With so many brands like Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit, each with their own specs and modifications, choosing between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker isn’t as easy as one may think. If your ultimate goal is to get fit, then a fitness tracker should greatly suffice, but then again, there is the option to get the best of both wearables. The Garmin Vivosport is more than the typical fitness tracker as it can double up as a smartwatch. It usually wears a $170 price tag but Amazon’s 33% discount gives it to you for just $115.
The Garmin Vivosport pretty much nailed the design for minimalists. Its LCD color touchscreen has a pixel resolution of 72 x 166 and comes attached to a two-tone silicone strap. With no buttons whatsoever and a relatively small screen, most interaction can be done through the accompanying Garmin Connect app that is downloadable for both iOS and Android devices. The free mobile app also welcomes you as part of an online fitness community where you can engage in friendly competition as well as share your achievements.
Besides being able to deliver key metrics such as steps, calories, distance over time, pace, and route, the Vivosport comes with preloaded activity profiles including strength training and cardio so you can work out the way you want to. Moreover, the watch is water-resistant to depths within 50 meters so taking it out for a swim shouldn’t pose as a problem. Equipped with Garmin’s Elevate 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitor, you’ll be able to gauge how you react to potential stressors, and estimate your VO2 max (maximum rate of oxygen consumed) as well as your fitness age.
The Vivosport is fun-sized in every way as it packs full-featured GPS smartwatch into a fitness band with a fluid and intuitive interphase. Through Bluetooth connectivity, playback controls, smart notifications (for calls, text, emails), and other app alerts are enabled. Should you be unlucky enough to have lost your phone, there is a feature to find your phone while LiveTrack allows your friends to follow your activity.
Garmin claims that the Vivosport has a battery life that can last up to seven days in smartwatch mode when in reality it needed to be charged almost every other day based on our review. But that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker, the fitness band’s slim profile is an understatement to the number of features it has. Not only do you get to weigh your activity with your stress level, but you also get to stay in touch with people. Grab the Garmin Vivosport for yourself for $55 less on Amazon.
Looking for Fitbit alternatives? Check out the best bargains on smartwatches for the month of August, Labor Day sales, and more from our curated deals page.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.