tom.tom runner display screens manufacturer

Released in April of 2013, the TomTom runner is a digital GPS sports watch for runners who want to keep track of their progress outdoors and indoors throughout their workout. This watch is identifiable by its black and white matte display and the bumps and grooves under the wristband.

The battery lasts up to 8-10 hours. All the running data can be uploaded to the TomTom MySports website and a host of other running websites. The TomTom runner is able to program and record Calories burned, distance traveled, pace, speed, and is able to wirelessly sync with most Apple® iOS and Android devices for simple use. The water resistance of up to 165 feet and light, sleek design allows you to continue to get your results rain or shine throughout the day.

Despite their flaws, GPS watches are reliable enough to make them very useful tools for runners. I was in love with my Garmin Forerunner 305 for many years and the decision to turn my loyalties elsewhere was hard. What I loved about my Garminwas that it was nearly indestructible and it did one thing well—track my distance. When I began my research for a new watch, I was overwhelmed by all of the bells and whistles that came with each device. I found myself screaming at my computer,

All of the features I didn’t need made the watches too expensive, too full of technical glitches, and wasted too much of my time with unneeded metrics. This is not true with the TomTom Runner GPS Watch. Yes, they have multi-sport and cardio options that will give you as many features you could ever want, but the Runner is focused solely on running.

Today TomTom has announced two new versions of their TomTom GPS watches.  These new additions add in optical heart rate monitoring straight into the back of both the TomTom Runner and Multisport GPS watches.  The new line – called the ‘Cardio’ utilizes the well known Mio sensor technology to measure your heart rate directly at your wrist, and does so in a form factor that’s waterproof to 50-meters.

I’ve been using the unit now on a number of rides and runs, and thus have a very solid grasp of how well they’ve completed the integration.  Which, is really what this is.  It’s essentially taking an existing TomTom Runner (or Multisport unit), and stuffing a Mio optical sensor in the back to measure heart rate and adding a couple of heart-rate specific information screens.  Beyond that, it’s basically identical to the existing units.  Of course, the addition of the optical sensor is a pretty huge thing.

As you’ll see shortly, the TomTom Cardio variant of the Runner and Multisport is identical in size to that of the non-cardio versions.  And, both the Runner and Multisport Cardio units are visually identical as well to each other.

But first, we’ll look how it compares to other units in the running and triathlon realm.  I tried to put as many competitive units as possible into the same picture, including those that compete with both the Runner and Multisport editions.

From left to right (above/below): Garmin Fenix2, Adidas Smart Run GPS, TomTom Cardio, Polar V800, Soleus Pulse, Suunto Ambit2 R (2S is identical), Timex Run Trainer 2.0, TomTom Runner/Multisport (non-cardio), Garmin FR620, Garmin FR220.

The TomTom watch is really a runners watch, that happens to bike and swim on the side.  So in many ways, I find that it’s at its best while I’m running.  To start off an activity, we’ll dive into the menu using the button below the display.  This buttons acts like a little joystick to control the unit.  The display itself can be tapped along the right edge to turn on/off the light, as well as to create laps in certain situations.

The optical sensor is generally also quite quick, finding my HR in under about 10-seconds.  Though sometimes I’ll notice it takes a little bit longer (upwards of 20-30 seconds) to find HR and start displaying it.

Once that’s ready, we’ll press to the right to start the run.  As we do so the unit will immediately start recording data and displaying the metrics we’ve chosen.

The unit will always display two metrics up top (known as ‘left’ and ‘right’), as well as one metric down below on the main screen.  You can press up/down to change the main screen metric, and you can customize the left/right metrics in the settings.

The TomTom Multisport Cardio variant supports a cycling mode, which enables you to have a dedicated cycling mode.  Within this mode you can configure slightly different display screens, while also connecting to a cycling speed/cadence sensor.  Further, if you purchase the ‘Performance Bundle’ edition, you’ll also get a barometric altimeter.  Note this is a physical hardware change, and thus, is a separate physical unit and not just a simple firmware update.

Except, here’s the thing – in my case, I was using the non-performance bundle, and thus, the elevation data shown on the site is actually from the server based on my GPS route, rather than recorded by the unit itself.  This is true of the runner as well.

Finally, it’s worth noting that while the Multisport unit defaults to speed for cycling, you can actually use the TomTom Runner Cardio in running mode and just change the metric to speed instead of pace.  It’ll label your workouts as ‘Runs’ on TomTom MySports, but ultimately if you export to any other 3rd party sites you can easily just change the activity type to ride.

In any case, the size is saved, but you’ll need to remember to switch back your total unit settings if your pool size doesn’t match what units you normally want displayed in running/cycling.

You can press the up/down button to change display fields, and like in running and swimming you can specify the upper two display fields be whatever you’d like.

Looking at the above, there’s one spot at about the 12 mile marker where the unit seems to drop by about 20bpm.  It’s unclear if that was reality or not (since the strap below doesn’t show it).  You can also see a bit more variability in the second half of the run with the strap, as she increased intensity.  She noted to me that the numbers were nearly always the same or within 1BPM or so when she looked at the displays.  So from her HR zone pacing perspective, they were both valid.

I did note however that the TomTom site failed to display/load my 26-hour journey.  Instead, I just used an export of the file and uploaded it to a 3rd party site that would take the file.  I suspect having a file longer than 24 hours was the issue.

When in standby the unit will always display the time of day (hours:minutes), as well as the date.  It does not have an option to display the day of week, nor seconds.  You can configure the time to display in either 12-hour or 24-hour format (i.e. 1:50PM or 13:50).

The backlight can be enabled at any time in standby mode by simply tapping the right side of the display.  Additionally, the backlight can be switched to enabled for an entire activity, such as a night run.  When you do this however you’ll burn through battery much quicker than normal – so be aware.  Below, you can see the backlight in action:

With the backlight on I found it quite easy to see the display and numbers, even while on the bike with the unit on my wrist in a slightly awkward position (for cycling with hands on handlebars).

Now, while it may seem like I rushed through this section – in reality, that’s all there is.  Seriously, there’s no other things to show or display.  What you see above in these half a dozen screenshots is the entirety of the MySports site.  There’s no ability to dive deeper intro metrics, nor any ability to display stats like laps that were recorded on the unit. And the granularity of the data leaves much to be desired, due to how smoothed it is.  Finally, you can’t tweak any other settings on the unit, such as data field display options.

1) I see the GPS pace dropout occasionally on the display (it just shows a dash line). Sometimes for no particular reason, though sometimes closer to buildings (2-3 story ones).  That said, it hasn’t seemed to impact distances at all.

I’ve added both the TomTom Cardio Runner & Multisport units to the Product Comparison Tool, which means you can mix and match it against any other watch/unit that I’ve ever reviewed for feature comparisons.  Now, I’ll save you a tiny bit of time and just point out that the TomTom Runner and Runner Cardio are identical except for the line item regarding optical HR sensor.  That’s it.  Same goes for the Multisport and Multisport Cardio.

For the below, I’ve compared the TomTom Runner Cardio, Garmin FR220, and Suunto Ambit 2R.  However, you can easily make your own change with any device you want here at this link.

TomTom announced their first athletic GPS units back in April, but it’s as of today that you can finally buy them (well, at least the Runner edition). These two units were produced solely by TomTom (previously they had a partnership with Nike on the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch). The first unit out of the chute from an availability standpoint is the TomTom Runner, which is aimed at the mid-range running market (from a price standpoint at $169). And the second unit is the TomTom Multisport, which is $30 more, but covers cycling and indoor swimming.

There are two different units available from TomTom: The Runner and the Multisport. The Runner is targeted at, well, runners. Whereas the Multisport is aimed at those who swim/bike/run. While I’ll be reviewing both in this review, I only have the full unboxing experience for the Runner, as the Multisport final box isn’t quite yet complete (though the watch hardware I have is complete). This is very typical of most products I receive early in the release cycle.

Finally, many folks will (rightly) draw similarities to the Nike+ GPS watch. And the similarities are pretty striking. It’s no secret that the team that worked on the Nike+ GPS watch was this TomTom team. And while they had to start from the ground up with the TomTom Runner and Multisport watch, the two units really do feel more like brothers than distant friends from separate companies.

The unit will always be recording when you’ve started an activity. You’ll see at the top (assuming you haven’t changed any display fields yet) your total time and total distance increasing:

I’m not sure I entirely understand the value of the Goals mode. Given the watch displays distance, I’ve personally never had a problem understanding that when it shows ‘Mile 2’ and I’m running a marathon, I thus still have a crap-ton of distance to run. I don’t really need a Pac-Man pie chart to show me that.

The Swimming functionality is part of the TomTom Multisport unit, and is not included in the Runner edition. As of this writing, this section is still somewhat heavy in beta, thus some aspects may not be finalized yet. So consider this more of a preview than the ‘end-all-be-all’.

Once you’re ready to begin swimming you’ll tap right again to start the counter. While swimming you’ll get distance and time information display along the top (assuming default fields), though you can modify both of those based on the fields above.

Additionally, just like in running and cycling you can iterate through the different data fields by pressing up and down. For example, you can see lengths displayed here:

Or distance, as shown below. The distance on my unit looks a bit funky because it’s a 33-meter pool, being displayed in yards. Thus it’s not going to be any of the pretty round-numbers you’re used to in 25/50 m/y pools.

The TomTom Multisport unit supports gathering speed, distance and heart rate data while indoors on a trainer (the Runner edition does not). To do so though you’ll need to get a Bluetooth Smart speed/cadence sensor. Today, pretty much the only choice on the market is the Wahoo Fitness Blue SC.

Once that’s done, you’ll have accurate speed and distance. While riding, you’ll see your speed and distance displayed. Note that the speed sensor will always override the GPS sensor.

Update – Winter 2014: TomTom has added the ability to sync from your phone directly to the TomTom Runner and Multisport watches.  Here’sall the details in this post.

Today, TomTom announced that they’ll be releasing mobile apps (iOS and Android) that will allow the TomTom Runner and Multisport watches to upload completed workouts to the TomTom website.

I’ll be getting access to the app later this week to start poking at it.  In the meantime, TomTom shared some screenshots of it, which I’ve included below.  Note that the display units can be changed between Metric and Statute.

I think this is a big step forward, and hopefully the starting point of things to come – especially if they can extend the phone functionality forward to match that of the Garmin FR220 (basically adding in Live Tracking), which the TomTom Runner watch competes with.

Looking at the TomTom Runner watch first, it’s a good first release for TomTom from a device standpoint. Overall, it works well, and accuracy is solid. I LOVE the fast satellite acquisition. I can’t state enough just how quick and awesome that component is. I really enjoy knowing that if I turn my watch on as I walk out my front door, I have signal less than 25 yards later when I finish crossing the street to start my run.

There are a few areas where I’m not a huge fan of the implementation. For example, the lack of ability to have a lap button in all modes is somewhat frustrating. And the inability to scroll ‘forever’ through the display fields while running is kind of a pain (you reach the top/bottom of the list and then have to scroll back down again). Additionally, I’m concerned about the band long-term and keeping the watch module from falling out when you take off your watch.

Lastly, the use of Bluetooth Smart over ANT+ is a bit of a null issue for the Runner edition given the internal pace/distance support for treadmills (thus not needing a footpod), but I think it’s going to dog TomTom on the multisport edition. As it stands today, there’s just a lot of athletes that have ANT+ gear, and there’s very little Bluetooth Smart variety (or product) in the market today. Further, the lack of smartphone integration using Bluetooth in the unit is a bit of a shame (Update: Now added). That’s really one of the major reasons you’d choose to implement Bluetooth into the watch itself, and in that single area, there wasn’t anything done. Long term I think this will pan out for them and be a positive feature. But short-term it’s more of a disability when it comes to converting users of other devices.

TomTom Navigator – a GPS navigation software product for personal digital assistants (PDAs), Palm devices, Pocket PCs, and some smartphones. TomTom Navigator 6 replaced the earlier TomTom Mobile 5.2. It can use GPS receivers built into the device or external (e.g., Bluetooth-connected) receivers. Navigator 7 was the latest release of this software, released as a part of the software that came with the June 2008 HTC Touch Diamond. Frequently used functions can be added to the main screen of the program, and users can report map corrections and share them with other users. Navigator supports touch screens; devices without touch screens use a cursor to input data. The software is available on SD card and DVD. It runs on a number of devices listed on the TomTom website, but will run successfully on many unlisted devices using the Windows Mobile operating system, discontinued in 2010. The DVD version includes a DVD, printed 15-character product code, Quick Start Guide, Licensing Agreement, a poster with a picture diagram for setup procedure of DVD version and SD card version, and an advertisement for associated TomTom Plus services. The DVD contains installation software for TomTom Home, software for mobile devices, licenses, manuals, maps, and voices. The software for mobile devices includes CAB files for Palm, PPC, Symbian, and UIQ3.

TomTom Home (stylized as TomTom HOME) is a 32-bit PC application that allows synchronization/updates to be sent to the mobile device. TomTom Home version 2.0 and above is implemented on the XULRunner platform. With version 2.2, TomTom Home added a content-sharing platform where users can download and upload content to personalize their device such as voices, start-up images, POI sets, etc. At the moment

Maker, Ray (2 April 2014). "TomTom Cardio Runner & Multisport with Optical Heart Rate In-Depth Review". DC Rainmaker. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.

It"s for runners who want more detailed information about their runs than an activity tracker can provide, without having to lug around their smartphones with them. Also people who get lost a lot.

It"s a fairly slender (for a GPS watch) watch with a good-sized (1.5-inch) monochrome LCD display. Rather than having standard watch buttons, the TomTom has a four-way D-pad about a half-inch below the screen, on the wrist. From there you control all of the watch"s functionality, except for turning on the backlight, which is done by tapping the right-hand side of the screen. The watch itself pops out of the band and onto the included USB charger (which is also how you sync data). You can get a black and gray wristband, or one with magenta highlights. No heart rate monitor is included, but it will pair with chest straps that use the Bluetooth 4.0 Smart (Bluetooth Low Energy) protocol. TomTom sells one for 50 bucks.

While running, your total time and distance are always displayed in small numbers at the top of the screen. By pressing up or down buttons you can cycle through various options for the main dataset in the middle of the screen. Options include time of day, duration, distance, pace, average pace, calories, heart rate, and even stride length, which it calculates using the accelerometer combined with the GPS data. Pretty smart. When using one of the training modes you get easy-to-read visual feedback about how close you are to you goals and you also get audio and vibrating alerts when you get to a milestone, lap, or fall of your pace.

We really liked how easy it is to set goals and the intuitive visual feedback you get on how close you are to achieving them. The vibrating alerts are great, too, since we typically run with music. It certainly has more options than most running watches, including the popular Garmin Forerunner 10.

AdvertisementWhile we love the training modes, we did find the Race section lacking. On your first use, you have to choose between running 3 miles in 25 minutes, 5K in 26 minutes, 6 miles in 50 minutes, 10K in 50 minutes, or 13.1 miles in 2 hours. Those are too fast and/or too long for a lot of runners. You should be able to enter in your intended time and distance. That said, once you"ve done one, then the next time you"ll be challenged to beat your previous run (or your personal best), which is great, we just don"t think people should be pushed too hard too early.

At $170, it"s more expensive than the Garmin Forerunner 10 (which is $130, and the TomTom"s closest competitor), and the Garmin is definitely easier to read, and has a faster, more accurate GPS. However, the Garmin doesn"t support use of a heart rate monitor, which we have come to consider a pretty important tool, and it doesn"t have nearly as many options for training. Battery life is better on the TomTom, too.

The key feature of the TomTom Cardio Runner is its Optical Heart Rate Monitoring, rather than requiring a separate chest strap. Other than that, the TomTom does not inspire, though with the latest firmware it"s fairly respectable and easy to use. You"re paying a premium over some of the better watches, especially as the optical HRM does not work well. I think that the TomTom is only worth considering if you really want the built in optical heart rate monitoring, otherwise look elsewhere. For a simple evaluation of a GPS watch, I look at how well it can answer some basic questions:

How fast am I running? Knowing how fast you"re running can be a nice to know, or it can be vital for your training or race performance. Because of the nature of GPS, watches that rely on GPS signal alone tend to have serious problems with current pace. Without the ability to display current Pace From A Footpod while getting all other data from GPS, the TomTom can"t answer this question.

Because the TomTom has to be next to the skin to monitor the blood flow under the skin, it would be problematic in winter when you need to wear extra layers of clothing. You can"t put the TomTom over a base layer, so it would have to be covered by your outer layers, hiding the display.

The main display will scroll through a number of metrics, but there is little configuration of what to display. (The histogram of heart rate display is rather cool.)

I"ve found no way of displaying cadence on the TomTom, which I think is a major shortfall. (There is support for a bike cadence sensor in the multisport version of this watch, but that doesn"t help runners.)

This is the display layout, with two rather tiny items at the top and one rather large item in the middle. You can only configure the top row, with the main display cycling through various options.

These graphs show the TomTom Cardio Runner against the record of a traditional chest strap. The top of the graph shows the two recordings superimposed, with the TomTom in red and the chest strap in blue. The lower line on the chart is the difference between the two readings.

Graphs. Instead of simply displaying a numeric value for things like heart rate, some watches will display a graph of the value over time, giving you a sense of how things are progressing.

With the 1.8.42 or later firmware, the TomTom Runner has reasonable GPS Accuracy, but I"d expect it to do better given its use of the SIRF GPS chipset and from the tracks is creates.

This close up section of a zigzag shows the tom-tom tracking nicely, with no red lines that would indicate worse accuracy.(This diagram has tracks color coded with green indicating good accuracy through to read indicating poor accuracy, and the lap markers as blue dots.)

Here you can see the TomTom displaying the typical GPS behavior with the tracks that have the green lines shifted slightly down and to the left, blue up and to the right. You can see the lap markers similarly shifted. (This image has the tracks color-coded for direction, with green coming from the right, blue from the left.)

I evaluate running watches in three distinct ways. Firstly, you can use a watch on its own, without any kind of Footpod. This is probably the most common way runners use their watch, but you miss out on a lot. The second rating is with a standard Footpod that is available quite cheaply. These Footpod"s can be reasonably accurate once the calibrated, but calibration is a little tedious. The final evaluation is with the Stryd Footpod, which is vastly more accurate than any other type of Footpod, or and more accurate than GPS. The table below looks at the score, and the value for money of each watch for each of the three conditions. (I’ve also tested the Apple Watch 3, but I’ve not included it in these tables as it’s not really a running watch.)

Track Outlineis a display of where you"ve run, rather like a breadcrumb trail. If there are maps, the outline is superimposed otherwise this is just the outline on its own without any context.

Finally, a screen as big as your love of the game! Tom’s Watch Bar’s oversized stadium screen, surrounded by hundreds of screens, provides a 360° viewing, making every seat the best seat in the house.

The TomTom Runner might not be the company"s first journey into the wearable tech fitness domain - it previously joined forces with Nike for the Nike+ SportWatch back in 2011 - but it does mark its first solo watch outing. TomTom has clearly seen an opportunity in the wearable market and is seizing it by the wrists.

Other than that, the watches are identical, and their shared USP is obvious from the start. TomTom"s own GPS mapping technology adds a new level of tracking and precision unavailable in popular wrist-based fitness devices such as the Nike FuelBand and Fitbit Flex, and puts it more in line with the likes of the Garmin Forerunner 10.

The Runner has a sleeker feel to a lot of rivals on the market, and feels mostly unobtrusive on the wrist. However, while you"ll likely keep your Fitbit Flex or Nike Fuelband on through the day, the TomTom Runner feels designed to be strapped on before you head out the door and taken off when you return.

Before you head out with the Runner, you"ll need to sync it up with the TomTom MySports Connect program and fill out your personal profile. Your age, weight, height and gender will all be collected here, but you can also enter these into the watch directly.

Once you"re set up, we"d also recommend ensuring that all your mapping data is updated. Not doing so means you might find your watch starts giving some funny results before you"re even out the door. The TomTom Runner is also able to pair with other secondary devices, such as a heart rate monitor, so you can make sure these are connected before you head out on your run.

Zone will alert you if you"re going too fast or too slow to ensure you"re keeping at a steady pace or heart rate. Go too fast on either and the Runner will give you a friendly vibration to let you know. Too slow and you"ll also be given a buzz to tell you to pick up the pace.

As for the battery, TomTom claims you"ll get 10 hours of power, and we found that this was pretty accurate. Though for the after-dark joggers among you, turning on the Runner"s night mode means the constant light is more of a drain on the battery so you won"t be hitting near that number.

But with its unobtrusive, lightweight design and respectable price tag, the Runner is strong on features that make it a quality companion for both the keen and amateur runner alike.

Fall detection is a feature that relies on accelerometers and other sensors to differentiate between regular movement and a fall. If the wearer falls, the device can perform functions such as sounding an alarm or displaying an alert.