When reviews say that Timex has ushered in a new era of training watches, the reviews are far from kidding. The watch company, already an industry giant itself, has teamed up with two additional industry behemoths in Qualcomm and AT&T to pioneer the first ever all-in-one training watch. The Timex Ironman One GPS+ looks as though it has the power to take the fitness market by storm.
Here is a quick look at these three companies that engineered this masterpiece.
Timex was founded in 1854 and is part of Timex Group, a worldwide, privately-held company. Qualcomm may be recognizable to those who are San Diego Chargers fans, as that is the name of their stadium. The company is a world leader in 4G and next generation wireless technology. For 25 years, Qualcomm has been at the forefront of digital communication technology innovation. AT&T is one of the largest communication companies in the world.
Now, let us take a look at the device itself.
It has a good-sized touchscreen that covers all the bases, in terms of functionality. The Qualcomm Mirasol touchscreen display gets brighter in direct sunlight. It is always on and the manufacturer touts that the user will always have a clear view.
Probably the biggest accomplishment of the watch, as well as the biggest attraction, is the 3G connectivity. This watch requires nothing, not even a smartphone. To workout with only this watch and be able to record, upload and share data is a key feature. The 3G runs off of AT&T’s network and is included with the watch for one year. It is probably one of the main reasons for the hefty price tag of the watch. The developers are unsure on pricing in subsequent years, however, experts believe it will not break the bank.
Features that come along with the 3G connectivity include e-mail instant messaging, tracking, find-me-mode and auto-upload mode. The e-mail messaging is in place to make up for not having a phone, for at least some level of communication. The tracking allows someone to track the user with GPS, if a friend or partner is looking for them. The find-me-mode is kind of like an SOS, the user can send out messages ranging from “Come get me, I’m hurt”, to “I’m dehydrated, bring me some water”. This is a very nice safety feature for the watch and adds a sense of security for the user. With the uploading feature, any information from the watch can be quickly and painlessly be uploaded to social media or anything else desired.
The premise of the Timex Ironman One GPS+ is that it is the only gadget needed for a workout. But where is that pump up music going to come from? Timex has that covered. The Timex One has 4 GB of space for music, and it also has capabilities to stream the music to a pair of headphones through bluetooth. The only question for this is how strong the signal should be, but connectivity should be covered between AT&T and Qualcomm.
As previously mentioned, workouts can be uploaded to social media on the network, so it would probably be wise to review the workout tracking. The focus of this watch is running, however, it is waterproof, so it can be taken in the pool as well. There are various modes to the watch, including a free running mode and a goal-based mode. Full interval workouts are available as well as alerts for paces, and heart rate. Unfortunately, for heart rate, another small device is necessary.
In regards to the size of the watch, it is a little clunky, so by no means is it a fashion statement. Where it lacks in look, it makes up for in functionality, but the watch is far from oversized. The battery life is estimated at 72 hours. With GPS and the cellular mode on the life expectancy, it drops down to eight hours, which should not be a surprise to smartphone users. With music running, as well the battery life, it cuts in half down to four hours.
The watch is set to come out this fall, with a hefty price tag with it. Those that want to get their hands on it will need to drop $400, and even more if they want the heart rate monitor.