Polar
A360
As
the optical heart-rate monitoring has improved, the technology has increasingly
become a must-have feature for most serious fitness trackers. One notable holdout from this
club was Polar, probably because it made a name for itself in chest-worn heart
rate straps and, as such, had a little more to lose than other firms. With the
launch of the A360, however, the company has finally decided to embrace the
world of "strapless monitoring," although it's gone to great pains to
say that its version is much better than everyone else's.
The
first thing you'll notice about the A360 is that it's the prettiest barebones
fitness tracker that has popped up recently. The device will display the
time, as well as all of your vital statistics vertically, which sets it apart
from a large proportion of fitness trackers and smartwatches on the market. The
statistics that the device can track is, perhaps surprisingly, a little
limited, since it'll only monitor your daily activity, steps, calories,
workouts and sleep.
Polar
promises that the A360 will last for twelve days on a charge as both a general
activity tracker and with an hour-long fitness session every day. One of the
ways that it can offer two-week life is by not adding continuous heart-rate
monitoring to the device, and it'll only watch your heart during workouts.
Another absentee from the spec list is GPS, although it'd be a stretch to see a
watch with that sort of tech for this little cash. On the upside, the firm is
pledging that the A360 has Jawbone-style smart coaching to make
suggestions that'll benefit the user's overall health and wellbeing. It'll also
come with the usual Polar tweaks, including access to the Flow app, smartphone
notifications and the option to use a chest strap, should you want to.
At
first blush, there's plenty to like about the A360, since it can pull double
duty as a barebones fitness tracker and as a smartwatch. Although, there is a
risk that by trying to do too many things at once, it'll struggle to do any of
them very well.
The
price for US$ 199 / € 199 roughly
the twice the price of the Loop 2. You can grab one of these when it launches in November
with a choice of white or black silicone bands. Those looking for something
more colorful can wait a little longer for pink, green and blue wristbands to
come on sale "shortly afterward."
