- Jan 6, 2002
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I've wanted this since Nike announced it, but I'm far too cheap to drop $199 on something like this. I would check Ebay and Craigslist from time to time and it even used it was usually close to $199, or even higher. Nike has dropped the price to $169, so I decided to finally jump on it.
It has a built in Tom Tom GPS, and also works with the included Nike+ shoe pod. This pod will keep track of distance if you lose the GPS signal. It doesn't have a color screen like the Motoactv, and doesn't run Android so you can't install any apps on it. It does work with a Polar Wearlink+ HRM. I got it today and have done 2 short runs & a HRM only workout to test it out. The GPS is just about spot on accurate, it uploads your run info to the Nike+ site and if you used GPS it will show your run on the map. For my GPS Rushfit DVD workout I turned off the GPS & Pod & just used the heart rate monitor. While I can't comment on how accurate it is, at the highest points of my workout it claimed 168 with an average of 138. I did an 11 minute warm up and 7 minute cool down, it says I burned 600 calories. I'm 5'11 185 and the total workout was 49 minutes. Again not sure how accurate the numbers are, but I'm sure they're close enough for my use. While I've only used it for a day, I've tried out all the modes and as long as it doesn't start to magically eff up down the road, this is a solid product.
The watch works well as just a watch, it's not exactly small, but it's not really big either. It's a lot smaller than the Polar & Garmin's I was looking at. And imho it's even stylish, I'll probably end up wearing this as my daily watch. With the GPS turned off Nike claims you can get 2 months of battery life. It charges by a usb connector that hides in the band. With the GPS on you get 9 hours, I can't find info on how long it lasts using the shoe pod with GPS disabled, but it should be a lot higher. Here's what the clock mode looks like.
I'm not even mad it's not color, imho the B&W looks great, and the font's big and easy to read. When you're in running mode the top 30'ish% of the screen can display pace, average pace, distance, time elapsed, lap time, clock, calories & heart rate. For the last 2 you need the Polar Wearlink+ strap. You can chose which you want displayed, and you can set it to either auto cycle or cycle when you press the button. the rest of the screen you set your favorite stat from the same list and it shows up a lot bigger. There's no cycling for that part. You can also invert the screen, making it a bit easier to see at night. But, it does have a back light if you tap on the screen. It can do laps and if you have it set up for manual, tapping the screen marks a lap. Auto laps can be set every X of miles, and you can also set up run/rest lap intervals.
The GPS took about 30 seconds to link up for me, the HRM took about 4 seconds. I did 2 different runs around my neighborhood and looking at both on the GPS map view on Nike's web site it was accurate. I've never used another GPS watch so I can't compare, but this is definitely good enough for my usage. With the HRM it will show cal's burned for a run. My last one was .6 miles @ 9.36/m, with a 157 average HR and 90 calories burned. The HR & cal's burned seems about right to me. The pace seems slow but I suck at running and my neighborhood has a few blasted hills that slow me down. Without the hills I would have easily had an uber fast 8:30/m pace. Wait, that's not fast? Awh shit
The Nike+ site's hit or miss depending on who you talk to. I personally like it a lot, you can set goals and enter challenges people create, or make your own. You can also pull up popular GPS routes other people run in your area.
My only con with this watch is when you tap to turn on the back light it only stays on for like 2-3 seconds. It would be nice if I could leave it enabled for the entire length of my run. It might kill the battery but I never go over 40'ish minutes so I'd be fine.
I went shopping and looked at all the watches I could find, the Motoactv looked interesting, as did a few Polars, but the Polar's I liked were EXPENSIVE. I ended going with this because it actually looks like a watch I'd want to wear, I have 2 pairs of Nike+ shoes and have mostly really liked using it with my iPod Nano. The watch stores your last 50 runs with full info, and it keeps track of your records. Fastest mile, longest run, fastest 5k, fastest 10k fastest km & total miles ran. You can also set it up to remind you to run if you haven't in awhile. Not sure how long before it will pop up, but is a nice feature as sometimes I'm sure I'll need a push to go out and run. It also has a stop watch feature I guess they added in a recent firmware update, I know people use to complain that it lacked one. Personally I don't run fast enough to need a stop watch. But perhaps when I find a real 1/4 track to practice on I'll get good enough to start using it.
Since I waited over a year, and ended up actually buying it. I have no doubt Nike will announce the 2nd gen one next month. Where everything's improved and it costs the same. Perhaps it'll be a hybrid of this + a Nano. That would absolutely rock
It has a built in Tom Tom GPS, and also works with the included Nike+ shoe pod. This pod will keep track of distance if you lose the GPS signal. It doesn't have a color screen like the Motoactv, and doesn't run Android so you can't install any apps on it. It does work with a Polar Wearlink+ HRM. I got it today and have done 2 short runs & a HRM only workout to test it out. The GPS is just about spot on accurate, it uploads your run info to the Nike+ site and if you used GPS it will show your run on the map. For my GPS Rushfit DVD workout I turned off the GPS & Pod & just used the heart rate monitor. While I can't comment on how accurate it is, at the highest points of my workout it claimed 168 with an average of 138. I did an 11 minute warm up and 7 minute cool down, it says I burned 600 calories. I'm 5'11 185 and the total workout was 49 minutes. Again not sure how accurate the numbers are, but I'm sure they're close enough for my use. While I've only used it for a day, I've tried out all the modes and as long as it doesn't start to magically eff up down the road, this is a solid product.
The watch works well as just a watch, it's not exactly small, but it's not really big either. It's a lot smaller than the Polar & Garmin's I was looking at. And imho it's even stylish, I'll probably end up wearing this as my daily watch. With the GPS turned off Nike claims you can get 2 months of battery life. It charges by a usb connector that hides in the band. With the GPS on you get 9 hours, I can't find info on how long it lasts using the shoe pod with GPS disabled, but it should be a lot higher. Here's what the clock mode looks like.
I'm not even mad it's not color, imho the B&W looks great, and the font's big and easy to read. When you're in running mode the top 30'ish% of the screen can display pace, average pace, distance, time elapsed, lap time, clock, calories & heart rate. For the last 2 you need the Polar Wearlink+ strap. You can chose which you want displayed, and you can set it to either auto cycle or cycle when you press the button. the rest of the screen you set your favorite stat from the same list and it shows up a lot bigger. There's no cycling for that part. You can also invert the screen, making it a bit easier to see at night. But, it does have a back light if you tap on the screen. It can do laps and if you have it set up for manual, tapping the screen marks a lap. Auto laps can be set every X of miles, and you can also set up run/rest lap intervals.
The GPS took about 30 seconds to link up for me, the HRM took about 4 seconds. I did 2 different runs around my neighborhood and looking at both on the GPS map view on Nike's web site it was accurate. I've never used another GPS watch so I can't compare, but this is definitely good enough for my usage. With the HRM it will show cal's burned for a run. My last one was .6 miles @ 9.36/m, with a 157 average HR and 90 calories burned. The HR & cal's burned seems about right to me. The pace seems slow but I suck at running and my neighborhood has a few blasted hills that slow me down. Without the hills I would have easily had an uber fast 8:30/m pace. Wait, that's not fast? Awh shit
The Nike+ site's hit or miss depending on who you talk to. I personally like it a lot, you can set goals and enter challenges people create, or make your own. You can also pull up popular GPS routes other people run in your area.
My only con with this watch is when you tap to turn on the back light it only stays on for like 2-3 seconds. It would be nice if I could leave it enabled for the entire length of my run. It might kill the battery but I never go over 40'ish minutes so I'd be fine.
I went shopping and looked at all the watches I could find, the Motoactv looked interesting, as did a few Polars, but the Polar's I liked were EXPENSIVE. I ended going with this because it actually looks like a watch I'd want to wear, I have 2 pairs of Nike+ shoes and have mostly really liked using it with my iPod Nano. The watch stores your last 50 runs with full info, and it keeps track of your records. Fastest mile, longest run, fastest 5k, fastest 10k fastest km & total miles ran. You can also set it up to remind you to run if you haven't in awhile. Not sure how long before it will pop up, but is a nice feature as sometimes I'm sure I'll need a push to go out and run. It also has a stop watch feature I guess they added in a recent firmware update, I know people use to complain that it lacked one. Personally I don't run fast enough to need a stop watch. But perhaps when I find a real 1/4 track to practice on I'll get good enough to start using it.
Since I waited over a year, and ended up actually buying it. I have no doubt Nike will announce the 2nd gen one next month. Where everything's improved and it costs the same.
Perhaps it'll be a hybrid of this + a Nano. That would absolutely rock
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