TomTom Spark 3 Multi Sport GPS Fitness Watch - Large Strap, Black

Product Information

The main reason you'd consider upgrading from the Spark to the Spark 3 is the new route exploration feature. This basically means you can now go out on a big run and the route will be mapped out on the watch screen, helping you navigate your way home a little easier. You can now add routes to the watch as well, which is handy if you want to run an approximate distance or just freshen up your running routes. It's a feature that usually crops up on more expensive sports watches, so it's definitely a positive to see it appear on the Spark 3. That feature is cool, but if you’re after more structured training programmes, Garmin or Polar watches offer more than the TomTom Spark 3. The four-way navigation system will take time to get used to, and finding a feature can sometimes feel like an endless game of Snake; up-left-down-down-left-right.

TomTom Spark Review | Trusted Reviews TomTom Spark Review | Trusted Reviews

If you’re upgrading from a running app, or this is your first fitness watch, you might find the number of options a bit daunting. All supported activities, including cycling, gym workouts, indoor and outdoor runs, and swimming, have their own menus where you can customize goals and settings. For example, you can adjust your bike's wheel size or the size of a swimming pool. You can also use the watch as a stopwatch, set up and view heart rate zones to stay in, and race against previous times. Unfortunately, you still have to start a new session and then press the up button to view your stats on the watch. The general layout of the MySports app is clean and easy to navigate with basic stats, distance goals and individual workouts listed under the Activities tab. Brilliant running features, including interval training and the option of built-in memory for your music library So what this means in practice is that as soon as you start your run, a little icon appears on a blank screen saying “home” on it. A line is then drawn covering the directions you run in, with each twist and turn being shown on the screen like an etch-a-sketch drawing taking shape.[gallery:3]That said, all the features work really well, and if you can afford the Cardio + Music you’ll have a fitness watch that will improve along with your fitness, while the comprehensive menu system is designed in such a way that you can even ignore features until you really need them.

TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music Review | PCMag

The good news is that you can still pull your data into third party apps including Strava, Runkeeper and MapMyRun so that's TomTom's saving grace. But we were hoping for more on the app front in the future. So if it looks and feels the same, why should you upgrade? Well, TomTom is hoping that you’re the kind of runner who likes exploring. The TomTom Spark 3 is not a good-looking wristwatch. At best you might say it offers “prisoner on day-release chic”. A large 22x25mm LCD face dominates the device, while a chunky control rectangle pokes out from underneath, which you use to navigate around the menus. On the positive side, this means that you don’t have the frustration of trying to navigate a touchscreen with wet or sweaty hands, but on the negative… well, just look at it.That said, on looking at the data when synced afterwards, it appeared to have recorded accurately. In fact, since most people are likely to train in zones, rather than looking at tiny heart rate detail variations, this shouldn’t be an issue; zone movements appeared to keep up. TomTom also announced a number of software improvements recently, which should be rolling out this month. These include a new Fitness Age score, which is based on your VO2 Max. It’s great to see VO2 Max estimations finally come to TomTom devices, as it’s historically been a rather strange absence considering all the component pieces required were present. This will compare you against other people in your demographic and is designed as an extra measurement metric and layer of motivation. While it might not be the main reason to buy, we really enjoyed taking part in the TomTom Spark 3’s pre-installed heart rate Zone training sessions. Choose from Sprint, Speed, Endure, Fat Burn, Easy or Custom zones for a nice change to your regular run/cycle routine. TomTom says you should be able to get a good five hours of GPS, HR and music on the go. Alternatively, using GPS, the watch should last for around 11 hours on a charge. Despite TomTom’s in-car sat-nav pedigree, don’t expect on-screen turn-by-turn navigation. Instead, the watch simply traces your journey and by using the built-in compass you can follow it safely home again.

TomTom Runner Review (Runner 3 aka Spark 3) - tri bike run TomTom Runner Review (Runner 3 aka Spark 3) - tri bike run

GPS exploration features allow you to upload and follow a route, or freestyle it and let the Spark 3 show you the way home That’s not to say there aren’t any flaws, though. The screen is low-res and could be brighter, removing the watch from the strap to charge is annoying, and we’d have liked some customisation for the watch faces. So what’s the TomTom Spark Cardio + Music like to live with? Mostly good, but not because of any of that changes made for this version.After fully charging the Spark 3 on a Monday night, I wore it for an entire week, using it for three 40- to 50-minute GPS activities. I streamed music from the watch during two of these workouts. By Saturday, the watch beeped at me that it was low on juice. Bottom Line That’s why the recently introduced third-party app support is so important here. A selection of apps can be used to sync data, effectively bypassing TomTom’s MySports app. Exporting that data, however, can only be done via your desktop computer. Hopefully TomTom is working on a way to let you do this from the mobile app as well. The Spark 3 has enough storage for about 500 songs, but getting them onto your wrist isn’t as simple as we’d like. The key takeaway is that running with music without carrying your smartphone along for the ride is awesome. We relish the freedom every time we hit the roads for our training runs, and along with the top heart rate performance, is why we recommend the TomTom Spark again and again. But there's still definitely some work to be done to make music support more seamless – and our dream of a Spotify enabled running watch is yet to be realised.

TomTom Spark 3 Music, compatibility, battery life and apps - TomTom Spark 3

An excellent service! They have successfully diagnosed and repaired pcb's for me twice now and I have a third one just … read more sent in for repair. I am delighted with the efficient service and will certainly use them again when required. Given the impressive options for setting up and planning runs on the Spark itself, it would be great if there was an option to create a training programme, or even just a one-off session, in the app and sync it over. It would be less fiddly than setting it on the device. How often am I going to have to charge it? It is an amazing watch..However, i am experiencing that the music breaks up only when i am running. Do i perhaps have a faulty product or is there perhaps something i can do on my end?TomTom’s software approach remains its most disappointing feature and pales in comparison to what its closest rivals have to offer. Using TomTom's desktop app, you can also load music onto the Spark 3. This interface is much more user-friendly than what you got with the older Spark, but you still have to make sure the music you want is in a particular playlist; you can't add individual songs. I’d hoped the Apple Watch Series 2 would be a winner: i t’s got GPS, a heart-rate monitor and on-board storage, but it’s hardly the perfect running companion. The GPS chip only works in the Apple Workout or Nike+ Run Club apps, heart-rate monitoring is erratic, and getting music onto the watch is infuriating in that unique way that only iTunes can be. Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.