I've been lurking a bit but felt I had to jump in.. Some good discussion here, and good questions. Some of which tell me that (I/we) have to do a better job at clearly defining the uniqueness in the V800.

I'll highlight some points, but I'd really hate for me to come across as just a Polar guy, defending a product with marketing speak and all that BS. That's why I didn't post at the start, but the thread seems to be missing some big chunks of what is special.

First I just want to start out by mentioning that we're at a stage of innovation in the triathlon market where most of the hardware for a wrist mounted device is established. So what I'm saying is wrist unit, GPS chip, sensor technology, accelerometer..etc.. *Most* of the data that's important to us as triathletes generally can be measured. What's really missing so far is a device that not only "does it all", but a device that helps holistically piece together everything and present information in a way that helps you improve as an athlete. With over 35 years on the physiology side that's where we felt we could really innovate.

So I guess with that said, I'll just highlight a few examples of our thought process, and why we feel the V800 really is something to consider.

• The design: this is something that you don't normally consider that much, because generally in the past a triathlon device is just a *tool* you wear while training and racing. We wanted to rethink how this was considered. Instead of it being a tool just for training and racing, we had to build something you can wear all day - every day and night. Not because you can and it looks sweet(it does), but for the holistic look at a training program - and how feedback like activity, sleep & training load can impact your performance. Which brings me to my next point.
• 24/7 activity and sleep tracking. Another poster mentioned the triathlon watch/activity tracker combined. It is an it isn't. Generally the consumer who buys an activity tracker has a different goal in mind. They may want to be motivated to "move more", whereas us (triathletes, slowtwitchers) probably are moving too much. We look at this more at having a holistic approach to training programs. We all know that training is not the only thing that impacts your improvement. Recovery is an important piece of that puzzle. How much you move during the day impacts our total load on our bodies, and how much we sleep impacts our ability to focus and perform during training.
• So we can take all of what you do while you're not training, and add value to the information. Now from a training perspective, every workout completed we quantify the load on your body - we call this Training Load. It's a stress score, that predicts the amount of time it will take to properly recover from that session. The TL is cumulative, meaning it takes into consideration all of the prior workouts as well. Now we have a look at the total load on your body, from training, sleep, activity..etc.. You can use this information to 1) recover smarter 2) properly plan hard workouts or recovery workouts 3) taper for races (how many of us spend hours on our feet at race expos?)
• Bluetooth Smart & Smartphone integration. We've been touting this for a few years now.. But we co-chair the Sports and Fitness working group at Bluetooth Sig. Bluetooth Smart is something we're investing heavily into supporting for a more open ecosystem of sensors and devices. Devices like speed, cadence, power..etc.. We're looking to fully support the growth of Bluetooth Sensors in all of our devices moving forward. Also having the ability to sync the V800 instantly on your phone, update apps, view your training plan/activity/sessions immediately. I'd put money on Bluetooth Smart providing more options for sensors in the future.
• Athlete Tests & Metrics. Just some of what we've been doing on the Smart Coaching side for years that were ahead of their time.. Running Index: which calculates efficiency and predicts race times for running events, Fitness Test which estimates V02 max(and progress), we also have an Orthostatic Test built into the watch, which is a readiness test you can take every morning based on HRV, Jump Test - which allows you to quantify the power output of your legs.. And more.

So I guess just the biggest point I'm trying to make is the best technology advancements you're going to see for a few years is more on the data interpretation side. Using every data point that makes sense for your goal to collectively improve your performance. One device that collects all of this, but adds science in an easy digestible way.


That and the V800 is bullet proof, we have 2x the warranty (2 years), it's future proof - free and paid upgrades in the future and the best customer service in the biz ;0) just sayin'


Chris