For years now, phones have been taking good jobs away from hardworking watches. Sure, we’d occasionally don a stylish timepiece to polish off a professional look, or strap on a rugged stopwatch for our workouts. But when it comes to everyday use, the functional needs of time management were increasingly being met by the phone in our pocket. The traditional wristwatch, a tried and true necessity of our day-to-day lives for decades, appeared to be yet another casualty of the burgeoning smartphone industry.
But this is a trend which is fast reversing as wristwatches get smart, too. As smart technology advances into more and more aspects of our daily lives, devices like the wristwatch get the boost they need to once again be a necessity rather than an accessory.
One Watch for Work and Play
Where the smartphone fails us is in the need for a rugged wearable workout timepiece. Carrying a phone while jogging or cycling is cumbersome and unnecessary when we have rugged, wearable alternatives. Even better is when that rugged, wearable alternative looks as good paired with office attire as is it functions on the hike and bike trails.
No need for an array of watches to meet your varied needs for timepieces when one watch can serve as both your stylish watch and your workout timekeeper. The Garmin fenix 3 brings form and function together with its fashion-forward design. The 1.2-inch color display is not only easy to read when outside running or cycling, but it makes a bold fashion statement at the office. With a variety of styles available, it’s easy to find a look to suit your tastes.
But not just a looker, the rugged design can stand up to the elements with a protective stainless steel bezel and buttons, and reinforced housing for extra durability. Not to mention, the watch is water-rated up to 100 meters, so you can wear it while swimming, surfing, sailing or snorkeling.
Navigating your Fitness Workout
One of the best functions of the increasingly smart wearables is the ability to track fitness activity as well as receive coaching and feedback. The fenix 3 by Garmin fuses state-of-the art fitness training features with leading GPS technology, providing comprehensive navigation and tracking functionalities to guide you on and off the beaten track. Additionally, the built-in altimeter, barometer and compass provide information on heading, elevation and weather changes. Also, with precise GPS information you can share the details of your trail adventures, as well as plan new adventures using BaseCamp.
When used with the optional heart rate monitor, the watch can provide helpful training data, such as swim profile, running dynamics, running speed, heartbeats per minute and heart rate variability. The watch will also estimate the maximum volume of oxygen you can consume per minute and track changes to your VO2 max, measuring your fitness gains.
Smart Style
Browse the free apps available for your watch in the Connect IQ store in order to customize your watch face, and add other customizable widgets so you can check the weather or stock market right on your watch. Bluetooth and wifi enabled, you can even receive emails, texts and alerts on your watch while you’re on the trail, or you can ignore all of that and focus on beating your personal fitness goals.
Sponsored post: Garmin’s fenix 3 Pairs Form and Function with GPS Watch originally published by Gigaom, © copyright 2015.
