Tech40 Accelerator Pulse Watch
April 22, 2009
Everyone thinks that being a Geargal means you’re an expert on anything and everything that has anything remotely to do with gear. I’m not going to argue with that assumption. Just kidding – there’s some gear that I know, and some gear I don’t know. I’m not particularly techy nor am I particularly interested in becoming more techy, but since tech is novel for me, I was really excited about trying Tech40’s watch with heart rate monitor function. I don’t even so much have an odometer on my bike, so I’ve no idea what my heart rate is, can be, or should be, and I figured this cool gadget would help me learn more about how to manage my heart rate.
Sadly, I could not get the heart rate function working for the LONGEST time. My assumption that my lack of tech savvy was to blame kept me fooling around with the device way longer than I should have. Finally I mentioned my troubles to the Tech4o folks, who advised me to replace the battery in the heart rate strap (duh), and once I did I had no problem syncing everything up. Sheeeeeesh. When in doubt, ask.
I have to admit that once I got the heart rate function working, I promptly lost interest in tracking my heart rate and stoppped using that function (again: I am not techy), but at least I know it works and for any of my readers who are really into counting their heart beats: you can count heartbeats any which way with this gadget. Max, average, resting, etc. etc. So if you’re into that, you can strap in and start gathering data about your speed, distance, heart rate, exertion, and your deepest emotions while you work out, and then run home and download all of it into a spreadsheet to chortle over. Last summer a runner here in Alaska got charged by a bear and he was all sorts of tickled about how his heart rate monitor recorded the adrenaline spike in the form of a new max heart rate. Seriously, it was in the paper and everything. You have to be a real tech nerd to make news with your new max heart rate. Anyway, so if you want to know what your heart rate is after being charged by a bear, the Accelerator Pulse can help out.
Other functions include a stopwatch, and, well, a clock. There’s also something called a chronograph that evidently is good for 50 laps, a lap timer, an alarm, a split time clock, and some other geeky stuff. There are so many buttons to press that you will never get bored. I admit that it’s probably a little too stuffed full of features for the non-tech set, but for you runners and racers this gadget has you covered. Since this is a women’s blog, I do have to mention that the heart rate strap might be a bit inconvenient for ladies whose cups spilleth over, so to speak. I wonder if the heart rate monitor would even work if one’s anatomy dictates that the strap can’t go around the upper rib cage. But that’s a design issue not limited to this particular heart rate monitor, I’ll wager. I was also a little surprised at the size of the wrist strap; I’m about average in bone and I had to cinch the watch down to the very last notch to keep it from fitting like a bangle; I looked a few times to make sure I didn’t have a men’s version by mistake. Smaller women might not be able to tighten the strap enough.
Just writing this review has re-sparked my heart rate curiosity again, so maybe I’ll give the tech life a try again now that it’s bike season. Let’s hope no bears are involved…
