Doug Raeburn
10-03-2005, 05:00 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-jul05-sporttool-GPS-00.jpg" /> <br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> GPS<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.navman.com"><b>Navman</b></a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009RM4GC/qid=1121533597/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl23/102-4965643-5442509?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846"><b>Amazon.com</b></a><br /><b>Price:</b> $149.95<br /><b>Specifications:</b> Dimensions WxHxD: 3.11 x 3.07 x 1.06 in. (79 x 78 x 27 mm); Weight: 4.23 oz. (120 g, including battery and arm strap)<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Highly accurate;<br /><li>Comfortable to wear;<br /><li>Designed to hold up under strenuous activity.<b>Cons:</b><ul><li>Doesn't work indoors;<li>Battery cover a bit difficult to remove.</ul>Navman has long been one of the top manufacturers of GPS hardware and software for the Pocket PC. However, when you’re engaging in sports or fitness activities and need GPS functionality, a Pocket PC may not be the best solution. Well, Navman has those situations addressed as well, with their new Sport.Tool personal GPS series. Whether your preference is walking, running, skating, skiing or water sports, there’s a Sport.Tool made just for you.<br /><!> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>What’s a Sport.Tool?</b></span><br />Navman’s Sport.Tool line is a series of personal GPS units designed to be worn by athletes and fitness fans. They’re lightweight, self-contained and designed to be worn on your arm. The features of each version are designed with a particular activity in mind. For example, the “Snow” version provides altitude information and has the ability to display only actual skiing time, suppressing lift time. The “Run” and “Skate” versions can be programmed with a target speed and set to sound an alarm when that speed is reached, helping you to keep within a particular training zone.<br /><br />I’m currently involved in a physical rehab program as I recover from some recent surgery, and it involves a lot of walking. So I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give the Sport.Tool W300 (the walker’s version) a good workout.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-jul05-sporttool-GPS-01.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The Sport.Tool W300 (and a rare glimpse of me flexing my geek muscles!)</i><br /><br />The W300 provides a wide array of information that’s pertinent to a fitness walker. This includes current and average speeds, distance and pace, odometer, timer, clock and calories burned. The W300 is designed to be worn on the upper left arm. An elastic band keeps the GPS securely attached to your arm, and it’s flexible enough to accommodate the muscle flexing that occurs during activity without being too loose or too tight. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-jul05-sporttool-GPS-02.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Lots of information is available on the LCD display.</i><br /><br />Controls are simple so that they can be easily used while the W300 is attached to your arm. All functions including setup can be accessed with two buttons. Readouts are provided with an LCD display that’s positioned at an ideal angle to be read while the unit is worn.<br /><br /><span><b>Setup Mode</b></span><br />While the W300 is turned off, you enter the setup mode by pressing and holding the power button. While in this mode, you can set date and time formats, weight units, calorie units, distance units, user weight (used to calculate calories burned) and time offset. As with all GPS units, the W300 determines current GMT from the satellite network, and the time offset is used so that the unit displays local time.<br /><br />When setup is done, press and hold the power button again and the W300 is ready to go.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Using the W300</b></span><br />Initial setup is simple… all you need to do is to insert a single AA battery, enter the setup mode described above to enter your weight and set formats and units to your liking, and you’re ready to start walking. One minor quibble… I found that removing the battery cover was a bit difficult, because it wasn’t clear if you had to remove the screw completely. (Turns out that the screw remains in the cover.)<br /><br />The W300 took on average 30 seconds to lock on to enough satellites to function. It has six operational modes:<br /><br /><li>Speed (current speed, distance and pace);<br /><li>Average Speed (average speed, distance and pace);<br /><li>Odometer (total distance since last odometer reset);<br /><li>Calories (calories burned);<br /><li>Clock (current date and time);<br /><li>Timer (time of current session).My walking sessions are specified as a given speed for a given amount of time, so I switched between Speed and Timer modes most frequently. Cycling through the various modes is a simple matter of pressing the arrow button repeatedly, which is easy to do even when on the move. Calories burned are available at any time and are useful at the end of a session to determine its intensity.<br /><br />I found the W300 to be very helpful in pacing myself… I discovered that I have a tendency to walk faster than I think I am, and it’s important to keep close to the prescribed speeds during rehab. It reacts quickly to speed changes (such as going from warm-up to exercise speed). As stated earlier, the unit is comfortable to wear and stays in position without having to be too tight.<br /><br />Living in the snow belt, I was a bit disappointed to find that the W300 wouldn’t work indoors, which precludes its use at an indoor track or while “mall walking”. Since my Bluetooth GPS receiver is able to lock on while indoors, I had hoped that the W300 would be able to do the same, but that wasn't the case. Navman specifies the W300 for outdoor use only, so there was no real surprise here.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />The Sport.Tool line is a great way to keep accurate statistics about your workouts, which is critical information during training and rehab. The W300 that I reviewed is easy to use, accurate and comfortable to wear. If you’re serious about your fitness program or favorite sport, the Sport.Tool may be the ultimate tool for you.<br /><br /><i>Doug Raeburn is a data architect specializing in data warehouse design. He lives in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA.</i>