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Fossil FX2008 and Suunto n6HR PDA Watches
Author: Talon
Date Posted:04/07/2005 15:40.56
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| SLRating:Fossil |  |
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Bottom Line:
Wristop,Computer and Advanced-tech watches still have a long way to go before general consumers and watch aficionados will consider them for normal use. But until then, both Fossil and Suunto have made commendable efforts in keeping the idea behind a wearable computer-esque tool alive.
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First Impressions
What stood out the most when I first took the n6HR out of its
Suunto box was its metal strap. Having been familiar with the older N3i and its
hard-rubber styled band, the metal strap was a surprise. It does enhance the
look of the watch a lot more, and draws attention away from the massive bulk
that is its watch body, which unfortunately has not been redesigned; the watch
case is as large as the one on the N3i, and it still feels and looks awkward
because of its size. This is still a major roadblock for SPOT watches, and one
that, if conquered, could largely raise the popular appeal of these units.
The other obvious development since the N3i is the inclusion of a
heart rate monitor. It works like any other heart rate monitor; there is a black
strap that you clasp to your chest, and the watch tracks your cardiovascular
activity throughout your workout. This can be graphed and viewed later through
Suunto's personal trainer software. More on this later.
The FX2008, on the other hand, is much more different from
Fossil's last tech watch, the FX3005, than the n6HR is from the N3i. First of
all, it is not technically a SPOT watch at all, since it does not run on MSN
Direct but rather Palm OS 4.1. The watch casing is slightly larger than the
FX3005, and it is noticeably chunky and awkward on those who do not have big
beefy wrists - in other words, people like me. It came packaged in the same type
of cylindrical tin that the FX3005 came in, and again, Fossil's efforts at
packaging again surpass Suunto's.
As would be expected, the interface of the FX2008 is completely
different than that of the FX3005. Instead of the familiar back and forth scroll
menus characteristic to SPOT watches, the FX2008 Wrist PDA features (surprise)
a Palm OS interface. In fact, it looks pretty much exactly like your old Palm
pilot or Visor handheld, except of course, that it only fits four icons on a
single screen - the rest are accessable by scrolling - and that you can wear it
on your wrist.
Overall, I drew two initial conclusions based on what I observed
in the first ten minutes of playing with the watches; first, that both watches
pack many more features than their previous models, and second, that both
watches still are - for my tastes - a little too bulky for casual wearing.
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