Windows Phone Thoughts: Setting the Pace - Navman's Sport.Tool W300 Reviewed

Using the W300
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.)

The W300 took on average 30 seconds to lock on to enough satellites to function. It has six operational modes:

• Speed (current speed, distance and pace);
  
• Average Speed (average speed, distance and pace);
  
• Odometer (total distance since last odometer reset);
  
• Calories (calories burned);
  
• Clock (current date and time);
  
• 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.

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.

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.

Conclusions
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.

Doug Raeburn is a data architect specializing in data warehouse design. He lives in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA.