I just bought a set of amazing jaybird bluebuds earphone, and I really like them when running on the treadmill. However, I’m looking to get out as soon as this damn winter is over; hence I’m looking for a super compact bluetooth player.
I was thinking of the Motoactv since it goes for cheap on ebay, but reliability is a concern and I’m worry since it is discontinued.
any suggestions?
or is the motoactv reliable??
I bought a MotoActv recently, new not refurb from 1SaleaDay or someplace similar. I’ve been out with it 3 times, each time with my Garmin to compare. 1st 2 runs they were really close, so felt pretty good. Monday I did 6 miles and the MotoActv had me down for 0.48. It was really cloudy, though…
I’ll give it another few chances. I might do a reset 1st to see if that helps anything.
Brian
I’m not concern about the race distance, or any function really. I just want a reliable, compact MP3 player, bluetooth compatible.
the fact that the product is discontinued worries me about the reliability. The concept was great…
I checked reviews all over the place. The biggest complaint seems to be that they don’t endure moisture well at all. I figured that shouldn’t be an issue for cold weather running on the outside of a long-sleeve top. And there are similar comments regarding moisture for just about every bluetooth headset; I got a QAK Thump for cheap on some other deal site, so for $130 all in I don’t mind if I only use it a few months of the year.
ETA: if you want it for the treadmill, you don’t have to worry about the moisture thing, assuming you set it on the console
Brian
I’ve used a motoactv for ~2 years as my daily run watch, and have never had a problem. I actually like it better than any garmin I’ve used for run functionality (plus it has the bluetooth music/phone thing if you want it).
Of course it never really rains in SoCal, so I can’t speak to moisture or cold. If I’m sweating a lot, it will occasionally (maybe once a week?) switch screens by itself, but that’s never a big deal. And I can always switch screens when I have sweaty fingers and am dripping sweat on it.
I think the reason it’s discontinued is that google bought motorola and had their own smart watch plans. But I’d buy another one in a heart beat, even if it’s not supported anymore.
Just place one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Bluetooth-Streaming-Receiver-Adapter/dp/B008AGQMQC/ref=sr_1_18?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1390433941&sr=1-18&keywords=bluetooth+wireless+transmitter
on an ipod shuffle.
Both easily fit in a jersey pocket or shorts pocket (or clip to shorts)… Use a ziploc bag for extra sweat protection if needed.
I’ve had the Motoactv for about 2 yrs now. Its great! Too bad Motorola discontinued it. There isn’t anything like it on the market that I can find. The only negative about it is its battery life. Max is about 2-3 hrs of constant usage w/ BT, GPS and MP3. You can extend the battery life by tweaking the GPS setting to marathon mode which checks its GPS signal every 3 seconds instead of every second.
I have used a MOTOactv many times primarily as a MP3 player w/ Jaybirds. No issues whatsoever.
Have at it!!
I glad to hear these positive feedbacks. I just ordered a Motoactv 8gb
I have used my Motoactv primarily as an MP3 player with Jaybird Bluebud X headphones for about a year. I use a Garmin for tracking workouts so it is just an MP3 player and my daily watch. On a few longer runs I’ve lost connectivity and only got it working again after a reboot. I’ve also run through some spots that seem to always have the headphones cut out, so I suspect there is some kind of local signal causing interference.
I have run with that combo in the winter and had music the whole time despite water bottles freezing up, so I don’t think temp gives it much trouble. At one point I installed a custom rom, but I’ve since switched back (and I could elaborate on why if anyone cares). I will say my biggest complaint is that when it comes time for me to update my music I always seem to have issues getting the Mac or PC to recognize it as an external drive so I can modify the files. I don’t do that very often though.
I’ll agree it seems a shame that Moto dropped the product. They had a great first edition and could have been leaps and bounds ahead of the others just entering the market now. Too bad.
Jason
Oh yeah, one of my favorite feature is when you are running and have the GPS set to track your run, and you are playing music, you can just slap the watch and it will read out your stats like pace, time and speed. Pretty cool. The Motoactv puts a lot of the current smart watches to shame when it comes to features with the exception of battery life.
For some reason, I can get it connected to my computer, so impossible to add music! I bought it used, so I can only listen to the previous owner music…
I’m all over internet, but I just can’t get it right…