The TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch is a device that has been designed with triathletes in mind. It will track and record workouts whether you're running, cycling or swimming. See all smartwatch reviews.
The watch isn't exactly cheap, priced on its own at £149.99, it's bound to put a lot of people off, especially those who aren't so serious about triathlon training. The price looks even more steep when you consider there are iPhone and Android apps out there such as RunKeep and MapMyride that can do the monitor run/cycle side of things for free. Take a look at our Samsung Galaxy Gear hands-on review too.
The real benefit of having the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch is the accessories that work seamlessly with it, but once again, these aren't cheap. The watch with Heart Rate Monitor costs £199; while the Heart Rate Monitor and Bike Mount brings the price up to £229; with the package topping out at £279.99 for the watch, Heart Rate Monitor, Bike Mount and Altimeter/Cadence/Speed sensors. Visit Samsung Galaxy Gear hands-on review.
You have to be serious about monitoring you training to justify spending that much money on this product. That said, if you were to buy three separate gizmos to track your run/swim/cycle performance you would find it very hard to do so for the same price at the full TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch bundle. So in some ways it is a bargain.
TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch review: Usability
Credit has to be given to the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch for its ease of use. Take it out of the box, plug it in to your PC/Mac, download the software and you can't really go wrong from there.
The One Button Control panel cuts through any fiddly touch screen nonsense that other sports tracking gadgets have opted for, this is a feature that really earns its keep when your fingers are dripping wet in sweat after a workout. It also means that you can train in gloves when winter comes, and eliminate any touchscreen conductivity issues when using the device while swimming.
Setting up your profile on the watch itself and also the TomTom MySports website is child's play. So far, we've only used the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch for running, with the accompanying Heart Rate Monitor. When outside, the watch took less than 30 seconds to set up the GPS connection and Heart Rate Monitor, once you have these connections you simply need to select Run and Go on the oversized watch and you're hot to trot.
When running there are several different display modes you can view, including; heart rate, speed per km and distance travelled. You can even enter previous distance/time data into the watch and race against your previous stats - a feature that's perfect for athletes who are looking to push themselves and get the most out of there training sessions.
For me the real benefit of the watch's technology and monitors come into play when the work out is over. Simply connect your watch to your PC/Mac and sign into the TomTom MySports website, your previous sessions will then sync and within seconds you will be looking at a well presented review of everything you could possibly want to know, including; a highly accurate route map, distance travelled, duration, pace per km, heart rate and calories burned (worked out by your age, height and weight). Delve further into the TomTom MySports website and you will accurate minute-by-minute graphs of you Pace, Elevation and Heart Rate.
Note: We will be adding Cycling and Swimming reviews in the coming days.
TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch review: Design
The design of the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch is a real plus point; the chunky size makes it easy to use and quickly check your progress mid-workout. Couple this with the fact it only ways 50g and you've got a watch that you can hardly feel on your wrist. We also like the way the watch face is detectable from the strap too; an essential feature for those looking to use it while mounted on a bike too.
In terms of battery life we can't really complain so far. We've only charged it once, and in that time we have been on two runs 6-days apart (total run time 1hr 10 mins) and the watch is still displaying near-full battery levels.
