When it comes towearable fitness tech, the market largely splits into two categories: devices for tracking everyday activity (we call thoseactivity trackers) and sports watches, which are designed to capture richer detail about activities such as running and cycling, but don't necessarily include pedometer functionality. And then there aresmartwatches, which sometimes include fitness-tracking features, but more importantly use Bluetooth controls that let you interact with your smartphone from the watch. A new smart sports watch from GPS maker Magellan, called the Echo ($149.99), borrows concepts from the smartwatch category. The result is a mid-tier device designed for fitness enthusiasts, whose price remains attractively low because some of the more expensive components (such as GPS) aren't in the watch itself—they're in your phone.
You do need to carry your phone with you and run an activity-tracking app when you work out with the Magellan Echo($39.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), but you can pause, start, and stop the app, as well as control your music, from the watch. If you don't carry your phone, the Echo only functions as a stopwatch. The Echo won't satisfy runners who are hungry for data, as it doesn't capture ground contact time or other stats that perhaps a super marathoner would want—but you'll pay big bucks for a watch that can (Garmin's Forerunner 620, for instance, goes for a whopping $449). The Echo keeps its price down, but includes plenty of compelling features for avid runners. It's a great device to wear when doing any number of activities with your favorite app.
Design
的Magellan Echo is available in black, blue, gray, orange, and pink for $149.99. You can also buy it bundled with a chest strap heart rate monitor for $199.99.
I'd describe the Echo as looking rugged and somewhat masculine. The watch face is round with a one-inch diameter, with additional plastic filling out the bezel to give it a heftier look and feel. A sharp display lets you see your stats even in bright sunlight. Using Magellan's Echo Utility app (free), you can change the display to be black on white or vice versa. You can also customize how the time and date appear. It's water-resistant and weighs a comfortable 1.5 ounces. The strap has a sturdy, though somewhat unattractive, metal buckle.
Similar Products
TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch
Samsung Gear Fit
Garmin Vivofit
Four external buttons surround the watch, and these are your primary controls. When the watch isn't connected to an app, any one of the buttons turns on the backlight—although they do much more than that with an app running, as I'll explain in the next section. You can wear the watch all day long without killing the battery (a replaceable coin cell), as the Echo intelligently turns itself off when it detects no motion. Lift your arm, and it instantly re-illuminates.
的four buttons are easily reachable and respond well, though perhaps not as clever in design as theTomTom Multi-Sport, which has one huge button below the watch bezel that does everything. Whether you're wearing gloves outside or swimming laps, you can't ever hit the wrong button with the TomTom Multi-Sport. Compare that with theSamsung Gear Fit($228.80 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), which is beautiful to behold, but tough to actually operate when you're in motion, as it has a super-sensitive touch screen.
Features
的real magic of the Magellan Echo happens when you launch your favorite activity-tracking app, such asStrava, MapMyRun, Wahoo Fitness, and severalothers(Opens in a new window), and connect the watch via Bluetooth 4.0. Right now, the watch is compatible with iPhone 4S and later iPhone models, with support for Android coming soon.
I went for a few jogs with MapMyRun running on my iPhone in my pocket, the Echo on my wrist, and some earbuds in my ears. The watch paired effortlessly and stayed connected the whole time. When I glanced down at the watch, I saw my distance and total time running. By pressing one of the buttons, I could cycle through more stats. With a connected heart-rate monitor, you can see your heart rate, for example, as well as pace and cadence.
Playing around with the four buttons on the watch, I quickly figured out how to pause my music, skip a song, pause MapMyRun, restart it, and illuminate the watch screen. Although I was running free form outdoors, there's also a lap function if you prefer running on a track. Anytime I can figure out the buttons on a device without reading a long user manual, I'm quite pleased, and the Echo kept me superbly content as I suffered through my runs.
的battery life and power-saving features are superb. As mentioned, it uses a coin cell battery, and the watch puts itself to sleep when you're not using it. That's excellent.
Great Sports Watch, Great Value
At $150, the Magellan Echo attracts gadget-curious people who are also active and don't want to blow their paycheck on a sports watch. I love how it captures the convenience of a smartwatch without going overboard, sticking to serving its sport-tracking purpose. Sure, you can spend a lot more money on a high-end runner's watch that impressively knows how long your foot hit the ground with each step, but if that sounds like overkill, the Magellan Echo is probably right for you. You will still need to carry your phone while exercising, but you won't have to touch it to control your fitness app and music. You can't swim with the Echo, however, so swimmers and triathletes should go for the TomTom Multi-Sport instead.
On the other hand, if you're in the market for a device that's more of a daily step-counter with some extra abilities to track activities (but not a more advanced sports watch with pace, cadence, etc.), our Editors' Choice is the碳钢基础版.
Magellan's Echo smart sports watch offers a good value for a neat device that borrows some features from smartwatches. You still need to fire up an app to track your run, bicycle ride, or even golf game, but you can control the app that's doing the tracking from the watch itself.
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