio around, that's when we can see that the watch has an optical sensor that, through the use of a pair of LEDs, is capable of detecting changes in the capillary of our skin to, from there, monitor our heart rate. The pulsation measurement it's fast and accurate, vital for quality training based on all five heart rate zones.
Finally, note that the battery of the TomTom Runner Cardio holds Up to 8 hours if we use GPS connectivity and the heart rate monitor at the same time. When the battery runs out, we simply have to connect the watch to its charging base with USB connection and that's it.
Designed to enjoy running
The TomTom Runner Cardio has GPS to save or load routes, integrated heart rate monitor, Bluetooth connectivity, vibration alert and the possibility of synchronizing with TomTom's online service, allowing us to keep an exhaustive control of our workouts.
With everything mentioned above, this watch offers everything you need for those who go out to run or walk and they want the most complete device possible.
Thanks to the union of the hardware with the TomTom software, we can establish goal-based workouts (distance, time, pace, calories burned) or in the five intensity zones that depend directly on our pulsations. We can also load previous training sessions and try to improve our previous time, something that the most competitive will like.
As we have already said, thanks to the four-way pad we can set the type of training we want to do so that in a matter of seconds, we can start the data log once the watch has found GPS coverage, something that does not usually take more than a couple of minutes outdoors.
Once at home, we can download all the collected data and use the platform TomTom MySports for a closer look.
Conclusions
Do not be fooled by the possibilities of smartwatch to practice sports and bet on a solution like the one we get with the Tom Tom Runner Cardio.
Many smartwatches currently do not have a screen that can be read properly outdoors, do not come with a heart rate monitor or are not directly waterproof. Not to mention the absence of GPS in most cases or the lack of a real sports platform on which to obtain more detailed records of our training sessions.
It may be that in the future all these shortcomings of current smart watches will be mitigated but in the meantime, the TomTom Runner Cardio is now available for a price of 269 euros.
Link - TomTom Runner Cardio