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socrates

Nike+ SportWatch GPS

By socrates, in Gadgets

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socrates

socrates

Posted
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Just came across this new and exciting product the Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Looks promising and wonder when it is coming to Singapore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XqELGTGXNM

Here's a review from an early user in the US

Packaging

As you would expect from Nike, the packaging and design is very clean. Be careful when opening though, as I found out that the sensor had become loose in transit.

So included, you get a watch obviously!, a sensor, a usb cable (very handy!) and a guide. I personally downloaded the connect software direct from Nike.

GPS Watch & Software

There is a protective film on the face of the watch which you need to remove first. The first thing you notice when you turn on the watch, is that the date/time needs changing. Simply done, you need to connect the watch to your PC/Mac. As soon as you do this, you get a prompt to update the firmware, which you should do.

There are a few extra bits to configure in the software than previously, but its all straight forward enough. Things like, what your favourite stat is and how to set interval and laps etc. Again, all this can be found in the user guide.

Before Running

Depending on your viewpoint, you should first link your foot pod sensor to your watch. I decided to use the one that came with the watch. Initially linking it was a piece of cake; Its all done through the run option (see guide). Linking took about 10 seconds to complete.

Once I had linked the foot sensor, I decided to link in my Polar HRM transmitter. As soon as you link your HRM you get a prompt on screen stating 'too many sensors' before it finds it 5 seconds later. Just be aware of this!

Having linked both foot sensor and HRM it was time to start a run.

Time to run

Starting a run is very simple. I was expecting that the GPS initial TTF (Time to Fix) would take around 2 mins, but in actual fact it took less than 30 seconds which was quite impressive. The screen is well lit in daylight and gives you lots of feedback in-run. Ending a run is simple too, its just a case of hitting the yellow button and you're done.

Gripes

I deliberately ran with the watch under a long sleeved top to generate a bit of sweat to see how the watch coped, and by the end of a very short run it was quite wet. Having said that, the sweat didn't run into the buttons, so it was OK although I will keep an eye on this on future runs.

Overall Impressions

After just one one I'm already quite impressed with it if I'm honest. Once connected post run, you get loads of feedback about your run, which for me is what the nike+ system is all about. I love the fact I can now see where I've been and the replay function gives lots of interesting feedback to help you improve your runs going forward.

Sorry its short, but I wanted to give an initial review to help others set it up. I'm now off again, for a longer run :)

Well done Nike on an excellent job, i'm quite sure you'll sell a few more of these once word gets around!

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metallilan

metallilan

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Saw it on Gizmodo or somewhere else that it retails for USD$199 (which is about SGD$250). It would probably suffice for those who just need GPS to track their distance (and doubles up as a fashionable watch). Don't really know about the battery life or whether pairing up with a HRM is possible.

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minicoopers51

minicoopers51

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Looks cool and the specs say you can link to a Polar HRM.

And to think I just ordered a Timex with HRM yesterday! :P

I just met up with Nike singapore, they are bringing it to SG but it's gg to cost like $279. I already manage to play with it a bit, tap screen light display, foldable usb, gps connectivity. Can connect to the polar Wire+ HRT monitor and of course with the Nike+ device you can now track ur speed, distance, calorie burn and now route. You can also challenge your friend on the route you have set, it's like foursquare or something like that.. it's pretty cool eh? but pricy for student.. hmm..

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davidtkl

davidtkl

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Any idea when this would be released? I dont like Garmin GPS watches as it is too bulky..so holding out for this..

Looks cool and the specs say you can link to a Polar HRM.

And to think I just ordered a Timex with HRM yesterday! :P

I just met up with Nike singapore, they are bringing it to SG but it's gg to cost like $279. I already manage to play with it a bit, tap screen light display, foldable usb, gps connectivity. Can connect to the polar Wire+ HRT monitor and of course with the Nike+ device you can now track ur speed, distance, calorie burn and now route. You can also challenge your friend on the route you have set, it's like foursquare or something like that.. it's pretty cool eh? but pricy for student.. hmm..

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streamium70

streamium70

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Check it out !! Available in US and UK ....

Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Extract of 1 of the review.....

I wanted to love this. I'm tired of the bulky size of my garmin, so I ordered this immediately it became available.

Firstly positives. The screen is gorgeous, and it's a watch I could wear as an everyday watch. Looks great and reminded me of a rado ceramica I had once upon a time.

The negatives - the GPS isn't accurate. I ran with both the nike and my garmin and they disagreed - so I got in my car and drove around. The car and garmin agreed, the Nike was a lot less. It seems to be a weaker GPS receiver and loses signal when there are trees around (at least that's my assumption), hence the reduced mileage. In its defense, you can use the foot pod too - but I figure if the garmin can pick up the signals, the nike should too. Foot pod should be for inside only. If I can't trust the GPS - then that's pretty much it for a GPS watch.

Next the metrics. You have a lot less choice. The things I care about are my average pace, my mileage splits, and distance. On the nike+ if you set the watch to auto-lap every mile - you have to have that as your main metric. There's no other choice. But all it shows is a stop watch counting the lap, and then stopping when you hit the split. By then it's too late. And then average pace ? Nope - just current. Given that fluctates wildly every 20 yards or so, it's next to uselss.

I'm sure they'll come out with a firmware fix to resolve this and add the functionality, but unfortunately I can't justify the price. It's going back.

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tekko

tekko

Posted
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Check it out !! Available in US and UK ....

Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Extract of 1 of the review.....

I wanted to love this. I'm tired of the bulky size of my garmin, so I ordered this immediately it became available.

Firstly positives. The screen is gorgeous, and it's a watch I could wear as an everyday watch. Looks great and reminded me of a rado ceramica I had once upon a time.

The negatives - the GPS isn't accurate. I ran with both the nike and my garmin and they disagreed - so I got in my car and drove around. The car and garmin agreed, the Nike was a lot less. It seems to be a weaker GPS receiver and loses signal when there are trees around (at least that's my assumption), hence the reduced mileage. In its defense, you can use the foot pod too - but I figure if the garmin can pick up the signals, the nike should too. Foot pod should be for inside only. If I can't trust the GPS - then that's pretty much it for a GPS watch.

Next the metrics. You have a lot less choice. The things I care about are my average pace, my mileage splits, and distance. On the nike+ if you set the watch to auto-lap every mile - you have to have that as your main metric. There's no other choice. But all it shows is a stop watch counting the lap, and then stopping when you hit the split. By then it's too late. And then average pace ? Nope - just current. Given that fluctates wildly every 20 yards or so, it's next to uselss.

I'm sure they'll come out with a firmware fix to resolve this and add the functionality, but unfortunately I can't justify the price. It's going back.

According to DC Rainmaker, there is a firmware update to fix the GPS problem.

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yeechieng

yeechieng

Posted
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Looks cool and the specs say you can link to a Polar HRM.

And to think I just ordered a Timex with HRM yesterday! :P

I just met up with Nike singapore, they are bringing it to SG but it's gg to cost like $279. I already manage to play with it a bit, tap screen light display, foldable usb, gps connectivity. Can connect to the polar Wire+ HRT monitor and of course with the Nike+ device you can now track ur speed, distance, calorie burn and now route. You can also challenge your friend on the route you have set, it's like foursquare or something like that.. it's pretty cool eh? but pricy for student.. hmm..

Hi minicooper, where did you manage to play with the unit ? Which store has a demo unit ?

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nitecherub

nitecherub

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I'm thinking of asking my brother to help me buy when he goes to US end of this month. However read on the website that it's not recommended to use in countries that has not launched the watch yet as the "software"/"web platform" will not be ready yet for these countries.

Probably will just go ahead to buy first anyway. :)

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yeechieng

yeechieng

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From what I read from the web, you can display 2 metrics on the screen from a choice of 6.

  • distance
  • elapsed time
  • pace
  • average pace
  • calories
  • clock

I don't particularly like the way the main stat occupies the bottom 2/3 of the screen while the secondary one takes the upper 1/3. That makes the upper stat info small and difficult to glean at a glance.

nike-sports-watch-gps-tomtom-0.jpg?20110401-113946

For a detailed review, check out the DC Rainmaker page --> http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/04/nike-sportwatch-gps-in-depth-review.html

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