Gear Review : Timex fitness tracker

Before I give my review on the gear I bought last December, I wish to also include the following links.

Consumer search 


Snews

LA Times

This site gives you product details and user reviews plus you can compare the best prices offered.


All the reviews on the links mentioned align with my opinion on this gear. But of course I also wish to share some information based on my own first hand experience on using this device during my workout and races.

It took me 2 months before I got around to writing this entry because I had to test the tracker for at least a few weeks. I also had to read the accompanying mini brochure and honestly I have no patience when it comes to fine prints especially on gadgets. I am more of a trial error kind of person.  In fact I have a 3 year old laptop that have features Im only discovering just now. 

I will use the review on this link and share my opinion whether the tracker does live up to its description

watch and the pod transmitter

Features:

• pedometer watch
• Comfortable clip-on pod
• Accurately tracks steps, distance, miles and calories burned -
• 50-Lap Memory Storage
• Chrono with lap, split, speed, pace, distance and total stoppage time
• 5x Interval Timers and Countdown Timer Modes

The Timex Fitness Tracker is a Ladies Sports Watch that comes with a hip pedometer device that tracks your step count and from this approximates your speed, distance and calories burned against exercise time. The optional pedometer unit must be switched on to receive this information and communicates wirelessly to the wrist watch. Unlike the Timex Bodylink Watches this watch does not have the facility to connect to the Timex Data Recorder, so it is not possible to upload data to computer.
This watch has calibration modes that suit both walks and run activities. You can manually calibrate your individual stride length and steps per minute, or let it automatically calibrate itself to your individual stride over a measured distance.

The watch includes:

Pedometer Display: The basic pedometer display lets you toggle between data fields measured from your step rate. Some of these include:

• Speed in Miles Per Hour
• Steps Remaining Towards a Step Goal
• Steps Per Minute
• Distance
• Calories
• Activity Time
• Pace in Minutes Per Mile and of course
• Step Count

You can set your own customized goals or use the factory default 10,000 step goal that comes standard with the watch.

INDIGLO backlight system: Timex’s patented night light illuminates the watch’s face in a striking, bright display which is great for running at night or in low light conditions. The Timex Night Mode feature allows you to activate INDIGLO at a press of any button.

Chronograph: The Timex chronograph has large, clear digits and lets you count up to 99 laps in your session and store up to 50 laps in the watch’s memory. The Timex standard elapsed time offers 2-line display lines allowing you to view total elapsed time and total activity time.

The memory feature saves lap times in memory and will display not only lap times, but the total lap distance, average and lap speed, average and lap pace and total calories.

Interval Timer: This Interval Timer feature is useful for interval training. You can set a single timer and program it to repeat a chosen number of times. You can also set an interval timer with up to five different interval times.

Water Resistance: The watch is water-resistant, so will survive in the water but it is not designed to be a swimming or diving watch.

Battery: The battery in both the watch and pedometer pod is user-replaceable.

Style: The watch is large, but not huge. It is comfortable to wear during a workout. You’ll also get some interesting tan lines from the cut-outs on the strap.

Other features of this watch, which are typical of Timex sports watches include:

• Timer with Countdown Stop or Repeat
• 3 alarms with Daily, Weekday, Weekend and Day-of-Week options
• Dual Time Zones
• One Year Warranty

This sports watch is currently selling on Amazon for $89.95, making it ideal for female athletes who want to keep track of their their activity throughout the day in addition to their specific training. This watch also looks fantastic with three distinct color schemes. It can be worn as easily in the office or casual environment as it can on a running trail.
Follow the links below to purchase the IRONMAN Triathlon Sleek Fitness Tracker Watch:

• Timex Ironman Women’s Sleek Fitness Tracker Watch TK091 (Pink)
• Timex Ironman Women’s Sleek Fitness Tracker Watch TK092 (Blue)
• Timex Ironman Women’s Sleek Fitness Tracker Watch TK093 (Black)

My thoughts :

 

**Features are in tune with the description given. 

As for the accuracy, it may vary. To accurately track steps, distance and miles, you have to calibrate the device carefully. Ive included a youtube link in my previous post on how to do this.

So far it seems close to accurate after calibration. Ive ran three 10km runs in the past 2 months and the tracker logged the distance correctly. On one occasion, the distance displayed on the watch showed 6.2 miles but the actual distance of the event was 300meters (0.186 miles) more. I dont know how that happened but the discrepancy is not that a big deal. The other 2 races showed the same mileage count on the tracker.

 

The watch:

I have a thin wrist so the watch may seem huge for my arm.The wristband however makes up for this since its innermost slot makes the watch fit perfectly on my wrist.

The design is nice and like what the review says, the digits are large and clear.

It is an inexpensive watch so dont expect it to be scratch proof. I was unfastening the watch from my wrist when my cat bit my toe. I dropped the watch and although it wasnt broken, it now has multiple scratches.

INDIGLO:

The backlight is not really special. I had that feature on my old Timex watch too. The great part however, as mentioned above is the nightmode feature. You press the Indiglo button until you hear a beep and the next time you press any button on the watch, say you want to check the distance youve ran while youre running at night, you need not press the button for backlight and the mode button. YOu just need to press the mode button and the backlight will be on until you get to the preferred data field.

WATER RESISTANT:

Take note that the watch is water resistant up to 50meters only.  You may use the watch during training and and races, even duathlons (run/swim) or triathlons, but do not use the pod on an actual swim event. The pod is not water resistant, only the watch is (also up to a limited distance).

BUTTONS:

The watch is sleek to the point that the buttons are not protruding.  Sometimes you have to press the button more than once to see the desired information or make any adjustments.The old timex watch has easier to press buttons.

old timex watch

Timex fitness tracker watch  sleek design

ACTIVITY MODE: 

The activity will halt when you are in a stationary mode. If youre just sitting down or resting in between your workout and not walking, device will stop adding to the activity time or distance. But if you keep moving around even while resting,with the pod clipped on, the activity will log the movements. If you wish to ensure that only the actual running time and distance (steps etc) are logged, you may remove the clip or turn it off. Removing it is better because when you turn it off, sometimes it takes awhile (just a few seconds) again for the transmitter to turn back on to resume logging the activity. But turning it off for me is more convenient since there is no need to remove the clip on pod from your running shorts. If you need to go for toilet break, i prefer removing the pod and setting it on a table or somewhere dry without having to turn it off.


AFFORDABILITY: 
 

I consider this device affordable although Ive discovered that the price is cheaper if you get it overseas through an online site. It is more expensive over here probably because of store overhead cost and other taxes they had to pay. And although the outlet at Megamall boasts of the freebie lady's watch that came with it, I wasnt really interested or ebullient over the " amazing huge discount" and special gift. I havent even used the lady's watch at all. Not that its ugly, Im just not into girly watches.

Convenience of having a pedometer:


There was an occasion where it was raining heavily and I wanted to jog but couldnt so I decided to run inside the house for 30 minutes. I ran up and down the stairs and also around our Dining area. The distance I logged was almost the same as the usual mileage I get when running around the track or our neighborhood. just a tad slower of course.

I also like that I need not use any special cable to upload the time or distance of my run. Its simple and has a straightforward kind of approach in terms of usage.

Conclusion: 

Overall, I think the Timex Fitness Tracker has fulfilled my basic requirements for a pedometer. I also use it as an everyday watch and I like that I can see the digits clearly (I have bad eyesight -5.50, left and right) and that the design is simple yet trendy. 

Right now Im contented with my current gear and motivated to keep on running. One day of course I would like to get myself a Garmin Forerunner but until then, I need to justify that purchase.