Garmin today announced three new wearable devices that it will debut at IFA 2017, including the vívomove HR, vívosport, and vívoactive 3. The Garmin vívoactive 3 closely resembles Apple Watch in terms of features, with Garmin's device tracking heart rate, packing in 15 indoor and outdoor activity apps, and supporting a new "Garmin Pay" contactless payment solution.
Garmin Pay supports Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards from major issuing banks, and the company said that more will be added every day. The smartwatch includes a stainless steel design and an always-on high-resolution Garmin Chroma display, with a watch face that supports thousands of different faces and widgets from the Garmin Connect IQ store. The device is safe to wear when swimming or showering, and will last up to seven days in smartwatch mode, and thirteen hours with GPS turned on.
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The heart rate variability monitor in the vívoactive 3 can keep track of stress levels as well, which users can track both on the smartwatch itself and on the Garmin Connect mobile app. The vívoactive 3 is available in three colors: black/stainless and white/stainless ($299.99), and black/slate ($329.99). There are also various bands users can purchase to attach to the smartwatch, and both the smartwatch itself and the bands are available at Best Buy.
The Garmin vívomove HR is the company's "hybrid smartwatch," combining the advanced features of a smartwatch in the body of a classic analog watch. The device can monitor much of the same data as the vívoactive 3, including heart rate and stress, as well as display smartphone notifications, but the readouts are placed more subtly within a traditional watch face.
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There are various stainless steel finishes, as well as both leather and silicone band accessories. The "Sport" version costs $199.99 and the "Premium" leather band version costs $299.99.
Lastly, the company announced a basic activity tracker called the vívosport, which focuses more on fitness features like GPS tracking and a few new built-in sports apps for strength training, cycling, cardio, and more. Users also won't have to worry about battery life thanks to seven full days of battery in smartwatch mode, and then eight hours when using the device's GPS.
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Garmin Move IQ automatically tracks data users might forget to log, and LiveTrack lets authorized family members track the wearer's outdoor workouts for safety precautions. The vívosport costs $199.99 and comes in black/slate (small/medium and large), black/fuchsia (small/medium only) and black/limelight (large only).
All of Garmin's new wearable devices connect to the Garmin Connect app, which saves the user's activity stats, connects them to a community of workout enthusiasts, provides more detailed graphs, tracks sleep patterns, and more. For more information on all of Garmin's new smartwatches, visit the company's website.
Top Rated Comments
Since Apple Pay launched how many more have we seen just copy the name? Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, Garmin Pay. Am I missing any?
Then there is easier operation of running activities with dedicated buttons, far more detailed statistics and run data (including running dynamics and power stats using a separate add on pod), better and more detailed in run screens (easily configurable to show the data you want across multiple screens)
Then there is the option to load specific routes and follow them, or retrace your run back to the beginning, vo2 max estimations and training status
In short, it's a tightly focused running watch that excels at that task whereas the Apple watch is a general purpose device that supports activities
I'm not saying it's fair or correct, just what my perception of their company is.