Technology
TomTom’s Newest Fitness Watch Plays Music Too
(Engagdet) – As sales of satellite navigation units slowly dry up, TomTom is making the gentle transition into a fitness and wearables company. That’s why the firm decided to smash up its existing range of bulky running watches in favor of a ground-up rebuild. The result is that TomTom is launching the Spark, which looks pretty much like the previous generation of devices, albeit after a very good diet. The most notable addition to the range this year is Bluetooth music playback, although that’s made matters a little more confusing than in previous years.
Rather than selling just one or two variations on the same watch each year, there are actually four, with a barebones GPS and sleep- and activity-tracking model at the bottom. Then, you can opt to get a version with an optical heart rate monitor, or 3GB of built-in storage, while at the top of the range you can get both. There are also two extra models that come with a pair of company-branded Bluetooth headphones if you don’t already own a set. The company’s Walter Hermsen isn’t worried about confusing his customers, however, saying that this way it’s easy for people to only pay for the things they’ll actually use.
The hardware itself looks like an evolution of last year’s model, shrunk down to better hide under your shirt cuff. The charger’s been redesigned, too, with a clicking latch that makes enough noise so there’s no longer a risk that you’ll think it’s connected, but isn’t.
