TomTom today announced its 4th generation fitness watch at IFA. The Spark is a fitness and activity tracker with a focus on music, and it’ll be released globally in October.
It might sound obvious, but TomTom’s research shows that music plays an important part in exercise activity, with some people getting a performance boost of “up to 15%” when they’re moving along to some beats that motivate them. That could mean a few extra lifts, or a couple more minutes on your run. TomTom doesn’t want you to have to use your smartphone for your music though – smartphones are getting bigger every year, and wired headphones aren’t a good idea in a gym. This is where a watch is a good choice.
It’s this idea that TomTom is acting on with the Spark. It offers 3GB of storage for music files, connects to Bluetooth devices and comes preloaded with an exclusive 30 minute workout mix from Ministry of Sound to get you started. If you don’t have a Bluetooth earphones, TomTom’s also got a set of IP-rated wireless earphones for you, in blue and black.
As a workout tracker, the Spark can track a large number of workout types with multiple sports modes and built-in GPS to track distance and location. If your headphones are connected there’s also a voice coach to encourage and motivate you to beat your personal bests so you don’t even have to look at the watch and can focus on your workout.
The Spark also has 24/7 activity tracking built-in to report steps, active minutes, distance, calories burned and sleep quality and has a heart rate monitor that TomTom says will accurately report your heart rate without the need for a chest strap.
There’s multiple wristband sizes that TomTom says cover the vast majority of mens and womens wrist sizes, and the wristbands are available in multiple colours. The company is hoping to see customers pick up a couple of extra bands to suit their workout attire or even just taste of the day.
It all integrates with the TomTom MySports app on your Android or iOS device, and there’s a desktop companion app that’ll pull music from your iTunes or Windows Media Player library to sync to the watch, where that 3GB of storage is good for about 500 tracks.
A few of the assembled media – including yours truly – decided to line up for a comparison of some of the smartwatches and fitness trackers on the market today. We didn’t have to look very far to find a diverse group of devices:
Australian availability and pricing for the Spark is yet to be specifically confirmed, but we’ll update when we have more information from TomTom.
Does the TomTom Spark speak to your exercise and activity tracking needs? Tell us in the comments!
Hi, can anyone tell me which round watch is that to the right of the Pebble? Thanks.
That would be LG’s G Watch R.