Nike+ SportsWatch GPS Powered by TomTom

The basics

The Nike+ SportsWatch GPS is here to add a little glamour and style to your daily workout. Combining an attractive outer shell, some fantastic maps courtesy of Tom Tom and the ability to track your running via GPS, or use the supplied wireless Nike+ shoe pod, going for a jog will never be the same again.

The Nike+ SportsWatch GPS weighs in at a mere 66g and while it may look a little bulky on the wrist, it’s surprising lightweight. It’s also nicely robust with the materials feeling hard wearing to the touch. You can view running data on the watch itself but to really make the most of it you’ll want to hook it up to your PC, which really allows you to get to grips with the software and bundled maps.

The good

The first thing you’ll notice about the Nike+ SportsWatch is how great it looks. It’s certainly trendy with a designer edge, compared to the rather nerdy look of other sports watches out there. The strap has a nice shape to it but don’t be fooled by the aesthetics as it’s highly practical as it fits in a USB plug for hooking the watch up to your laptop to download your exercise data.

However, it’s the enormous screen with its large numerous and the day and date down the side that give it a stylish edge.

Looks are one thing but you’ll find that once you start to use it you’ll find how incredibly easy it is to use. Simply go up and down the menu using the arrows on the side of the Nike+ SportsWatch then select your option and hit the green button, what could be easier?

In Run mode you can choose to use GPS, which is great if you’re in connectivity range, or you can opt for the shoe pod, which slips into your show and communicates with the SportsWatch to tell you how far you’ve travelled.

We found there was a short delay when connecting up the GPS signal, but otherwise the watch works exceedingly smoothly. However, when you’re exercising you can use the large over-sized buttons to change the stats it’s feeding you, which is a great way to get information instantly. What’s more, tap the screen and the backlight will come on so you can view it when running at night!

Once you’ve download the details of you run you can analyse the data and you’ll find the maps, supplied by Tom Tom, are very good indeed. We found the software tracked our route with fine detail, which is very impressive.

The bad

There isn’t a great deal to complain about here, as the watch works well and responds to user commands with ease. The biggest problem with the Nike+ SportsWatch has to be the price, though. It’s actually quite expensive compared to many other sports watches out there, many of them with far more in the way of features.

The Nike+ SportsWatch works with a heart rate monitor if you’d like but sadly you’ll have to pay extra, as one isn’t supplied in the box.

The bottom line

The Nike+ SportsWatch is a neat and highly practical sports training watch that helps you with your training regime by telling you how far and how fast you’ve run. Sure, it’s not the cheapest on the market but we’ve found it to be one of the most attractive, best made and, best of all, easiest to use gadgets of its kind out there, high acclaim indeed!