If you are used to seeing people all wired up while they’re out jogging — and if you look like a marionette because there are wires floating around you as you run — or have you become so fed up with being a slave to these wires that you’ve given up on them. But we all know it’s frustrating to condition and train without the tunes that drive your efforts, and whether you know it or not, having no music source can even affect your performance. Scientists have proved it. So what should you do?
Thanks to the clever minds of product developers toiling away on new inventions at one of the world’s leading technology brain trusts — TomTom — you can now wear your music on your wrist courtesy of the corporation’s most exciting new line of products: five styles of fitness watches recently introduced to the marketplace under the name “Spark.” What else would you expect from a company that, over time, has come up with so much intuitive technology? Good luck choosing from these five models because they’re all invaluable running aids: the Spark, the Spark Cardio (comes with built-in heart rate monitor); the Spark Music (comes with 3GB of music storage) and the ultimate Spark Cardio + Music (comes with both the built-in heart rate monitor and 3GB of music storage). TomTom also offers bundles which come with Bluetooth® Headphones or these can be purchased separately as an accessory.
Acquire a watch from the TomTom Spark range and expect to learn a whole new way of running. For starters, with the Spark Music or Spark Cardio +Music you can relegate all of those wires to your gear bag, locker or home because you won’t need them to enjoy the mother lode of media. How much media? How about 3GB of music equal to an estimated 500 songs. Is that number set in stone? Not exactly; everyone’s playlist is composed of different files sizes and length of play, but if yours is average, you would have to listen to a different song each day for over a year just to get through your personal library!
How does the music future of the TomTom Spark work? No need to be a techno nerd to understand that the watch will connect to all Bluetooth headphones and the product even comes pre-loaded with a hot 30-minute mix of the most motivating and upbeat music any runner could desire. Curated by the legendary Ministry of Sound, this feature is called Running Trax and you can look upon it as a sampling of upbeat tunes to get you started, after which time, you can stuff that smart little watch with anything you care to download from iTunes to Windows Media Player.
Need more convincing that this is the single most valuable technological product to enter the market since TomTom debuted its first GPS systems back in 1991? Here you have it: this watch will do everything but brew your morning coffee, says TomTom’s Managing Director Corinne Vigreux who needs no prompting to wax lyrical about the Spark because she’s as proud as a marathon winner. “We did our homework and know how important music is to improving the performance of runners who are serenaded by the tunes they love most, but who wants to put up with the discomfort and unreliability of a smartphone and wires?”
What else does this handy little device do? Use the Spark as an automatic sleep-tracking tool and it’s ultra-responsive to a myriad physical fitness endeavors including swimming (water proof up to 40m), gym, cycling, treadmill time and there’s a freestyle setting that covers anything from kayaking or yoga. You get smartphone notifications and audio performance feedback, too. The straps that come with the TomTom Spark are customisable, so you’ll neither have your blood supply cut off by constrictive pressure nor will it slip and slide when you start to sweat. The Spark Cardio or Spark Cardio+Music also offers built-in heart rate training, so you can track your heart rate without a chest strap.
Tis the season to treat yourself to this watch! Just wearing a TomTom Spark makes you look smart and if you happen to have a special occasion on the horizon, this awesome piece of technology is now in stores so dropping a few hints to the people in your life who live to satisfy your desires can’t hurt. Explain how their gift can benefit your health by keeping tabs on your running performance and when you let them in on how much music you can load into the Spark Cardio+Music, they may be so impressed, they head for the store.
Will your overall fitness levels improve if you add a TomTom Spark to your running gear? You bet. And because there are multiple styles of Sparks with varying features, you are likely to find one that fits even a modest budget.
As a runner, do you find that it’s hard to keep up with the technology that enables your performance and overall experience or are you so open to the latest and greatest, you can’t wait to try new products like the TomTom Spark?
