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The Vivoactive is a new wearable gimmick from Garmin that is part smartwatch and part fitness tracker . This GPS watch directs calls , texts and other telling from your phone to your wrist and captures elaborate data about test , cycle rides , swims and even golf game . At $ 250,the Vivoactiveis about the same price as theFitbit Surge , another GPS - enable fitness watch that has smartwatch features . But unlike the Surge , the Vivoactive does n’t have a built - in heart - rate monitor . If you need to track your pulse with Garmin ’s newfangled smartwatch , you ’ll need to purchase a compatible middle - charge per unit shoulder strap for about $ 50 . I wore the Vivoactive for a hebdomad to see how well it performed each of its many functions . The gimmick stayed on my wrist daylight and night , accompanying me on run , bike ride , walks and swims . Here ’s what I notice :
Overall rating: 8.5/10
The Vivoactive is lightweight , stylish and fun to use , with a effective intermixture of smartwatch and fittingness - trailing feature . The twist is waterproof and can tail indoor swimming ( something few smartwatches can do ) , and you could customize the watch ’s configurations using Garmin ’s new app platform , Connect IQ .
The picket is miss an exposed - weewee swimming manner ( which may be unsatisfying for triathletes ) and advanced run metrics , which are central features on most multisport GPS watches currently on the marketplace . And even though you could receive notifications from your telephone set on the watch , you ca n’t reply to text the way you could with more lineament - rich smartwatches . [ Best GPS run Watches ]
Design / Comfort : 8.5/10
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The first thing I noticed about the Vivoactive was its slim design . The watch is only 0.32 inch ( 8 millimeters ) thick . equate to most GPS watches I ’ve test , that ’s positively tiny . The sentinel ’s slenderness is balance with a encompassing , square face that ’s easy to read while you ’re working out but not so extensive that the watch feel uncomfortable on your wrist . The Vivoactive did n’t bother me when I keep it on all night , which is dear since this twist is equipped to get over sleep duration .
Like theFitbit Surge , the Vivoactive combines a touch screen with ceremonious button . It took some time to figure out how to navigate the watch , but once I get the hang of it , it was simple . You bid the release on the right field of the sentinel to pull up the main menu , which includes icon for all the mutation you could track ( indoor and outdoor running , walking , biking , golfing , and indoor swimming ) . you may then swipe through the menu to see your workout history , deepen your twist ’s options or even run a quick biz of tic - tac - toe .
In the dark , it was elusive to see the Vivoactive ’s sieve , but the spotter has a backlight clit to work that problem . I also call for the backlight when depend at the watch through my touch goggles in the pocket billiards . But overall , the screen was brilliant enough to translate indoors and outside during the day .
The Vivoactive combines a touchscreen with conventional buttons, which makes navigating the watch easy.
User friendliness : 8.5/10
Setting up the Vivoactive is dim-witted . First , you involve to download the Garmin Express software from the troupe ’s website and ratify up for a Garmin Connect story online . To set forth meet sassy notification ( like school text message and Facebook alerts ) , you ’ll need to download the Garmin Connect mobile app and mate the Vivoactive with your phone .
To pull off the notifications you take in on the watch , you tap on the configurations button , or widget , in the primary carte and then hook through until you get to the Bluetooth screen door . From there , you could release presentment on and off . If you ’re like me and you ’d rather not receive alarum when you ’re working out , you’re able to turn off notifications when the ticker is in its workout - tracking mode .
Data about your daily activity and workouts is automatically sent to the Garmin Connect mobile app.
The Vivoactive automatically syncs data from your exercising and day-after-day activities ( i.e. , steps taken and calories burn ) to the Garmin Connect mobile app via Bluetooth . If you need to synchronise data justly off , you may open up the app and come home the refresh buttons at the top right of each widget , or you may plug the watch into your computing equipment and sync via the Garmin Express software . I try syncing data point all three slipway and never run across any problem . I also never had to re - demonstrate the Bluetooth connection between my phone and the watch , which was emphatically a big summation , since some fitness tracker I ’ve quiz incessantly need to be manually reconnected with my telephone set .
One of the beneficial feature of the Vivoactive is its ability to function as a standalone gimmick . you’re able to see your daily footfall count , space traveled and calories burned decent on the sentinel itself . But more importantly , you’re able to also see information about your workouts on the watch by tapping on the account contraption in the main menu . The ability to see detailed exercising information mighty on your wrist is something that ’s miss from the Fitbit Surge , which does n’t store your workout story . To see particular about a run you took with the Surge , you need to afford the Fitbit mobile app or view the stats on your online fascia .
The Vivoactive ’s battery is supposed to last three weeks on a single charge , theGarmin websitestates . Perhaps it really can last that long if you do n’t use the spotter ’s GPS or incur notifications via Bluetooth . But if you ’re making use of a lot of the watch ’s functions , you may bump the battery lasts only about five Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . That ’s typically how long I went between charge when Bluetooth notification were turned on 24/7 and the machine ’s GPS mode was enabled for about 30 minute of arc every day .
You can analyze runs and other workouts you complete with the Vivoactive on the Garmin Connect mobile app.
Value of information : 8/10
The Vivoactive call for almost all of the same data as its more expensive counterparts , such as the Garmin Forerunner 920XT and theSuunto Ambit3 Sport . These multisport Global Positioning System watches are designed for triathletes and can cut through running , cycling , and both indoor and out-of-door swimming . The Vivoactive ca n’t track open - pee swims ( it ’s not configure to peck up a GPS signal underwater ) , but it does just about everything else that ceremonious multisport watches do .
Runners and cyclists can practice the Vivoactive to chase after and canvass metrics like hurrying , footstep , aloofness , ALT and heart pace ( with a compatible heart - charge per unit monitor ) . However , runners wo n’t be capable to use the watch with Garmin ’s HRM - Run , a affection rate monitor lizard that lets you track advanced running metric function . If you desire to analyze your vertical oscillation ( front up and down , or " bounce " ) and flat coat - contact meter ( the amount of sentence your understructure quell on the land with every step ) , you should consider other Garmin watches , such as theForerunner 920XT , the Forerunner 620 , or the Fenix 2 or 3 . However , thanks to its internal accelerometer , the Vivoactive can calculate your cadency ( strides per second ) .
One of the most novel features of the Vivoactive is its ability totrack golf game metrics . According to Garmin , the watch measures gibe distance ; yardage to the front , midway and back of common ; and the yardage of layup arcs ( a short hit take to quash an obstacle ) and doglegs ( bends in the fairway ) .
All the data point the watch collects is displayed in an easy - to - understand formatting online and in the Garmin Connect mobile app . While the Garmin app is n’t as well-to-do on the eyes as Fitbit ’s mobile app , it still provides all the data you involve to analyze your physical exercise .
If you wear the Vivoactive to bed at night , the watch will automatically trail your sleeping patterns without you ask to press any clitoris to put it into " sleep " modal value . But the eternal sleep information you ’ll see in the Garmin app when you wake up wo n’t tell you much more beyond how many hour of rest you got that night , accompanied by a graph of your movement over the course of action of the night . While I liked having a phonograph recording of how many hours I slept , I did n’t observe it very useful to know when I had act during the dark . And the app does n’t give any clues as to how to interpret or apply datum about your nocturnal movement .
In the pool :
Since the Vivoactive only tracks swim in the pool ( and not in undecided water ) , it ca n’t really take the place of a multisport GPS watch . Furthermore , Garmin does n’t presently make a heart rate shoulder strap that can be worn while swimming , so you wo n’t be capable to collect heart pace information during your pool workouts with the Vivoactive . But , you’re able to use the watch to go after laps , full length , stroke pace , stride and swimming efficiency ( SWOLF ) .
Unlike theGarmin Swim , a watch that only tracks indoor swimming , the Vivoactive does n’t automatically discover stroke character ( freestyle , backstroke , breaststroke or butterfly ) . The watch also lack a " drill mode , " which is one of the Garmin Swim ’s best features . Drill mode lets you commemorate the amount of meter and bit of circuit you devoted to kickboard drills or other swim employment . In any case , the Vivoactive was precise at count overlap and virgule , which are the most authoritative metrics for any swim watch . [ Best Fitness Trackers for Swimmers ]
Enjoyment / Inspiration : 9/10
I really enjoy wearing the Vivoactive . The watch is well-to-do enough to leave on mean solar day and dark , but also has a sleek , modern look that I loved . This gimmick connects to Garmin ’s new app platform , the Connect IQ Store , where you may download customs show screens that exchange the feeling of the sentry , as well as thingamajig and apps for the Vivoactive . I downloaded a new display screen that bear witness me how much battery power I had left on the gadget ( something the default display screen does n’t include ) .
The watch was very quick at pluck up a GPS sign , which in spades added to my enjoyment when using the wearable . I detest bear around on the pavement waiting for a GPS twist to take a planet lock chamber , but the Vivoactive had no bother with this — not even when I screen it in the slow urban neighborhood of Manhattan with fate of hem in skyscraper .
Like all the tracker in Garmin ’s Vivo note , the Vivoactive features a " move bar " — a graphic on the exhibit projection screen that turns crimson when you ’ve been inactive for more than an hour . The vigil will buzz your wrist joint if you do n’t get up and move around to reset it . Even though I set out to find this buzzing pesky after a while , I can see how the move bar would be useful if you ’re strain to be more alive every day , or if your goal is to take acertain figure of steps .
The fluid app that accompany the Vivoactive seconds as a social mesh for Garmin users . Through the Garmin Connect app ( or website ) , you could search for mass you recognize who also have a Garmin ticker , request to connect with Garmin users all around the world , join seaworthiness - link up groups and partake in fitness " challenge " with other drug user .
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