Polar FT60G1 GPS Watch Review

A decade ago, a Global Positioning System device was largely a toy for the tech geek in the family, and an expensive one at that. Since then, there's been an explosion in the popularity of the technology in the consumer market, and many gadgets now come equipped with the service for a fraction of the cost they once commanded. A great implementation is the GPS watch, and one which does the trick nicely is the Polar FT60G1 GPS watch.

Combining a heart rate monitor with a GPS unit in a handy wristwatch form, this is a pretty solid piece of hardware for a very fair price, considering all you get. Most importantly, the watch itself is incredibly comfortable for something of it's size, which is pretty key if you run long distances regularly. The features are what really make this tool stand out though. Like any new gadget, there are more functions and programs that come preloaded than most people could possibly use.

There's all the standard bells and whistles, like alarms that sound if you go above or below the target heart rate zone you've set for your workout, as well as fitness and exercise plans that come with it for any level. There are several ways to track the intensity of your exertion, either by beats per minute, or as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. The GPS unit works pretty much flawlessly and is highly accurate to boot, so you can log your miles almost exactly and plan out new routes or keep tabs on where you've been.

Overall it's well designed and illuminated, with few drawbacks. One caveat, however: choose the optional lithium battery, as it'll give you up to 30 hours of use per charge, as opposed to the 10 hours of so you get with standard AA's. For the ultimate smart exercise aid, it's tough to beat the Polar FT60G1 in quality and total value.