It seems like every week brings a new activity tracker from Garmin. And hey, like clockwork, the navigation-turned-fitness-wearable manufacturer kicked off the week with a new one – or, rather, an upgrade to an old classic.
The Vivosmart HR+ is, as the name not so subtly implies, an augmentation to the company’s Vivosmart HR device, this time bringing that old Garmin standby GPS tracking to the table. That functionality promises more accurate distance, time and pace tracking on the wearable, along with built-in mapping of the places you’ve gone courtesy of the company’s Connect app.
That functionality joins the existing 24/7 heart rate monitoring that gives the device its name (that it’s also great for the human resources manager in your life is just a happy coincidence), along with more standard tracking functionality like steps walked, calories burned and floors climbed.
The Vivosmart HR also offers the standard array of smart device functionality like notifications for calls, texts, emails and calendars, along with music control and a phone-finding features. The battery should last up to five days with heart rate monitoring on and GPS turned off.
All said, Garmin’s crammed a lot into a fairly skinny fitness wearable that looks more like a Fitbit than one of its own big ole Forerunner watches. And it’s priced to match at $220. It’s a available now through Garmin’s site.