NEWS: SUUNTO has finally released a color LCD/touch panel GPS sports watch. SUUNTO SPARTAN series

GPS watches enter the age of color LCDs! ?

SUUNTO, a Finnish precision instrument manufacturer, has announced the SPARTAN series of premium performance watches that use "color LCDs" and "touch panels." The flagship model, "SPARTAN ULTRA," was released in 2016.Thursday, August 25thOn Friday, September 16th, we received information that the thin model "SPARTAN SPORT" will be released at official Suunto stores nationwide on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016, so we would like to share it.

This has led to the introduction of the first smart outdoor watches from Gamin and Android Wear, including Casio, which released this spring's new smart outdoor watches, and even Suunto, which has many products that are resistant to mountain climbing and outdoor activities, has entered the front line of the color LCD GPS outdoor watches. The trend of colored LCDs (plus touch panels) becoming the forefront of outdoor watches in the future has become even more clear.

Color LCD display and touch panel make a wide variety of information easier to see and understand

The "SUUNTO SPARTAN" series is the first Suunto to use a color LCD display and a touch panel. The high brightness makes it easy to see outdoors, with a color LCD display that is easy to see outdoors, and the variety of graph displays that were not fully expressed in previous models make it easier to see the results of activities on the clock screen, making it possible to handle the diverse range of activity data, which has been a feature.

It's hard to tell how easy it will be to use the touch panel until you touch it, but it seems you can choose the usability you need, so you can rest assured.

Speaking of SUUNTO, this is it! Even more convenient sharing and analysis of activity data

The most fun and useful things about Suunto's GPS watches are Movescount.com, a free sports community site that allows you to manage history of recorded activities, analyze detailed data, and share and view data with users who use Suunto Watch around the world, as well as Movescount App, a free smartphone app.

The data collected by the clock can be uploaded to the cloud for detailed management.

In the previous model, there was only a way to check on a PC or smartphone, but the "SUUNTO SPARTAN" series uses a color LCD display, allowing you to check data on the watch itself . With colorful graph display, a choice of watch face design, and easy-to-understand illustrations and icons, you can easily check many detailed data, including momentum, distance traveled, speed, and heart rate. It conveys a wealth of information on this year's best score updates, the number of training days in the past 30 days, and the number of rest days required to recover your physical fitness, with a vibrant color display.

You can also check detailed data on your past activities using Movescount.com and Movescount App, create 3D movies from GPS data, and share data with over 1 million Suunto users around the world through the SUUNTO SPARTAN series.

"SUUNTO MOVIE," which combines the trajectory recorded on GPS with photos taken halfway through, is so interesting that you'll want to share it on social media.

For example, when checking running training data, you can check easy-to-understand graphs and illustrations to see the average age, average pace of runners around the world, and the degree of ranking they are in. Furthermore, by utilizing the new service "Coach Function," you can find the ideal runner within Movescount and have them provide a training menu if you want to train efficiently .

Summary: Can SPARTAN become the standard for GPS sports watches?

"SUUNTO MOVIE," which shares your own footprints recorded on GPS in a 3D movie, was shocking. Suunto's clean design is not only the most appealing thing, but the fun of slowly managing and analyzing various data collected from the watch later, and sharing the data, making it even more addictive to the activity. I can't wait to see how colorization, diversification of displays, and the increased amount of information will make them even more motivated.

I think it will probably be unveiled at a German exhibition that will be about to be interviewed in a major way, so I would like to take that as hard as possible.

Sports (outdoor) watches are beginning to be stopped short of various sensors such as GPS, as well as color and touch panels, and the types of functions themselves are about to be stopped, and from here on, it is assumed that these functions are available, and there is no doubt that there will be a competition to decide how much they are worth using (and make you want to use them). In that sense, Suunto's strategy of "GPS sports watches that you can enjoy from before and after the activity" is free of any gaps, and I feel that it is very promising, apart from the many software issues.

However, high-performance GPS watches that make full use of these technologies still remain an unresolved issue of battery life. Looking at the specs below, this new product seems fine for half-day activities, but if it's a major use, it seems that charging is still a must-have for charging. It may be difficult to say that durability and reliability in the polar regions can be used safely for use on mountain climbing or long trips in harsh environments. In that sense, it seems like GPS sports watches, which are suitable for hard uses, will soon be released.

By the way, looking at the specs, only "Ultra" has 3D electronic compasses and barometers installed, so if you're looking for a model that can be used outdoors, such as hiking, we recommend "Ultra"; if you're only using exercise on flat ground, it seems like "Sports" would be a good option.

Product overview

For more information, please contact the Suunto official website or Suunto Customer Service (TEL: 03-4520-9417).