Garmin enters into the smartwatch race with the Vivoactive smartwatch which comes with a price range around $250 for the fitness-minded people. Also, involved in the smartwatch race is the Apple Watch, the Fitbit Surge, and a list of other smartwatches. Garmin has been a memorable brand in sports watches before it released its first fully-capable smartwatch. Also, the Vivoactive is compatible with Android and iOS devices for smart notifications.
The Vivoactive smartwatch has many features. From the standard fitness-focused accruements including a pedometer, heartrate monitoring capability to GPS and even a touchscreen display that is readable in sunlight. Additionally, the watchband is interchangeable as Garmin created different bands for different activities.
The Garmin Vivoactive smartwatch has an estimated battery life of three weeks to 10 hours when the GPS is enabled. However, the Vivoactive does not have a built-in optical heart rate monitor (HRM) for taking heart rate through the wrist; but it can pair with other HRMs.
One activity that the smartwatch can do is that it can track activities like cycling, running, swimming, and golf.
The design of the Vivoactive smartwatch is recognizable to Motorola’s MotoActive as it even includes functions for golfers – similar to Motorola’s MotoActive.
The direct competitor to the Vivoactive smartwatch is the Fitbit Surge smartwatch. Both products are priced the same, but there are noticeable differences. The Fitbit model has an integrated heartrate monitor while the Garmin version requires a chest strap – which is a $50 add-on that’s likely to more accurate than the Fitbit Surge smartwatch. Also, the Garmin Vivoactive smartwatch has a broader range range of uses including a golf mode.
Garmin is also releasing Connect IQ to allow users to change the watch faces and add apps to the watch. Also, with the Garmin Vivoactive smartwatch, you can download third-party apps, watch faces, and widgets through Connect IQ platform.
The Vivoactive is entering into the smartwatch market that is set to explode in 2015. However, much like the smartphone market, there should be room for multiple brands to create their brand.