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And Movescount is still the only way to add POIs to Spartans and 5/9, as described by Suunto’s own instructions: link to suunto.com
Other than going to your POI first and marking your current location, that is.
Marking refuge spots when for example mountaineering or ski touring can save your life in a whiteout or storm.
Thanks Suunto for losing this feature (And they still list POI navigation on their technical specification page. Technically, they are correct. You can navigate to a POI, you just can’t add one…)
Visa, POIs made their way to suunto app already – you can add them from the app during route planning! And now in the latest watch update, they added a fix so that you can see the point name as well (this was temporarily not supported).
That’s not true independant POI’s though, which is what Movescount offers. In route is useless if you just want to have relevant POI’s in the watch to select, such as mountain escape gullies, huts or avalanche boxes which you could be coming at from any angle. I do not always need a route to get there, I just need to know where it is. I’m utterly sick of Suunto and Suunto fans trying to say that you still have functions when you don’t. POI’s in their current (and really bloody useful) form will cease to exist on the Suunto platform as of 13th October.
Suunto’s development path and product decisions are laughable and, at this point, they could give me all the free watches in the world and I will still go and buy a Garmin. Suunto as a company are underhand, deceitful and simply not worthy of anyone’s money.
You can add a POI (or more) on your watch based on your current location.
Sync your watch with your phone (Suunto App)
Go to the Suunto App and view the list of POI.
You can manually edit the coordinates and name of the POI you just created.
Sync your watch again.
On your watch, the POI will reflect the new name and coordinates.
It’s not as easy as Garmin or movescount, but it works for me.
That means no more custom trainings on ambit3 as this was supported only in movescount app? Buuu
“6) Ambit/Traverse users now get access to all the partner data sync sites that weren’t on Movescount but are on Suunto App
7) Those users get 30% off new devices (scroll to the end of the post)”
Just to clarify: as indicated in the image you posted, Spartan owners can also take advantage of the discount, and more
As for your last paragraph: a meaningless sentence written just to make polemic. Then you complain that they call you a Garmin man?
There’s countless examples of tech companies sending out free devices or full refunds to move people off of deprecated platforms.
Seems like I’m actually giving Suunto potential future credit there. The reality is the end of Movescount will come, and pretending it won’t is putting on blinders.
Love your reviews and the fact that you keep stating your opinion as you see it. There will always be detractors but in my 5+ years of following this blog I can’t fault you for bias
Hi Ray,
Pretty clear, but I don’t get why you are so hostil with Suunto.
This: “So at some point that’ll likely get killed off too. Or, maybe they’ll just start sending out free watches in another year or two begging people instead.”
Is it necessary? Or do you enjoy it? I don’t get it, really.
For that sentence, I updated it just to make it more clear what I’m referring to – I’m specifically talking about “begging people to leave Movescount instead.”
I’m sarcastic with all companies, including Suunto – but equally so with everyone else (actually, in most cases even more sarcastic with larger companies like Garmin, Strava, and Apple). But I just find folks put their blinders on when it doesn’t suit their narrative.
In this case though, as I explained in the comment above to Saketo, the reality is that sending free devices and refunds is *EXACTLY* what countless tech companies have done before, and will continue to do. Pretending that might not happen is silly. And not mentioning that plausibility is also silly.
As a Suunto customer who is monumentally frustrated with Suunto’s behaviours and way of going about this downgrade from Movescount to the Suunto App, I wholeheartedly side with DC Rainmaker’s attitude towards Suunto. Suunto are not a company to be trusted in what they say or do, and therefore they deserve to be treated with severe scepticism.
I’m not a Suunto user so none of this affects me but I was seriously impressed with how long you said their discount offer was good for. Two pandemics! That would take you to 2220.
Sadly March of 2021 won’t even get us out of the current pandemic. (Sad panda sounds)
Oh, at this rate I simply assume that by late November or so they’ll extend the 2020 calendar year somehow, making it 5 years long.
/../ 1) Starting today, Ambit 1/2/3/Traverse users can also use the new SuuntoLink desktop uploader to upload to the Suunto App instead /../
This has been working for quite a while, since the release of Suuntolink 3 back in April : link to suuntolink.static.movescount.com &
link to suunto.com
Beats me what’s behind the lack of communications – I mean they do publish bits here and there but they seem to take an extra effort to hide those articles. Once there were update e-mails about digital service transition, but those stopped somewhere at the end of 2019. Until April (5 months from now .. ) they at least updated their link to suunto.com page.
And one geeky bit – Suuntolink syncs form Movescount bit more than one would expect, i.e. Ambit3 Workouts (structured intervals), those that one was able to create only with Movescount mobile app.
“And one geeky bit – Suuntolink syncs form Movescount bit more than one would expect, i.e. Ambit3 Workouts (structured intervals), those that one was able to create only with Movescount mobile app.”
Do you mean to say that if I create a workout on the Movescount app after October 31, that the workout will be available on my Ambit 3 Peak watch? If so, that would be nice because I don’t see anyway I can create a workout in the Suunto app for my Ambit 3 Peak watch.
Hi Ray,
I’m a triathlete and happy owner of an ambit3.
I only use it for running and swimming, for the bike I use a wahoo and check all my metrics on training peaks
I’m thinking about the following 3 options
1) use the 30% discount and buy a suunto 5
2) forget about suunto and buy a coros pace 2
3) keep my ambit3 and use it till it dies.
I’d say the key decision point for you would be how much routing type stuff you’ll be doing. If you’re doing basically any, then go Suunto for sure. It wins against COROS every time there (because the Pace 2 doesn’t have any, and even if you consider the other units, they’re not in the same realm as Suunto).
If however, you don’t do routing, then the choices is easily the Pace 2 for running. Swimming openwater the Pace 2 seems pretty strong to me (not as good as Ambit 3, cause honestly, that was peak GPS accuracy days for Suunto and everyone else). I haven’t spent any time in the pool with the Pace 2 though due to COVID.
Crappy decision. Suunto app is poor replacement for Movescount app and even crappier replacement for movescount web/app combo. It offers just most basic syncing capability for sport activities and aGPS file. That’s it. No more syncing of anything from movescount web. You will have to carry your computer with you to the PEAK of the mountain now if you want to change any watch settings, add a route etc. Ambit3 is much dumber watch now thanks too Suunto.
The discount they are offering will probably be offered during holidays anyways so that really is not something I’m happy about. I don’t think I will consider upgrading my Ambit3 Peak to some other Suunto model after this betrayal. I simply don’t trust them anymore. What if they do the same thing to S9 baro in a few months? I don’t know about you, but my watch is going to be become obsolete every 2-3 years, than they are way overpriced. I will rather invest in a good mobile phone and a decent power bank.
I own a Suunto Ambit 3 peak, sapphire glass and all. It’s a shame that owners of a perfectly functioning watches get treated this way. Personally I’m not looking to repalce it and i use Apple Watch instead when I;m on the go and I know i will not have my laptop to Synch, but when the day comes and I need to buy new dedicated GPS watch, it will be difficult to justify buying again from Suunto, as no one can tell that this will not happen again with newer devices. If I owned Coros I know exactly to who I would offer a 30% discount right now…
with that, I’ll keep my Ambit 3 until it dies. Or they stop supporting it all together…
Now that Movescount (the website) is officially, officially, no really, off in the sunset, I’m out. Final nail in coffin.
I cannot stand SA the app, nor ST the website and I do not like doing any of the watch related stuff on a mobile device. Full web browser, big screen, precise mouse.
Welp, time to sell off the Suunto stuff and finally say goodbye.
It is very strange to shut down the web platform without offering the same alternative in return. I agree that linking to mobile phones is a step backwards. Mobile apps should be add-ons to the API and web services. In this regard, Garmin Connect did a good job of updating their web platform.
It is more convenient, faster and cheaper to manage a web service and IU for it than publishing applications in web stores and fixing bugs in them: a bunch of versions for different platforms and devices, UI synchronisation, etc. In general, it is strange that Sport Tracker does not develop in any way.
In general, Suunto needs to open its API, then the web community will make an open source service like Movscount.
Suunto App has open api: link to apizone.suunto.com and there are quite good opensource services using it, like link to quantified-self.io
I totally agree on opening the API, the Suunto mobile app stinks.
I own a Spartan Ultra after and an Ambit 2 and I reckon this is the end of the road for me with Suunto. The kicks in the teeth keep coming and the annoying thing is that they seem absolutely fine with their customer policies. They definitely went on the Silicone Valley path to maximise profits and cather just for the gym paesants. I always said that if I want to count my steps and sleep hours I buy a fitbit for a quarter of a Suunto’s price.
One month ago my second HR sensor died and I was amazed to find out that was out of stock everywhere, including Suunto’s webshop. Lucky me I bought a Polar H10 which is way better than the flimsy Suunto smart sensor that lasts just over one year everytime (just in time for the warranty to end). Impressed with the Polar quality and seeing that Suunto is going only down the hill, after 7 years of loyal custom I am sure my next device will be a Polar. They simply remind me of how Suunto used to be.
I just hope the greed won’t affect the diving computers. I’d really hate to change brand on my beloved DX.
Before that you should check link to polar.com – some time ago Polar closed its Personal Trainer service and guess what – dropped support for RCX5 / RC3 at all, while Suunto is bringing all Ambits including Ambit1 (which is the same timeframe as RCX5/RC3 or even older) to new platform
Do you think Garmin would accept the 30% off of a new watch if I emailed them saying I have ambit 3 and movescount is dead.
Kinda like some places honoring competitors coupons…
No, but COROS will. Seriously.
I totally forgot about that when someone asked up above. They’ll give you up to a $100 credit for any functioning GPS watch. It’s unclear what ‘up to’ means in this context for these watches, but hey…it’s an option: link to coros.com
Ray, what if I really do own an Ambit 1 but I don’t want to give it up? They keep trying to make me hate it but I’m emotionally attached…
Wow! Thanks
I filled the form yesterday, but didn’t have an answer yet.
coros offered me $60 for my ambit3 sport black.
I think i will take it…. $140 for a new watch seams like a pretty good deal.
Only valid for US owners. *sigh*
Is Suunto a profitable company? What does their future look like in the data eco system world? Do they make it or do they get gobbled up?
Suunto is owned by Amer sports, which in turn was bought by a China’s Anta Sports a bit under two years ago: link to reuters.com
Given what typically happens with large conglomerate tech acquisitions from China, there’s little focus on profitability as long as it serves some other brand purpose within the portfolio.
It all starts to make sense now. Just about that time Suunto started to change the focus to the occasional runners/cyclist that find more important having the music on the watch rather than a long battery life.
Probably Suunto will end up like Philips, brain drained and not making anything but compasses in the near future.
Hello Ray:
Deprecated, learned a new word today – not english lenguaje native-. I am an Ambit 3 Peak happy user but eventually I am beinng “forced” to upgrade my unit. Unfortunately NONE of the new units ones offers what my AMBIT 3 Peak does, and that is reliability that I trust. That is unfortunate. If that will be the case, then what is the point of buying from SUUNTO if your investment won’t last? – The discounts are good but why spend more money over a unit that still works to fix something that you did not create?. Suunto, you are diggin your own grave. Might be wrong though. Cheers from Mexico.
i want to buy a Suunto watch where in 10 years if i don’t like it anymore i can take it back and get my money back!
I’m done with Suunto. The Suunto 5 has the worst screen of any watch I know. And now they will kill MovesCount where I have over 3300 moves stored!
Time to get an Apple watch.
Under Settings->Other sport services, you can at least export your data. Not sure what you can do after that; Strava lets you upload 25 files at a time, which would be tedious but should work. Use tapiriik.com to send the data on elsewhere after that
In fact if you access to an iOS device, you can: use the one-off export function from Movescount to Suunto App, then use the RunGap app to export from Suunto to Strava or Connect or wherever
I didn’t know Suunto was now a PRC China company. I’m putting PRC soldiers directing armed drone attacks from their smartwatches on my bingo card for 2021.
Some Suunto watches are already 15-30% off. Does this mean with my special movescount code I will now get another 30% off? Meaning 45-60% off a new Suunto 9?
This is my question too. When the code will be in my hand I’ll try. A Suunto 9 Baro under 300 € can be a good option
That means the Ambit family settings will work in the pc application? There will be only limited settings? I am very and truly disappointed with Suunto…
Sigh. Movescount was the last connection Suunto had with FirstBeat’s Sports application. Sports does a great job of tracking effort and recovery helping you manage your activities based on your actual readiness. One would have expected two companies both headquartered in Finland could have maintained a cooperative relationship. I have data from my Suunto watches back to 1980. Sports can accept data directly from Garmin devices. Suunto has forced my hand.
My favorite part is that down at the bottom of their “Loyalty Offer” webpage is that they encourage you to pass on your old watch so that it continue to live on.
I can live with moving my Ambit 3 Peak to Suunto app and only changing watch settings using USB if I have to, except for two things:
Interval Workouts and Running power from my Stryd
Neither is available using Suunto App. Spartan and Suunto 9 only have a poor substitute for the workout feature and it’s not configured in the app.
I don’t really care if Suunto App and Sports Tracker are rubbish, as I use Training Peaks mostly anyway, Power and Intervals are non-negotiable.
I still use the Movecount app for that reason.
The drop of power data from Ambit at import using SuuntoLink or Suunto App is the biggest hit under the belt. I had talked to a Suunto community manager (D.K.) , he all the time promised he will log a case, but guess what, nothing happened… I switched to Garmin Forerunner 945 in May and don’t regret it. Garmin feels light-years ahead…
+1 – also affected by this….
That is why they didn’t closed movescount yet. You can still use movescount app and moveslink2 and movescount website.
I do, and use rungap for syncing to SA. On android I guess you can use syncmytracks
one reason I bought suunto years ago was the product was not made in China as if I can avoid supporting a dictatorship I will. Is there a GPS/multisport watch that isn’t either owned by or made in China?
Most of Suunto’s higher end watches are made in Finland, by Finnish people. That doesn’t get around ownership though.
The list below is current for all current generation watches (i.e. watches released in the last month) – by validating what it actually says on the product of the nearest watch I had next to me, and then cross-checking it with the interwebs for other recent info. For example, I know ever Garmin watch is made in Taiwan, and best I can tell every Apple Watch is made in China (there was talk of India, but I don’t see anything showing they’ve started Watch production there yet, just phone). Fitbit used to be in China, but the Versa 3 on my wrist says Taiwan. I’m not clear how much production they’ve moved from China to Taiwan though, globally (maybe all, maybe less – my unit was purchased in Europe).
A) Garmin’s watches are made in Taiwan*
B) Apple’s watches are made in China
C) Polar watches are made in China
D) Fitbit watches are made in Taiwan* now (previously China)
E) Samsung watches are made in Vietnam
F) Suunto’s watches are made in Finland, and in China (Suunto 7)
(*Decide on China aspects as you wish there)
Today only the S7 is made in China.
And the Suunto 3? It says Made in China on the back. Or has that changed?
That changed when the model was renamed to “Suunto 3” (previously Suunto 3 Fitness). Suunto 3 Fitness is no longer manufactured, the new variants under the name Suunto 3 are made in Finland.
Ahh, cool, good to know. And, a nice change.
The Suunto 7 one I did know, but forgot about. That’s due to requirements imposed by Google on approved Wear OS manufacturing partners.
You’re right for the S3 fitness not the S3 (2nd édition).
So the main casualty for the Ambit series will be the ability to create interval workouts, as currently this can only be done through Movescount.
How do Suunto 5 and Suunto 9 users build workouts? E.g. 10 x 60s @ 3:30 min/km with 60s rests.
They don’t, simply put. That functionality was only ever available on Ambit3 collection watches (not previous models, not subsequent models) via Movescount App.
Spartans never could, Suunto 5 and 9 can’t. I wonder if they plan to make it come via Suuntoplus (maybe with Training Peaks integration?)
?. I know you can set up an interval timer on them each time you want to do intervals, but not being able to save workouts to use again seems a huge omission.
On the flip side, I don’t really get the negativity towards Suunto being expressed here. Yes, Movescount is a good website. But the older watches will still work, and so many people use Strava and/or TrainingPeaks nowadays.
Well imagine that you have let‘s say 2000 moves on you account and you were using Movescount as your main training diary for 5+ years. That means not just a gps data from your workouts but also all descriptions, comments, photos, tagging, routes, POI‘s (+ lot of work and time). …and Suunto with all their „built to last watches“ just announce you that they decided to shut down whole this database but you will get new phone app instead and also you can buy a new watch which are compatible with that app. Great deal :-)
.
I don’t know if they realized how many loyal Suunto customers were loyal because of the Movescount and were willing to live without the new „fancy“ Garmin features because they have all the history (data) at Suunto.
Movescount is (or was) also great tool for analysing your workouts on the big screen with all the chart combinations and variation of available maps (satellite maps from Google are not on every platform) …and there is just no replacement for that.
So the big source of all that negativity is just a big dissapointment. It is hard to trust the company again. Now we will start to work on our Suunto app (Sports Tracker) database and it will last 1 or 2 or 5 years? Also the data (Sports Tracker database) are now basically owned by Chinese company…which I’m also „very happy“ about.
But on the other hand I’m glad Suunto found at least some solution so the good old Ambit models can be still used (even with limitations). I’m owner of Spartan and Ambit 2 R and I’m still using the Ambit 2 R for most of my trail runs because I’m just getting much more accurate data from Ambit then from Spartan.
Well explained, thank you. I agree that Movescount is a good website for display and analysis. I didn’t know it has or had such an active community–I thought Strava was the only fitness social network (speaking as a former Endomondo user!). For example, afaik no-one uses Connect as a social network.
Tom, your data is not lost, you can transfer your data from Movescount to SA easily
Suunto is still Finnish company owned by another Finnish company which in turn owned by some conglomerate (which includes Chinese companies) but that doesn’t mean anything to you – your data is in Europe and under European laws.
Pavlos, I was synchronizing my data with the Sports Tracker (SA database) as a back up since beginning of using Movescount so I’m not loosing GPS data (and you can probably still export all the data from Movescount via mass export in .fit as well). But I’m loosing all the comments, taggs, pictures and descriptions, routes, POI’s….which is not disaster but also not fun.
With regards to the data hopefully you are right :) That “some” conglomerate means Chinese Anta Sports.
(Anta Sports Products Limited (SEHK: 2020) is a Chinese multinational sports goods manufacturing company based in Jinjiang.[2][3] It is the world’s third-largest sportswear company by revenue as of 2019.)
Tom, not sure on comments, but you definitely don’t have to lose pictures and description. I presume you used MC feature of sending moves to SportsTracker but instead you can do transfer from Suunto App, it’s described here link to suunto.com. It will transfer your pictures and descriptions. May be you’ll need to create new account in Suunto App, though.
Pavlos,
You can transfer basic data like distance, pace, HR, etc… but you can’t transfer, as far as I know, what separated Movescount from many other platforms: keyword tags. That removes the ability to find and analyze data on a completely different level. I used tags to track a lot of things such as mileage on my shoes, injuries and moves combining different tags (« how many long runs on an empty stomach in 2020? » etc…). Basically, the Suunto app gave up on more data-oriented athletes and focused on people more interested in using a phone at all times. Forced obsolescence is not something I want to support.
A little late to the comment section here but Tom K. you have perfectly described my situation. I truly love my Ambit2 R as it still works and looks like new after 6 years of near daily use. Here’s the thing, Movescount works and I just do not want the hassle of learning a new system every few years because someone thinks they can improve the system. I would actually continue buying from Suunto if I could download a version on my home computer. It worked just fine. No need to upgrade ever.
Unfortunately, I will be moving over to Garmin most likely and then use the Suunto in a backup role as there is little resale value to it.
Well that’s Suunto truly lost me as a customer as I will not support a company which so fundamentally changes its product with a negative impact to its customers. Key features for me were:
– Cohesive web interface for upload/analysis etc. The phone app is useful for syncing but when you have two widescreen monitors, why would you use a phone screen?
– POI creation in advance of needing them
– Route creation
I’m losing all of these. Sure, I can create routes in the phone but if that was the option offered at the time I bought my Spartan Ultra, I simply wouldn’t have bought it, I’d have gone for Garmin instead. I’m losing all web options so will have to use my phone for everything. To create routes on my desktop I’ll need to find another product, probably at a cost, and then mess around with getting them onto my phone to then upload. And then of course POI creation disappears. Suunto will tell you that this is coming but given that future expectations should be based on past performance, this has been promised for 18 months. I therefore have absolutely no faith in it being delivered before the 13th.
That they are bare faced lying to customers like me is all the more galling. I know that no company or product is perfect, but Suunto are the single worst company I have had the misfortune of dealing with in the last ten years; partly for their product updates taking it further away from the navigation product I bought, but mainly because their staff are so unpleasant and obtuse to deal with (with the exception of one developer on their forum). I was even told today by Aaron M on their helpdesk that POI’s were a feature of Movescount and not the watch, and as I only bought the watch, and Movescount was free, they could be removed at any time. He said ‘I respect your perception that POI’s were a feature of the spartan’ – in other words, tough, we’re got bigger muscles here and you’ll think what we tell you to think. With customer services like that they could offer me a free whatever and I will still be going with Garmin.
I had not used the suunto app for months with my ambit3 as it didn’t connect to my watch
I always had to unpair and re-pair all the time, and even doing that it didn’t work many times. Also it when my runs were uploaded to suunto app it were still on the watch and I had the message of memory full so I stopped using it, and just used the computer.
Yesterday I gave it another opportunity and had the same problem. Can you connect?
I was perfectly happy with my Ambit2 for now. Does anyone know any comparable product with the same battery life? I don’t care that the display is basic, it woks just fine. I would like to be able to follow the VO2-estimate from my workouts, like I can do with movescount.
You can continue using your Ambit2 with new Suunto App and SuuntoLink, link to youtube.com
Suunto App does provide VO2-estimate (nor EPOC) for Ambits.
I guess that Coros may be a good alternative. I know that it’s a young company, and they implement their own algorithms for “performance” metrics (VO2, Training load, recovery….Etc) so we may miss some time to check how they compare to trusted ones.
AFAIK, other companies use firstbeat, save from Polar who has quite a god expertise on those aspects.
But….if you want good battery life and VO2 estimate, in a more modern package, The Coros Aex Pro may be of interest.
For the guys complaining about movescount going down, I guess going to coros won’t make them much happier, since they don’t have website also.
As much as I don’t like garmin, for me, a suunto user (ambit 2 and 3 sapphire), the only viable alternative is garmin (website, a way to manage most of stuff offline (on the watch)).
As I emailed the suunto support…I bought the watches for the apps (ambit 2), for connectivity (able to change parameters on the go) (ambit 3) and now they are taking them out.
Sorry but if they change their mind I think the ambit 3 was my last suunto (of a collection of vectors, core, xlander, obersver and ambit 3).
A pity to see such great company going so mainstream and threating their customers like this.
But it is business….
I’m a former Suunto (Spartan) user who’s now gone to Coros. Agreed, the lack of a website is a bummer. The difference (for me, anyway) is that Coros never had one in the first place and I knew that going in. With Suunto, the ability to use Movescount was a significant factor in my decision to get a Spartan a couple of years ago, and the company has taken away a part of the overall product package that I wanted and that (in my perception at least) I paid for when I bought the watch.
So. Bye-bye Suunto. This is an appalling way to treat customers and I don’t want to give them any more of my money. So far I’m very happy with my Vertix, but if that changes there’s always Garmin.
I’m a main desktop user and was very frustrated when I heared that movescount will be closed. But there is a very good alternative for desktop users –> quantified-self.io. You can link the activities from suunto app directly to qs.
Haha my eyes aren’t what they were :-( Been very happy loyal Suunto user, bought 3 watches, alas the app is too small on my phone and I’m happy with the Microsoft Windows eco system (safe, secure) not switching my accounts to Apple of Google.
Later Suunto, we had some great times :-)
Can I ask what book that is in the picture?
I believe it’s this one :
link to amazon.com
Ope. May have to respectfully disagree. I own that book and it’s all in black and white. BUT, I think it might be “The Secret of Running”.
Also, I have no idea how my name ended up being the hyperlink to the book.
Was a loyal and happy Suunto user for the past 8 years, first ambit and then Spartan sport planned to go to Suunto 7 or 9.
Closing Movescount is the deal breaker. Bye Suunto
I was assured a few months back by a Suunto employee that they would have Movescount features in the App before shutting Movescount down. I guessing Suunto (China) decided it wasn’t worth the effort/cost. I have a Suunto Baro 9 less than a year old I will replace with a Garmin.
So Ken, moving to Garmin is an expensive proposition, but I need to do so because I need a watch that supports FirstBeat Sports. Is there a time of the year we can expect Garmin to discount their Fenix watches? Thanks for the excellent coverage of the (sad)Suunto/Movescount story.
The problem is though that many Suunto Ambit 3 peak users will not be able to take advantage of their offer. Please allow me to explain:
I for instance am in Greece atm (expat) and i cannot access the Online Suunto store because there is no Greek store (this applies to some other EU countries as well).
And i think that in order to make a purchase, the country that you are currently in must have a Suunto Online store….
This then means that i am exempt from the offer although i bought my watch brand new from an authorised dealer, in the UK online.(i have receipts etc & ofc my watch is registered wih Suunto).
I plan on calling Suunto this week to see whats what, but i wont be holding my breath-as busy as you are, if you have the chance can you find out from your contacts @Suunto what position i’m in?
I bought the watch having read your review & I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS WHATSOEVER, your review was 100% spot on.
This watch is indestructible & its battery life is still kicking a**. Add to that all of the programmes/abilities are working flawlessly & i have never regretted making the purchase.
Until they decided to change things…
When it was announced that online support would be eventually stopped, i was quite disappointed & the ‘workaround’ (thats what i call it) of using a cellphone to connect to my watch is pure BS.
Not all of us are kids or phone junkies who are tethered to their smart (???) phones.
To be forced to use a phone app to continue using the watch fully is ridiculous, but thats another topic.
I would love to get the Suunto 9 Baro especially with the discount, but it seems that i am screwed,
Lets hope that not many other Suunto owners are in my predicament.
Thank you in advance for any feedback that you can provide-Be Safe out there!
In last 6 years I collected almost 2000 trainings to my Movescount as a triathlete. It is part of my life. I could always check and compare not just my main discipline, but my hobby activites during my holidays.. Heart breaking story, really is!
Anyway, I need to stand up from this state and must look forward. Can you please advise a software or a service for me that can be really a subtitute of Movescount?
A really need for that kind of training analysis where you can
– get your averages (pace/heart rate/..) of an ad hoc selected training part (like overall pace of an interval training w/o warm up, or cool down, and so on)
– you can manage your heart rate zones easily
Premium Strava did not work..
Plan the worst, hope the best ;)
Keep up with your comprehensive articles, I always enjoy reading of them.
This is a perfect case study on how to reduce your sales by angering your loyal customers.
I own a Suunto Ambit 3 Peak. There is no other watch in the Suunto range that significantly improves on its durability (LCD screen), battery life and barometer accuracy. It is today a current model on sale new from Suunto.
Suunto is saying very clearly to me; “We don’t care about you as a customer, because we’ve chosen to remove important functionality from your watch.”
People who use sports watches like these (that’s us!) are all fairly wealthy folks. Our Lifetime Customer Value to Suunto is much, much higher than a single watch purchase.
My wife is aghast at this too, so that’s two customers they’ll lose in the next year or so. And our eldest daughter who’s just started running and wants a sports watch? Do you think we’ll buy her a Suunto?
I agree with everything you have said, apart from the issue of having to be fairly wealthy to use these watches.
I have money BUT for example my son does not (you know what i mean), so he saved up his pocket money & money from his Saturday job & bought one of those new Apple watches which is far more expensive-people have a way of procuring things they want come hell of high water.
As many of us have stated, be it here (or on other blogs) in written form or by simply refusing to support Suunto anymore, Suunto & their new owners have stuck a proverbial middle finger up & their past customers & no matter how many people try to cover for such inept behaviour, the majority have rightly taken offence by such behaviour & have switched allegiances (never mind the fact that Suunto products are now way behind their opposition when it comes to tech etc). Maybe their new owners simply do not give a damn. The power still rests in the hand of the consumer that is NOT blinded by false allegiances or marketing.
UPDATE: I called Suunto UK yesterday & told them about my predicament. I got through to what seemed to be one of those call centers located halfway across the globe.
The person that i spoke to, seemed bored & uninterested in my query (as my wife likes to say ” he was too bored to be bored”).
He put me on hold, then after a while came back with no reply- so i suggested that instead of having me wait for a possible reply on the line, could he get back to me via e mail?
He promised that he would & that is the last i have heard from him & expect to hear from him.
Ever get the feeling that Suunto DGAF(google is your friend for those that don’t know what it means), because i’m 100% sure that they don’t……
I am sure that someone from Suunto peruses this site/blog (it is after all a great site, if not the best in its sphere)
To anyone from Suunto that reads this ” You have managed to take your reputable name & royally screw it up; i mean deeply screw it up
-i guess product pride/honesty & respect for those that have bought your products, ergo put money in your pockets is expendable- no problem, so are you, lets see who lasts longer…..|”
Time to start looking for another Manufacturer that at the very least pretends to care about their customers.
As for me Suunto mobile app looks… normally, it’s same that old movescount. But I need it on my PC, I need web version. I want to see my activities on my 27″ monitor, why I must to use 6″ smartphone? It is easy, it is not expensive and does not require any costs: same server, same data, same code, same design. I don’t understand, why?
Next time I will buy Garmin.
I was a long time suunto fan, starting with suunto X9, AMBIT 2 and 3, Spartan.
The Spartan was a failure, like if they changed strategy in the middle of the development.
Then they announced closure of the best in class MC. That made me test Garmin Fenix 6 which is way better than what I thought.
This is just a single user line many others who tried other options and may never come back despite the 30% off.
Check on ebay how many suunto are being on sales!
So sad. Such a great and unique company before.
@Fr_cowboy & @ Ambit2 owner:
Both of you have made valid points that unfortunately fall on deaf ears with the people over at Suunto.
Maybe its a simple case of Suunto having made so much money in the past that they don’t care(a stupid stance if true) & having lost in the tech progression arena against the other leading manufacturers, they can afford to cut their losses & let the brand die, whilst at the same time screw over their past customers.
Yes i sound cynical BUT thats exactly what they have done-they got their cash, so screw you now son!
(For those that want to bring up the Suunto app & it’s shortcomings as better than nothing, i say, that Suunto should stop giving us a 6 whilst saying that it’s a 9)
This behaviour will simply increase the customer base of Suunto’s rivals, thereby increasing the ‘damage’ metered out to future Suunto sales-and they deserve it.
I too will look towards another brand, but being such a pedantic fool when it comes to online shopping, research is going to take at least a couple of months.
Also, i don’t know if i want to spend 800+ euro for a watch that may be obsolete in a couple of years, i would much rather put that money towards a new guitar or a 2nd hand vintage watch (i’m looking for an Omega Speedmaster MKii).
Ok, im going off topic here. Good luck to all that have been let down by Suunto’s total disdain towards a substantial amount of their customer base-i hope that your new watch makes up for all of the disappointment that you have had to endure.
Thanks Ray for this article, very informative, and for the Comments that it generated, that are equally very informative. Happy to see I am not the only one in that situation
Suunto told me in early October 2020 that they decided that change (closing of web-based platform) based on “feedback of their customers” and “general trend of digital services”, to which I replied “does it mean you do not consider me as one of your customers?”
I am (was) an Ambit3 user, and discovered in Sept 2020 about the closing of Suunto web-based service (movescount). After chatting with Suunto through their online chat, it became apparent they would no longer provide that service. This is a big no-no for me : I don’t use Phone to manage my activities, I used a computer with a nice big monitor and a mouse
Once it became apparent they would no longer provide that service, I had to go find some other watch supplier.
Now I got a Polar Vantage M, which is doing the job nicely, i.e recording my bike activities and putting them on web-based platform, where I can upload and store those wherever I want.
I understand Suunto’s point, to only provide a phone-based application, but that ‘s not what I want.
It is kinda sad story since I am satisfied with my Ambit3 and attached to it. But the Polar is doing a great job, so I guess I will get over it.
Julien
Looks like the planned Movecount shut down has been delayed until next year.
link to suunto.com
Thanks for the heads up-i guess that i wont sound ungrateful & instead say that at least thats something.
(The execution date has been delayed somewhat)
I guess that global pressure from sites such as this via our posts have had an effect (one lives in hope).
So i’ll bow out gracefully, by saying thanks Suunto, but you have still alot of work ahead, to keep or to encourage customers back to your product line-people have been left with a very bitter taste in their mouths.
As for the discount offer, that is moot since it does not encompass all of your customers & customer service is very poor when dealing with that issue.
Again, many thanks Rob-NZ for the info-much appreciated, be safe down there in Kiwi land mate :)
Thank you very much Rob for the information, at least it shows they listened to their customers… but I am sorry that is too late. already bought another watch….
Just to share my experience, I have received two invitations to participate in a short NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey about the Suunto App, and I took the opportunity to express my concerns about the missing features and functions in the Suunto App that were previously found on the Movescount app. Has anyone else participated in the survey? I wonder if Suunto has delayed the sunsetting of Movescount app and web because of our aggregated NPS scores and feedback…
From Suunto site: Alternative redemption methods are also available in locations where shopping from Suunto.com is not available.
That’s another good step for people like me (live in Greece, bought two watches from Greek local store). Two days ago I made the transition for my Ambit 2R and honestly it’s not all bad for me. In 20 minutes all my moves transferred from Movescount to Suunto app. I had 3500 moves from 2013 to 2020, two watches Ambit 2R + Quest. Not a single problem duplicate moves etc.
Hi, would you care to elaborate on what alternative methods are available to get the 30% discount in Greece since there is no Suunto online shop for Greece?
Thanks in advance.
I don’t know yet. I’m waiting for their response (Loyalty offer request). I don’t think they will abandon people like us and from what I read they won’t.
So then you dont really know that alternative methods are available…. SMH.
Update: Just got off the phone with Suunto UK, i spoke to M***, and they told me very clearly that those of us that do not have access to a Suunto online shop in their country cannot benefit from the discount offer.
I told him that that, was preposterous, in that a huge chunk of Suunto customers that have made purchases from authorised dealers are getting screwed over & that is unacceptable.
I gave my details & have arranged a call back from a Manager, but again, i wont hold my breath for a solution, ergo i apologise, but i disagree with you & i cannot be naieve when it comes to dealing with Suunto, since they have clearly shown how much they do not really care about their customers, in the handling of this farce.
The only workaround i can see, is if you make a purchase in another country that has an online store & then have the watch shipped to you BUT, that will only work if you eventually get a code & that the code is usable globally & not restricted to the area that you live in.(logically thinking)
That having been said, if your details list you as being in Greece, i highly doubt that they will even send a code since there is no Greek online store(again i may be wrong, but…..)
-maybe they will send a code that is redeemable with a Greek Suunto dealer, but in my experience, thats not going to happen.
I will chase down my side of things & see where i get & i wish you luck in your endeavours.
Just tried calling Suunto USA, & guess who answered?
Thats right M*** from Suunto UK, so it seems that there is only one call center (small) that is used by Suunto for certain areas.
I obviously called Suunto USA to find out if they had a different take on this discount farce, obviously it was a wasted call……
This just gets worse with every ‘step’….
What I wrote about alternative methods is what Suunto posted on their official site. At Loyalty offer request I chose Greece as my country and sent it.
UPDATE: Here is the reply i just got from Suunto:
Dear xxxxxxxxxxxx,
Hope you are well.
Our team has looked into your case. We understand your request to speak with a manager however, the concern is not handled by managers. If there are questions about the loyalty offer and people not being able to redeem the code as no website for a certain country, they suggest to please fill the request form for loyalty offer
on the website just like everyone else. The requests will be validated and the customers will be contacted locally within the same timeframe which is given on the website for further instructions on how to use the offer.
Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Mark
Suunto Customer Support Team
So more generic info that says nothing……(btw it looks like its the same guy that i spoke to on 2 occasions, ergo he may have not even forwarded my request to speak to a supervisor/manager at all & simply replied with this BS).
I say this because the discount request page clearly states that some requests may be rejected, anyway, lets see what happens. In the interest of transparency, i will NOT be buying a Suunto again even if i get a code, but Suunto’s handling of this farce (by that i mean everything), has pi**ed me off so much that i want to take this to its conclusion & see what they really do.
Anyone have an older watch that records power figure out a way to actually get that data off the watch under the new system?
I have an Ambit2 that records power from an ANT+ cycling power meter. I’m now using the Suunto App. I’ve tried loading in both Sports Tracker and SportTracks, then exporting the resultant GPX data into another application: No luck… everything BUT power.
I’ve now connected TrainingPeaks and Strava, though they don’t seem to sync until the NEXT new activity in Suunto app.
I cannot see power in the Suunto app itself, so I’m not optimistic.
Am I out of luck?
My old workflow was sync Ambit2 to Movescount, export to .FIT, then import to my analysis software of choice.
Thank you for any help/tips!
My main use for my Ambit2 is nordic skiing/racing and is mountaineering, though on very rare occasions I use it to record cycling power. I’m considering upgrading to a new one, though it seems the newer devices are Bluetooth, and I’d rather not get a new HR strap… and I didn’t want to lose the ability to record ANT+ power.
Perhaps I just need to accept that my Ambit2 is fine for the skiing activities and I’ll never get power off of it (I normally use a different cycling head unit). I wonder if newer devices can successfully record/transfer power from an ANT+ meter.
Thanks!
I’m in the same boat with my Ambit 3 Peak and Stryd.
Suunto App doesn’t sync Power data from the Ambit, though ironically it’s there in the app in all of the historic data migrated over from Movescount. So the data field exists in their database, they just haven’t included in sync.
If you have an Android phone, you can use the Ambit Connect app with your Ambit USB cable and an OTG USB adapter to upload your activity directly to Strava, or save as a FIT file to import into Training Peaks (From the TP Website).
It works pretty well and I have actually used it in the past to rescue runs that Movescount refused to sync.
Thanks for posting, Rob_nz. Sounds like the data is there—or at least *was* there.
It’s possible with the new Suunto app for some reason they are dropping or not importing those fields from the Ambit series of devices, even though it is recorded. We don’t really know if the data gets into Suunto app & not synced, or if it is not imported at all (/dropped at import).
Unfortunately I do not have an Android phone. Is there any similar solution for an iPhone user?
The Power data definitely isn’t there in the activities synced using Suunto app. If you export an activity, no power data in the file. It is present in old data brought over by the migration process when you connect Suunto App to Movecount and if I export one of those, the Power data is included in the output.
I assume it does sync for the Spartan’s and later models.
At the moment, Suunto has delayed the retirement of Movescount until next year, so you could go back to using Moveslink 2 instead of SunntoLink, for a while. But you would need to manually import the data later on when they finally retire Movescount. (Or just periodically sync with Suunto Link to keep them the same).
I don’t know of an Iphone solution, but you could see if the OpenAmbit project is still going for PC or Mac
Thanks!
Yes…. I can see power data from past activities (my old workflow was Ambit2->Moveslink->Movescount->Export.FIT), but not the new ones synced via SuuntoLink.
Thank you for confirming that is a dead-end and does not have to do with the apps that I’ve tried for export (Suunto App, SportTracks, Sports Tracker, Strava, Training Peaks). Glad to hear it is not just me.
Do you think it is a conscious decision or just an oversight? Would seem odd to specifically exclude fields that were imported via Moveslink and are imported with other devices via SuuntoLink.
Do you think Suunto would ever fix that if reported?
I hope so, I’ve emailed Suunto support about it.
That and Interval workouts for the Ambit3.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Apparently the non-transfer of power data (Ambit2) is a known issue and will be fixed in the next update of SuuntoLink, according to Suunto support. No timeline on when is arriving though…
Amazing!
Well…. I, for one, appreciate the update. Since Moveslink > Movescount is still working at present, I’m good for now for those rare files where I *need* (want) to record cycling power on my watch and transfer the data.
The need arises only rarely when a head unit is in for repair (it just happened for the first time in 5.5 years, and I happen not to have another head unit on hand).
When I used to race cyclocross, I preferred using the Ambit2 vs a cycling head unit because the watch captured any running/off-bike time. I’m not doing that lately.
I hope by the time I need the Ambit2 to capture bike power this will be fixed.
Great watches, and if I can postpone an upgrade I’m happy. Actually, with the discount I’ll take a harder look at what new features I might get but know that I’m not *forced* to do so.
I don’t think any of the newer watches record data from an ANT+ HR strap or power meter; that’s a problem for me.
Hopefully the update to sync Power works with the Ambit 3 and via Bluetooth to the Sunnto App.
The only remaining problem for me after that is Interval workouts. The Workouts themselves are stored as binary blobs and JSON files in Movescount and sync to the watch along with the settings data, but the Workout Builder gui itself is part of the Movescount App and unless they migrate it to the Website or build it into the Suunto App I’m kinda screwed. (Unless that part of the Movescount App keeps syncing)
Good to see that they’ve postponed the closure of the service as I’m doubly screwed since I’m about the last person in the world on vista (I know!) which isn’t supported by the suuntolink. Has anyone actually managed to get a proper email conversation with an individual in Suunto (UK)? I was in a chat with them on twitter (it seems to be the only way they respond) but when I asked for an email address for their CEO and their complaints team they stopped talking (odd that). I’ve tried trawling t’net but can’t even find a company structure to concoct an email address to their exec.
Suunto’s CEO’s name is Heikki Tapio Norta. It says his email is firstname.lastname@suunto.com. I assume it would just be: heikki.norta@suunto.com
Has anyone tried the Ambit Connect app on Android? I’ve ordered an OTG cable but haven’t received it yet. I’m considering exporting the fit/gpx files via Ambit Connect and creating an excel file with macros. Although I would not get any map which is a bummer.
I hate and will not use a phone only app. The excel way would give loads better privacy as well…
Yep Ambit Connect works really well.
You don’t need to mess around with Spreadsheets.
It will upload directly to Strava or you can import the FIT into something like Training Peaks
Thanks xcel. I’ll give that address a try, although given the lack of response from his employees I don’t hold out too much hope.
As for ambit connect, yes I’ve used that quite often to post lunchtime runs on up to strava and when on holiday, but it only works one way so you can extract your runs, but not upload to the watch (although it does charge the watch from the phone’s battery). Strava is usually smart enough to avoid reposting the same run (not always) if you’ve also got movescount linked to it.
You can download your activity form the new Suunto platform and then upload it to link to quantified-self.io. Then you’ll be albe to see the laps with the distance you did and not those fixed lapdistances. You will also be able to see the maximum heartrate for each lap.
A while ago I think somewhere in july I could fill in a feedback with some negative comments. I got a reaaction on 10/08/2020 asking me to sent me some examples concerning the missing of the maximum heartrate per lap. I sent the mail with the exampls on 17/08/2020. On 29/09/2020 I got a mail telling me they are working on the bug. Today I still can’t see the maximum heartrate per lap.
At first you couldn’t see the maximum heartrate also not on link to quantified-self.io. I asked about this and a few days later I could already see it. As far as I know this site is managed by 1 person and it’s not even his main job.
You can set max/avg heart rate per lap in latest Suunto App Android beta
But can you also see the lapdistance like you ran the laps? If I ‘m doing intvervaltraining I want to see the lapdistance according to the laps I did and not the fixed distances. If I did 3000m – 400m-100m-400m-100m… – 3000m, I want to see 3000m – 400m-100m-400m-100m… – 3000m and not 1000m – 1000m… or 500m-500m… or… I see they are already showing laptimes in 10th of a second. That’s also a step forward for me. So if they correct the distances it’s ok for me.
I don’t understand Suunto. As I mentioned in my previous post I could see the laptimes to a 10th of a second and I could switch between average and maximum heartrate for a lap. The keyword being “could” because I can no longer see the laptimes to the 10th of second and I can also nog longer switch to the max heartrate for each lap.
@Yves
Just checked – at least on Android current version I can set Avg, Max and Min heart field for laps.
I’m not sure Ray’s old topic comments is a good place to ask Suunto App-related, there is a community (and a really good community I would say) forum at suunto-dot-com (I bet you can easily find it with google), try to ask there.
@Pavlos
I just discovered the difference between not being able to switch to Max HR and not seeing laptimes to a 10th of second on one hand and on the other hand being able to switch to Max HR and seeing laptimes to a 10th of a second. As soon as you pressed lap once during your acitvity you’ll be able so switch to Max HR and see laptimes to a 10th of second. Because I’m using autolap and importing the fitfile into garmin connect gives sometimes weird values for the Max HR (several laps with a max of 191 while my limit was 150 for example), I’m going to press lap at the end before pressing stop.
As it has been told, Movescount will continue for one more year.
So all ambit users can go back to moveslink and movescount app and enjoy their great watches for one more year without a lot of frustrations (except some stuff not working correctly on movescount website).
Ray did you have any more details about this?
Be aware though, that if you go back to Movescount after having migrated all your data to Suunto App then next year (or whenever it finally happens) your historical data from Movescount uploaded from now on may not be migrated over when you change to Suunto App again.
As I understand it, the migration was a one-off copy of your Movesount history and won’t be updated.
I wish they’d given more notice about postponing the cut-over, as I migrated all my data on the 13th expecting the Movescount app would stop syncing.
Did someone got the coupon from Suunto ?
After like 2 weeks I received a first email “Your Suunto loyalty offer” asking me “We would need to know beforehand which model you would want your new watch to be. This will help us to deliver the offer as soon as possible.” from where i immediately answered…
Then no news at all.
Disappointing service, you should get at first a link so you can follow your coupon request. Let’s say, that something in the pipe is broken…you’ll not even know that the procedure is hanging…
And if I read correctly the offer “Discount applied to the current price shown on Suunto.com at the time of purchase”, it means that the discount apply also on the already 17% discount on the shop…which would make a trully good offer
What i can say for sure is that the code will NOT be usable with any already existing discounts, hence for example it cannot be used during certain time periods when they have discounts (they mention those periods). As for getting a code etc, good luck on that sir……
Ray it could also be interesting to know, regarding my question above (#118) :
Finally I received my 30% loyalty discount coupon, and it was possible to apply on an already discounted Suunto 9 Baro…(or Suunto 5 or whatever other model that is in their offer).
Got mine for 349€ instead of 599€ (baseprice). Before applying the 30% discount, there was a 17% offer on their website (499€ instead of 599€).
I could be tempted to buy a new one. But running ultra trails makes me say no thanks. Either the batterylife is not good enough (Suunto 7: 12hr is not enough for a 100km trail) or either the batterylife is good but there are no offline maps (Suunto 9).
UPDATE: I WAS INCORRECT, IN THAT IT SEEMS THAT ‘CLEMENT’ (POST LOWER DOWN) WAS ABLE TO GET & USE HIS/HER CODE WITH AN ALREADY DISCOUNTED PRODUCT.
(caps there to get attention)
If the post is true, then great & i hope that this will apply to anyone still wanting to stay with Suunto products.
But i would have been amiss if i did not bring the post to your attention since i said the exact opposite-I’m old school, i believe in transparency.
It would be good if others that have got a 30% off code & used it with an already discounted watch,brought it to our attention, to see if this applies to ALL Suunto owners.
Seems to be really just automatic you know. Anyone with a 30% loyalty coupon can just try -as I did before validate my command- without any risk.
At very first it depends about whether or not in your “local” suunto shop, there is a first 17% discount at this point. I know it was the case in the french & belgian Suunto shop, it seems to be also the case in the US shop, but I really don’t know for the others, and i would not be surprised that if some areas have different discounts (or no discounts at all…) because each country/area has different commercial policies and stocks…
Then if you have this first 17% discount, just simulate a buy : put “add to cart” button on a Suunto 9 Baro (or Suunto 7 or 5 or 3…) then “Proceed to checkout” then enter your code into “Do you have an offer code?” and press the Apply button and see the new price.
It’s not a lotery or whatever backdoor, they just seem to accept that this is OK.
I guess that for the November discounts (the period when you cannot use the coupons), it will be more than 17% for everybody, let’s say 25% or 30% I really don’t know! so then you cannot add your loyalty coupon, otherwise this would be a more than huge discount :)
Thanks for the heads up, but i wont hold my breath since i & many others are in a position that the country they are in does not have a Suunto Online, store.
I am an expat working/living in Greece at the moment for example…..
But i may be proven wrong again, all one can do is wait & then see whats what :)
Be safe.
Interesting…… tyvm for that info, i hadnt had an indepth look as yet….
but then I could buy the same watch cheaper at a retailer… nice kick in the teeth from Suunto
Thx for your answer.
As it was clearly put that “Offer cannot be used between November 20 and December 1, 2020.” I really tought (and still hope to be frank ^^) that the coupon will be available to the little discount already in place. But you’re probably right.
What is 100% sure is that it won’t be possible on big specific offers that will be put between November 20 and December 1…because it’s written on their notes.
Regarding the note “It may take up to 2 – 4 weeks to receive the offer by e-mail” I should get mine before November 20…so I’ll give news about that if 1 day I receive my coupon…
Starting from October 2020, no move is recorded in Movescount, but only in Suunto app (even after several synchronization of my Ambit Peak3). Why this? How can I transfer my move from Suunto app to Movescount?
IF you use suuntolink and suunto app, there will be no moves in movescount.
You either go back to moveslink2 and movescount app or you use rungapp on ios.
That “app crazyness” makes me angry. I prefer to plan a route on a normal working station and that is not a phone. A phone is for calling people (and maybe take a picture once in a while). I will sell my Suunto stuff and change to a professional system, since I do serious sports in the mountains, where it is all about hard facts and solid gear.
Would love some advice on what to get next. This blog was essential in my initial determination of what watch to purchase.
I use my Ambit for Canyoneering, Skiing, Backpacking, trail running, and on an occasional bike ride. The GPS functions have been absolutely essential in terms of knowing where I am, how far I have gone, need to go, and occasionally how to get back to the start. It’s also nice to see how fast you actually did go on that last ski run (too fast). When doing a loop in the Deserts in Utah, the positional information has been a big deal. It’s also fun to look at the route maps on a bigger screen when you are done and think “Wow, I went there?” Suunto has always been more accurate than anything else (Garmin has come along, as have some phone apps). I’m super old school and have the Ambit 1, however, I’m now packing a portable battery because it won’t hold a charge. Was looking to upgrade for Christmas. . . but think that Baro 9 is overkill (and overpriced) for what I need.
Honestly I would wait till some real decision from Suunto. They hold the end of Movescount to 2021 (We don’t know till when) and they are improving they Suunto app..
Let’s see what they reserve for ambit users…If they change you can get an ambit 3 cheap on amazon.
in fact if you are old school, I think it is safe to buy an ambit 3, because with the shift you will only use availability of creating complex interval training (it is done on movescount phone app), and syncing settings by phone (for settings and routes you will need to do it via cable).
In case you haven’t seen, you also have a loyalty offer of 30% on S9B. Regarding navigation I think they are still the best.
too many issues, wasted my money on Ambit 3.
Someone else will now get my custom.
Atrocious behaviour of a so called market leader.
Today I went for a run with my Ambit3 Peak using a new sportmode. During my run I noticed I had forgotten to program the autolap. Now it was usefull to use the Suunto app and Sports-tracker.com. But the duration of each km was litteraly 1 second longer on Suunto app then on Sports-tracker.com. Adding my times shows that Suunto app is actually more correct then Sports-tracker.com. Sports-tracker also doesn’t seem to understand that the duration of a lap of 1 km should be equal to the min/km for that lap.
If you had to choose, which is better the Suunto 7 or 9?
I used my Suunto Ambit 2 for 8 years.
And never again! While syncing I loose about 14 months of my hard treinings. I’m soangry…
I don’t know why… But now I’m happy again: I got new POLAR VENTAGE.
Never again Suunto!
Main reason to stop using Suunto and move to Garmin, they ruined the experience from the end user, I was able to create proper trainings with intervals, fartlek, etc from the Moveslink app, but this has been deprecated in favour of Suunto app, which has no other functionality than synchronizing the trainings, having that said, good bye Suunto.
I took the plunge and moved across to a garmin 945. From what I’ve seen so far it has all the features and more than my suunto used to have, is lighter and generaly pretty accurate (thanks for the tip rainmaker). It is a shame to give up on Suunto as I was happy with the functionality and accuracy of the watch but their customer service and dreadful attitude to long-standing customers means they are no longer a company I want to give any more money too.
For those thinking about switching to Garmin. I’ve got a Suunto and a Garmin. I prefer to do most of my runs with my Suunto. Mine still can be programmed (read: I can still make my own app and put it on my watch). But I do prefer to do my interval with my Garmin because it’s easier to schedule the distances and times and it automatically begins another lap (read: I don’t have to push lap). For a race (read: a trail and not a simple road race) I prefer my Garmin because it has a map on it. Suunto also has watches with maps on, but those watches can’t have a personal app on it. for the analyse I prefer Garmin, much better-looking site. But which one do I prefer to upload my activities? Definitely Suunto. I did 133 runs with my Garmin and I’m expecting to get my 3rd cable to connect it to my computer. This time I went for a cable that’s not from Garmin itself (just under 6 euro). The ones from Garmin itself cost around 30 euro. I did more than 1600 runs with both my Suunto and I’m still using the first cables that came with the watches. That for using the cable. Now for the app. Garmin shows a lot more and looks better. But uploading is something completely different. If you use it every day, you’re certain to have problems every week (read: being forced to use your cable). How often have a I had problems with uploading my activity using the Suunto-app? Never so far. In short Garmin is better for analysing your data, but you need to get the possibility to analyse it.
I downloaded SuuntoLink and could not work out how to use it. In the meantime it tried to take over my PC. Whenever I started the PC the first thing it would do is start up SuuntoLink- so I had to delete it. Not happy with Suunto, but I suppose that is a risk with any purchase that relies on an ongoing service.
link to suunto.com
The whole thing sucks, it is based the “user” rather than the watch owner who made a choice to buy a Suunto (I will not do that again). Traverse was rather good, but now I use a Garmin as well I’ve migrated to an open platform. I have no trust in Suunto. I expect a watch + software system to be supported properly.
I don’t want 101 partner apps all at 10CHF per month… life is too short.