TomTom Adventurer Review

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Are you ready for an Adventure? The newly released TomTom Adventurer GPS outdoor watch is ready to track just about anything that you can throw at it. The new GPS outdoor watch was built to elevate your outdoor activities with dedicated sports modes for hiking, trail running, skiing and snowboarding. The TomTom Adventurer joins the TomTom Sports’ range of sports and fitness products created to inspire people to Get Going by making it easier for people to get fit, get better and get out there.

TomTom Adventurer

TomTom Adventurer GPS Watch

The TomTom Adventurer is equipped with a built-in heart rate monitor, barometer, compass and automatic lift detection for snow sports. It also comes with GPS tracking and Route Exploration, building on TomTom’s heritage as a global leader in navigation and mapping.

The Adventurer takes snow sports technology to a whole new level with automatic lift detection. Now, users can see key stats after each time down the slopes. With one look at your TomTom Adventurer you get live stats including speed, altitude, descent and gradient. For trail runners and hikers, route exploration, elevation metrics and the added security of an extended battery life means new mountainous paths can be explored confidently.

Along with tracking your outdoor activities, TomTom Adventurer also comes with 24/7 activity tracking and every run, swim, cycle or gym session can be tracked in dedicated sports modes. You can track your pulse using the built-in heart rate monitor, while the integrated music player can make your activities even more enjoyable.

What’s New?

While a lot remains similar to the TomTom Spark Cardio, TomTom has managed to improve the design and pack in some more features that make this watch a worth while upgrade. The size and weight remain about the same, but TomTom improved the band design; the watch face is now recessed into the band allowing for more protection; less chance of screen scratches or smacking the screen on something.

Screen is now recessed into the band, for better protection.

The new features that were added are the following:

• GPS and Barometer tracking in New Outdoor Sports Modes; trail-running, hiking, skiing and snowboarding. This gives accurate real-time info on the go, such as altitude, 3D distance, speed, pace, total ascent and descent, and calories burned.
• Automatic Lift Detection offers up max speed, descent, and max gradient of your last ski or snowboard run as you go up the lift.
• Trail Exploration allows you to discover new routes with the confidence to always find your way back. As well as planning and uploading a trail onto the watch before your adventure begins.
• Built-in Compass giving you the ability to instantly see which direction you are going.
• Longer battery life – up to 11 hours of power in GPS mode and up to 24 hours in Hiking Mode.

Strapless Heart Rate

The Adventurer allows you to feel the freedom of measuring your pulse without a chest strap. The built-in heart rate monitor of this GPS outdoor watch means you can say goodbye to cumbersome bands and chafing. It is not only comfortable but also accurate.

Strapless Heart Rate

The TomTom Adventurer not only measures heart rate during recorded activities, but it also measures heart rate 24/7, so you can see how your heart rate changes throughout the day, and check your resting heart rate to see how you recovered from your last activity. Resting heart-rate is a great indication of how fit you are: the lower your resting heart rate, the better the shape you are in. Your resting heart rate can be found in the TomTom MySports companion app. This app gives you the ability to track your resting heart rate over time to see your progress.

Barometer Tracking and Lift Detection

GPS and Barometer tracking in trail-running, hiking, skiing and snowboarding now gives accurate real-time info on the go, such as altitude, 3D distance, speed, pace, total ascent and descent, and calories burned. The barometric tracking gives a more precise and accurate elevation data. Each of the new outdoor sports modes are customized for utilizing this data.

Barometric Tracking – The hole on the back of the watch is the barometer. If your watch gets dirty or wet, clean the holes around the barometer so that it can measure pressure accurately.

Using the TomTom Adventurer for skiing and/or snowboarding will give an overview of your whole day on the mountain. You see the same information when choosing skiing or snowboarding, but if you do both sports in one day, you can keep your stats separate by choosing separate activities.

Snowboarding offers Barometric Data

When skiing or snowboarding, the watch can detect when you are on a run or in a lift.

While on a run, pressing UP or DOWN on the four way control button allows you to cycle through a range of metrics that including the following:

• Total duration
• Total distance
• Heart rate
• Speed
• Altitude
• Change in Altitude (delta)
• Descent (total cumulative)
• Run count

When you are in a lift, the watch shows a summary of your previous run including these metrics:

• Run number
• Maximum speed
• Descent (cumulative for that run)
• Maximum gradient of your trail

Trail Exploration

The TomTom Adventurer now gives you the confidence to explore new trails, it always shows you where the path has taken you, so you can find your way back to your starting point. The watch can draw a breadcrumb trail for all activities that use GPS. Breadcrumb trails allow you to see an overview of your route and understand the steps necessary to get back to your starting point.

Hike with Confidence with the New Trail Exploration Feature

Breadcrumb trails will show the following information:

• Your current GPS position is shown with a chevron in the center of the screen.
• Your starting point is shown with a home icon.
• The arrow tells you which direction you are facing when standing still and which direction you are headed when moving.
• The breadcrumb trail is shown in a North-up view.
• You can switch between a detailed view and an overview depending on the total length of the breadcrumb trail.

With the new trail exploration feature you can upload routes (.gpx files) to the TomTom Adventurer and follow them when you explore new adventures. Get trails from any website, and upload them to your watch with the TomTom My Sports desktop application. Up to 15 trails can be stored on the watch.

Upload Trails on My Sports Desktop

TomTom Sports Bluetooth Headphones

The Adventurer retains the built-in music player that was built into the Spark, it can store over 500 songs. That’s 3GB of music wrapped around your wrist. This allows you to enjoy your favorite playlists through the included TomTom Sports Bluetooth wireless headphones and leave your phone at home. The TomTom headphones are water and sweat resistant (IPX4) with up to 6 hours of battery life. They are designed for sports and pair perfectly with your watch. The TomTom Adventurer can also be connected with a wide range of other Bluetooth headphones.

TomTom Sports Bluetooth Headphones

Solid Build

Built tough to stand up to all your outdoor adventures, yet stylish enough for everyday use. The TomTom Adventurer GPS Outdoor Watch is water resistant up to 40 meters, so you can measure your lap times in the pool, take on the rapids, or cool off in a lake – it’s made to take on any conditions.

Built for the Active Lifestyle

Activity Metrics

The Adventurer will track just about any activity that you can throw at it, listed below are the activities that can be found on the activity menu screen on the watch and what they will track and record.

• Hiking – Tracks heart rate, altitude, altitude delta, ascent, 3D distance, speed, average pace, calories burned, duration, breadcrumb trail, preloaded trails, and extended battery life (over 20 hours)
• Trail Running – Tracks heart rate, altitude, altitude delta, ascent, 3D distance, speed, average and instantaneous pace, calories burned, duration, breadcrumb trail, and preloaded trails
• Skiing – Tracks heart rate, descent, run count, distance, duration, and speed.
• Snowboarding – Tracks heart rate, descent, run count, distance, duration, and speed.
• Running – Tracks heart rate, speed, pace, distance, ascent, gradient, duration, calories burned, breadcrumb trail, and preloaded trails
• Treadmill – Tracks heart rate, pace, distance, calories burned, and duration
• Cycling – Tracks heart rate, speed, pace, 3D distance, gradient, ascent, calories burned, duration, breadcrumb trail, and preloaded trails (Cadence – through an optional cadence sensor)
• Indoor Cycling – Tracks heart rate, calories burned, and duration (cadence, speed, pace, and distance – through an optional cadence sensor)
• Swimming – Tracks length, distance, speed, duration, calories burned, and strokes
• Freestyle – Tracks heart rate, altitude, altitude delta, gradient, ascent, descent, speed, pace, 3D distance, calories burned, duration, breadcrumb trail, and preloaded trails
• Gym – Tracks duration, heart rate, and calories burned

Features

• Outdoor Sports Modes
• Built-in Heart Rate Monitor
• Trail Exploration
• Integrated Music Player (3 GB)
• Bluetooth headphones included
• Multiple Sports Modes
• Automatic Lift Detection
• Up to 40 Meter Water Resistant

Final Thoughts

Tracking nearly every aspect of your adventurous lifestyle, the TomTom Adventurer Watch is incredibly versatile and ingeniously smart with its barometric and GPS tracking, sport-tuned profiles, and Bluetooth smartphone syncing. It is extremely affordable and excellent for endurance athletes training for upcoming events and outdoor enthusiasts maximizing every available opportunity for exploration and physical fitness.

For more information or to purchase, visit www.amazon.com/tomtom.   MSRP $350