Garmin 010-01955-39 vívosmart HR+ X-Large Fit Activity Tracker - Black

what i was looking for: i didnt want a chunky watch, it needed to have GPS, sleep monitor, had to be a good daily watch. Had to be tough, and have good app and web interface. All this is met with the Vivosmart HR+. Its pricey, but i could not find another model that had GPS for less. the heart rate monitor hikes up the price too.i'm a mountain and road biker, hiker and walker. i'm not super freaky about calorie counts and heart rate, and how many steps i take, but its interesting. i'm fussy about only seeing the info i want, and nothing that i have to page through. no golf, no swimming, no fluff. This watch is good for these things.This watch is a little chunky, its about the thickness of 7 pennies. but because its rectangular and not square, it lies on my smaller wrist pretty well. the color is a little brighter blue then is pictured, if i could do it again, i would get the black model.-Heart rate on the wrist rather then a chest strap is good and seems to respond quickly. i dont know how accurate it is compared to a chest strap, but for my purposes, which is curiosity rather then a training rubric, its good for me. this info charts well in the apps and can export for study. i love a graph.-GPS was a must. this GPS is more accurate and faster then the Forerunner 10 i previously had. it wirelessly transmits the GPS track to the web app, (Garmin Connect) and allows that info to be viewed, logged, and the file can be drag and dropped into Garmin's Basecamp software for editing and further use, like trip planning. (sorry for the run on.) Handy for me when i forget to turn off the GPS after a hike, and drive off. I can edit out the car part.-Web app: Connect is a fun interface. you can start and stop an activity on the watch, with GPS or without. the watch will 'know' when you are doing something more then average, like a quick jog or run up the stairs, and track that as a higher heart rate activity. Workouts can then be viewed and edited on Connect in greater detail. Connect uses dashboards and tabs so you can organize only the info you want. See my review of Forerunner 10 for more detail on Connect. the phone app is cool too, also editable so you only see what you want. i steered away from watches that included options i never use, like swimming and golf applications, and that is not a problem on this model.-Phone and watch connectivity: i appreciate this more then i thought i would. this watch will let you know when you get a text, calendar notification, phone call or email, and let you read the first few lines at a glance. this is really handy. i hate pulling out my phone for every little thing, but now i can put my phone on "do not disturb' deep in a pocket, and only get it out when i get something that needs my attention right away. Bluetooth has been great. Tip: when using Bluetooth, turn on the bluetooth on your phone, then go to the connect app to pair. you can use the BT utility to pair, but it will work better if you go right to Connect. Search the Garmin forums on this if you have a problem.-Connect: This allows for a lot of customization, including the direction of the readout on the watch, personal stats, goals, and how to turn off that stupid 'move alert.' it wont nag you if you set it right. :) This has allowed me to get rid of a lot of the runner/lap stuff i dont use. It has a Do Not Disturb function that can be turned on and off from the watch, and you can set day and night hours on connect, so it will automatically go to Do Not Disturb.final thoughts, i like this watch for not being overly complicated.

I've had this tracker for just over 3 years and it's still working like a champ. I've replaced the charger once (shut it in a drawer and cracked it) and the band once (the replacement bands were pretty inexpensive and easy to install).The sleep tracking is pretty good, and I really like the functionality in the Garmin Connect app. Very easy to sync with my phone, upload details, etc.It is fully waterproof. I've gone swimming with it, showers, etc (although I usually take it off when showering anyway).It's pretty durable. I do a lot of trail running and home improvement stuff, and it's stood up to being banged into and scraped on stuff quite a few times without crashing.Cons: The HR monitor is only accurate for running and walking, and you have to have the band pretty snug just above your wrist bone. When running, I have noticed it tends to measure about 10 bpm lower than a separate monitor I have with an actual chest strap, at least until I'm fully warmed up.For everything else, it's not very accurate. During strength training, it tends to read 20-50 bpm low. During cycling, it averages at least 10-20 bpm low.On the plus side, it works regardless of weather or wind (with the type of chest strap monitor that measures electrical impulses, I can't wear tech fabrics, especially if it's windy, because the static makes the sensor freak out and tell me I'm maxing out my HR).I still use my older Garmin Forerunner (even though it's a massive pain to sync) for activities longer than 4 hours or so, because the GPS is a touch more accurate, and the battery on the HR+ quits after more than about 4-5 hours of sustained activity tracking (it'll last 3-4 days between rechargings under normal conditions).Overall, for what I paid for this, it's a fantastic value - it's lasted me a LOT longer and been far more reliable than the fitbit I owned previously.

Ok - first of all, I love Garmin products. The Vivosmart HR+ is the newer generation of the Vivosmart HR with the addition of GPS.Best uses - Daily activity tracking, route tracking, running. I have not really used the HR+ for route tracking in remote areas, so I cannot say how reliable that might be, however, it is highly accurate for any marked roads/routes.Battery - I can get the battery to last about a week if I am not using the Bluetooth or GPS. Depending on how often you use the GPS and frequency of uploading your data, your battery life will fluctuate. I run three to four times per week and upload after each run and my battery will typically last four days. If you are not using those features you should be able to get up to 7 days of battery life.Features - steps, calories, heart rate, sleep, activities, and health stats. All work pretty good. Have to use Garmin Connect to offload the data, which is fine with me. I then sync my running data with Nike Plus and that works great as well.Construction is really good - rubber type band that does not hold odor (good thing). Face is touch sensitive to switch between views and works really well. HR Sensor takes a lot of abuse and seems to be very accurate. Charger is a little fussy to snap in at times - just make sure you get the battery charging progress bar once you connect.Only shortfall for me has been the GPS signal connection. There are times when I hit GPS and it connects to satellites right away, then at other times it seems to take way too long. Granted, that is possibly the size of the device, battery charge, and position of the satellites. Still, though, it is a little slow.All-in-all a great device and I highly recommend this activity tracker over some other much more expensive devices. Give it a try.