Newest smart watch adds fitness tracking elements
The latest is wearable technology is the Vivosmart, a combination smart and fitness watch recently released by Garmin. The watch communicates with your smart phone as it counts steps, measures heart rate, and notifies of emails. (Photo credit: loadthegame.com)
By Samantha Siomko, Staff Writer
January 1 is rapidly approaching, which means it will soon be time to make another New Year’s resolution. To be more healthy and active is one New Year’s resolutions we love to make each year. Of course, this means brushing the dust off of your old running shoes and promising yourself that you will go to the gym today. Having a virtual assistant by your side as you exercise could be the difference between achieving your goal and pushing it off until next year.
Garmin’s Vivosmart acts like a fitness watch, but with the added features of a smart watch, which may be the push you need to achieve your goals. Vivosmart is a thin wristband that comes in 5 colors and adjusts to fit any wrist size. A fitness watch by nature, it monitors things such as your heart rate, step count, and calories burned while you exercise.
It is also water resistant up to five A TM, meaning it can be worn for both showering and while participating in water activities such as swimming or snorkeling. It also monitors the quality of your sleep by tracking your sleep cycles if you wear it at night.
The watch, amazingly, is also aware of when you have been too lazy. After an hour of inactivity, it will sound a “move!” alarm, which will prompt the wearer to get up and be active for two minutes before it is silenced. It is also aware of when you have been slacking or working hard and adjusts your workout goals accordingly (meaning you cannot put off working out forever or Vivosmart will know). But Vivosmart is also a smart watch, the first of its kind to meld the features of a fitness tracker with communication tools synced from your smart phone. The device can receive notifications when you get an email or text.
And, believe it or not, it can tell you the time. However, because it is the first watch of its kind to mix a fitness watch and a smart watch, Vivosmart does not come will all the bells and whistles. Critics cite its lack of advanced smartphone capabilities. Wearers can view messages, but they cannot delete or archive them. Others say the Vivosmart is less interactive than other fitness watches, lacking in motivational and goal-setting tools.
With so many applications stuffed into one thin wristband, it is understandable that Vivosmart is lacking on a couple of qualities. With modifications and updates, it has the capacity to be a great tool in aiding people to achieve their fitness goals. So, maybe you’ll receive Vivosmart this December, all wrapped up for the holiday season; consider your New Year’s resolution conquered.
