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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
I have long wondered how a marriage between a classic watch and a running watch would look like. Very happy to see others are thinking about these things too!
The only thing I would object is the looks — I have to believe that active watch lovers are more into Breitling/Hublot masculine designs vs. the classy, dare I say oversimplified look. Nevertheless, I like it!
the watch looks really good! I am just wondering for how many people the price will be justifiable. especially as tastes in design are so different I imagine that this design leaves too many people out of scope (very classy, elegant, not playful…)
Not my cup of tea as I like the geeky look products like the Basis bring however I think this will have more appeal to the masses. Excellent idea from Withings. Nice to see so much competition in this sector.
Looks great! Not interested in a tracker myself, but really encouraged to see such nice design ported across to tech sector watches. I for one was really put off many watch options in the triathlon sector by their awful 1980s Casio look. Hope this trend towards more stylish design continues!
If you look at it as a nice watch with activity tracker features instead of primary an activity tracker I think the price is justified. Actually I expected the price to be higher. I definitely like the looks and will forward this post to my wife as a birthday present hint.
Based on the features mentioned I’d already buy the watch, but I’m very curious what it will be able to do once production ready.
Very good point, Maarten. There is already a market for $300 – $600 dress watches. Based on looks alone, I would assume that this watch would be immediately competitive in that market, even if it only told time. Add in the additional functionality and it might have an edge.
For example, here is a mid-range timepiece from Mougin & Piquard that looks very similar, except this example only tells time. The price is $425 (more expensive than the Withings).
link to mrporter.com
I’d pay double if it has optical heart rate too.
Ray,
Could we have a profile shot of it on your wrist? It looks quite thick, and I’m interested to see if it sits awkwardly high.
Sean
Yup, no problem. Just added in a photo (about 1/3rd of the way through the post). Enjoy!
Poor old Rolling Pin must be feeling left out…. :P
Yeah, don’t worry, it’ll get back in action again soon. Next week I believe…
Though, I’ve gotta fix one of the handles, broke off this weekend. :-/
I didn’t see any mention in the preview, but did they remove the pulse and o2 sensors from this? if not, it just got a whole lot more interesting
Correct, they are not in there (I had hoped to take a photo of the back, but they appeared concerned it was too scuffed up for a photo…).
“Which, in retrospect is probably the first time you’ve ever seen a watch looking like this with Bluetooth Smart stuffed inside of it.”
link to citizenwatch.com
;) It’s not quite the same in terms of ‘looking like’ it, but it’s got Bluetooth Smart to your phone for notifications.
Very nice!
It’s a $400 fitbit. Let that sink in for a moment.
Want. :)
I really like the look of this. I’ve been very pleased with both the original Withings scale and Pulse. The silent alarm feature is the one thing I’ve really missed on the Pulse, glad to see it there. Turning it into a smart alarm like Sleep Cycle, would make the sleep tracking a little more valuable. I haven’t found much value in the Pulse’s heart rate sensor, although having continuous tracking would have been a killer feature (along with killing battery life).
It will be interesting to see what Apple comes up with, but this is more in line with what I want out of a “smart” watch.
Just to add, Withings still lacks any way to export step data from their website, which is a huge complaint. Also the fixed 10,000 step goal is annoying, but it sounds like that will be fixed soon.
Nevermind… Looks like activity export was added to the website, one less thing to complain about!
Yup, and the fixed step goal goes away at roughly the same time as Activité releases.
Impressive. I’ve not pulled the trigger on an FR15 because I can’t see wearing it daily — I like my real watch, so I use a Fitbit One. This, however, is very attractive and would save me having to charge and would be less likely to go awol than the tiny one. In sum: want.
It may sound odd, but I’ve been wanting a reasonably priced automatic watch like this for a while and syncing to your mobile works much better than the atomic clock (still needs tweaking and timezone information) or a GPS chip (hefty power consumption).
Props to them for going with a completely button-less design.
If you’re gathering feedback from them, I’d actually pay the same amount for it if it could be purchased without the activity tracking dial, just as a nice, clean, zero-button always-accurate watch. If they combined it with a discreet solar charging capability (such as the modern eco-drive watches that don’t scream “solar panel”) it would be stunningly perfect; even without that I’d get one to wear.
Do you know if they will they have a women’s sized version? If not could you post a picture of it on The Girl’s wrist, I think it might look like I was playing dress up if I were to wear it.
And I agree I would love for it to have a heart rate sensor.
I don’t believe they’ll have separate watch sizes, though perhaps separate straps – I’ll check. I don’t have a unit with me at the moment to take pics on The Girl’s wrist, as it was only for the duration of the meeting. Sorry!
it’s a good inbetween size. I just tried it on as a girl wa wearing one. She had extremely small writs and it still like good.
That’s a nice looking activity tracker. I know a major jewelry line is planning on making bracelets for fitbits to go in, read that last winter, but this looks better than what those could ever be.
What’s the weight of the Activité? My wife is concerned that it will be too heavy, she has the pulse today.
Beautiful looking watch.
I have been looking for something like this for a while. The price is a little steep but still something to consider…
Thanks for the info.
Looks like a nice product; going to be interesting to see how long they can make the battery last.
I think they completely nailed it with this product. Some people spend a looot more for watches and this is a nice compromise with sufficient built in features which you can then check afterwards on your smartphone. Clearly it needed to be a european company to add style. The moment this is available for around 300 bucks, I am in!!!
Leather is a deal killer for some, including more and more athletes. Too bad. (yes I know that there is another band, but some of us don’t purchase such products.)
I love the innovation and looks of this. As an aside, Microsoft is joining in on the fun soon per link to dailytech.com
Does the watch have any storage or will I have to be tethered to my phone for it to pass activity data? For example, I have my phone on a dock charger at work. Will I have to remember to take my phone with me when I take a break and walk around the office?
It’s actually interesting, I asked about that and they were hesitant there on giving me an answer for how long the duration would be (i.e. how long could I go). I asked about a week though, and they said that was fine. Still, I didn’t feel 100% confident in that answer.
Not for me….I like digital displays and pretty lights!
Waiting for Fitbit’s next product hopefully with a HRM
There’s definitely a market for it. I’ve been seeing more and more c-suite types wear the fitbit or nike fuelband. They have the cash and not much time for exercise so something like this may be an interest direction.
However I can’t complain too loudly, as its also become okay to wear my F2 with a suit…
Great looking watch and exactly what I have been looking for, an activity tracker that matches up well with business dress code. I was loving the product review, until I reached the “iOS only” part. Maybe Withings will have that sorted out sooner than later–still a let down.
Will it track your activity while you are away from your phone? Some people work in places where phones are not allowed.
Yes, though the exact length of time it can store data was unclear.
Interesting, I like that it has a classy look, but at that price point, the newly announced Moto 360 Android Watch might be a better choice. It’ll have a “normal watch” look while having more features. I don’t know if it’ll have the activity tracking features, but if it does, it’ll be much cheaper, albeit a little thicker, but you’ll have a design watch look.
I like the simple elegance of the design, looks good to me!
Wow, what a lovely watch. Some I use just as accessories. Time is not important to me, since I have my iPhone anyway. What these watches can do is what I’m after.
Withings, by far, have the best heath and fitness products and are always improving their line. Already have the Smart Body Analyzer and Blood Pressure Monitor. The Activité would be a perfect addition / replacement for my Fitbit Flex… and would make one less app to deal with. As far the addition of an on-demand heart rate sensor, I believe the latest Health Mate app includes one that’s fairly reliable and uses your phone’s camera.
If it comes in Android, and the app isn’t as buggy as reported in the play store, I’m there.
looks great. interesting idea. maybe someone in Switzerland, say Breitling or Hublot, also should think to add this functions to their time masterpieces. who knows what future transoceans can do in 20 years from now.
My main interest, as someone already active, is an inactivity/ prolonged sedentary period alert. Thus, set at 10,000 steps is fine for me, as a guide, as I’m not as concerned about activity. I actually prefer digital, and having the date, but have always struggled to find something that actually looks good. If it had a prolonged sedentary vibration capability, I’d buy it. Does it?
At this point it does not have inactivity alerts.
Do you have the diameter of the watch?
Looks like the aura release will be on the 25th going by the withings facebook page
Thanks for a very good review. Three questions: 1) Did you measure the accuracy of the activity and sleep monitors? The Pulse OS2 is often said to be most reliable for activity when worn on the belt. This has also been my experience. 2) Does the sleep monitor measure deep and light sweep and times awoke as the Pulse OS2? 3) Any definitive news on the introduction date?
Hi,
Now the Apple Wath was announced…. For $400,00.
I really think that this Withings Activité is a better option. For many reasons:
Swiss Made, a traditional batery, look ( espacially the beautifull black unit)
With a better price….
Apple Watch..Sorry!
I love how it looks… I’ve been waiting for this device for a while but I don’t see it in the market yet… I wish it could include the heart monitor sensor, with that it easily could kill any other watch/tracker on the market….
In the meanwhile the Motorola 360 is getting my attention…. it has round shape as I want it, it has the accelerometer and the HR.
Pre-orders opened and it seems like the delivery will be by the end of November. A site is claiming the intro documents have been submitted to the FCC and inside the docs is the user manual. It looks like all the promised functions will be delivered including swimming (although not really clear what this means …). For sure, battery life is a big plus, and it looks much nicer in a biz’ ness suite than the competition. I have had the garmin vivofit since the intro, and the product is good, but sleep tracking is really poor compared to others (like the polar loop), and finally I don’t use the HR strap because most of the time I’m on my fenix 2 or Edge. I think I’m going to take the plunge.
Much much cheaper Activite Pop announced:
link to techcrunch.com