There ’s no better example of the war between form and function than smartwatch intent . There are boxy , bulging , touchscreen wearables that do almost everything your smartphone can , and there are sleeker analog alternatives that perhaps keep track of how many calories you ’ve burn . With the latest version of theVívomove HR , Garmin has tried , and mostly follow , in balance both approaches , creating a smartwatch that hides a respectable list of features behind a traditional analogue font .
Vívomove 60 minutes
WHAT IS IT ?
Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
A intercrossed smartwatch that can conceal all of its smarts when you just require a watch .
PRICE
$ 200 for the Si & charge plate modelling $ 300 for leather & steel
With its tiny LCD screen off, the Vívomove HR looks like a plain old watch.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
care
Lightweight , minimum design that still manages to include a lot of saucy features .
NO ilk
That LCD screen is all about basic functionality.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
Proprietary charging cable’s length take to be winnow out .
Garmin describes its young Vívomove hour as a ‘ hybrid ’ smartwatch , which is a condition often used to describe something that ’s been assemble from different part to create a final product that ’s the ripe of all its sources . But when it comes to gadgets , ‘ crossbreed ’ also normally mean you ’re pass to have to live with some compromises , and that ’s certainly the case here .
Available in a $ 200 black or rose gilded interlingual rendition with a silicon strap and plastic housing , or a $ 300 amber or facile variation with a leather shoulder strap and steel housing , the Vívomove hour looks like a classic analogue watch , with a clean numberless face , hour and minute deal , and a distinct lack of any button or crown .
Say hello to yet another charging cable that will need to tag along on your travels.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
Garmin has positioned the Vívomove HR as a sport and physical fitness tracker so part of its design permit it to be worn in the rain , shower , or while sweating during a workout . Yet it can also easily pass as a formal timepiece for employment or special occasions .
But no one ’s going to err the Vívomove 60 minutes for a Rolex , and even with a glass covert over its font , parts of the timekeeper I was sent for testing are going to inevitably get scratched up . Even the $ 200 base theoretical account is still going to be an investment for some user , and I would have liked to have see more durable stuff used across all the models . However , the use of plastics does result in a thin , lightweight , and very comfortable timepiece that ’s part of Garmin ’s endeavor to camouflage the Vívomove HR ’s smart .
In fact , most of the clock time while you ’re wearing it , the smartwatch looks nothing like a smartwatch . It ’s only when you raise your wrist to look at the time that a hidden dim and white LCD presentation is revealed on the grim half of the Vívomove HR ’s face .
The Vívomove HR’s hands move out the way when you’re ready to swipe through menu options.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
The watch ’s obscure show is as basic as it get . The resolution is abysmal , and the misfortunate line make it hard to see in bright sunshine . It ’s the Vívomove HR ’s least telling feature , but as a mode to deliver introductory data , it unquestionably gets the job done , and without requiring you to charge the smartwatch every unmarried night .
Garmin promises about four or five days of grave use between charges , or up to two weeks of electric battery biography when you disable all the watch ’s smart features . That ’s a definite plus because Garmin has unfortunately chosen to go with a proprietary , clip - on charging cable’s length that you ’re inevitably going to forget to work when you travel .
The Vívomove HR ’s menage sieve — which can be customise via an accompanying app to show various types of info like a digital version of the time and date , the weather , physical fitness system of measurement , or even music playback controls — mechanically wrench off a few secondment after you raise your wrist or tap the screen . But if you snarf across it while it ’s on , the watch ’s hour and min hand will move out of the room to give you entree to the Vívomove HR ’s additional feature . If you ’re in a quiet place , however , I should notice that the grinding audio of the motor travel the scout ’s mitt can be curiously loud
The Vívomove HR hides its smart functions very well.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
The Vívomove 60 minutes features all of the stat - trailing potentiality you ’ll see in thecompany ’s dedicated seaworthiness trackers , including an optical heart rate varan that I ’ve found to give the same readings as the Apple Watch ’s , and metrics derive from a build - in motion sensor like steps taken , stairs climbed , calories burned , and distance hatch . Garmin also claims to be able to measure the wearer ’s stress by keeping tabs on pith pace fluctuations , and the smartwatch ’s software canautomatically notice repetitive sleeve motionsand cart track swimming , cycling , and other activity .
I ’ve long been a fan of the functionality and feature Garmin ring into its fitness tracker , it ’s the brand I still urge to people , and the in style version of the Vívomove hour has all the bells and whistle most amateur jock could require .
As a smartwatch , however , it ’s the basics only . The watch mirror the telling you get on your smartphone — texts , email , incoming calls — but that ’s about it . You only get to see a low snip of tenacious messages thanks to the Vívomove HR ’s small screen , and there ’s no way to answer from your articulatio radiocarpea . You are able to use the watch as a remote for whatever music your smartphone is playing , but apps and other more advanced smartwatch features are nowhere to be found here .
Is the Vívomove HR an Apple Watch - killer ? No , but it does n’t take to be . This is n’t a smartwatch for the smartphone - obsess who want every last feature of speech of their mobile gadget approachable from their wrist . It deport the smartwatch basics , alongside a very firm set of fitness - tracking features , including a inwardness charge per unit proctor .
Where it might nibble by at the Apple Watch ’s market share is with exploiter who do n’t require a shiny drinking glass square strapped to their wrist joint , but who favour the facial expression of a more traditional watch . Garmin hasmanaged to advance the original Vívomove hour , a clunky fitness tracking bracelet , into a wearable that will let you blot out your need to always be colligate .
README
The first smartwatch with a decent set of fitness tracking and connect feature that can hide all its smartness .
A upstanding wearable choice if you do n’t want to have to switch between a fitness tracker and something more dressy .
I ’m never a fan of have to use proprietary charging cable television .
The base exemplar ’s plastic trapping is easy to grave .
The watch ’s canonic sinister and white-hot screen restrict how much info it can show , and it ’s not great in bright sunlight .
Garmin ’s canonic operating system does n’t give you access to any democratic smartwatch apps .
The motor that act the minute and minute hands out of the manner can be quite loud at time .
Correction , 11:03 a.m. EST / EDT : We previously report that a moldable cover was used to protect the watch ’s face , but have since larn it is really a fragile panel of crank . We repent the mistake .
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