42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Goodbye Chest Strap...., January 7, 2007
This review is from: MIO Shape Elite Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Sports)
This makes a great casual watch in addition to a heart monitor. Don't expect too much though. Strapless HRMs are not able to provide continuous heart rate like those that require a chest strap... so decide if the comfort of not wearing a chest strap is worth having to put your fingers on the watch for about 5 seconds to achieve a heart rate. To me it is. This is MIO's latest model (at the time of this review) and I believe that it is improved over some of the older models with regard to accuracy and obtaining a HR. I would give this 3.5 stars. When someone comes out with a strapless continual displaying HRM, then I will give that one 5 stars.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Each model gets better!, June 6, 2007
This review is from: MIO Shape Elite Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Sports)
I got my first Mio in 2001. I think I may have been one of the first in the world to get one. I read an article on it and when I saw it was a decent looking heart rate watch and you could find how many calories you burn and get an accurate heart rate, I knew I had to have it. I have to say that I wasn't too thrilled with that first model. It was HUGE and bulky and had this weird light feature that turned the light on and off when you shook your wrist. If you left the light on (which I did all the time), the battery ran out. Sadly it ended up in my night table. I got pumped up again when I saw the Mio on Dr. Phil a couple of years ago so I bought one and I really found a remarkable difference. Same great features. I noticed that I got my heart rate more quickly and they got rid of that annoying light feature! I got a SHAPE ELITE for my birthday and I can definitely say that Mio has hit a home run with this one. It has got timers that the other watches lacked. It even has one that matches a walk/run program they promote in the little book that comes with the watch. For the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I can run 10km! It only took me 13 weeks to get there. I feel in the very best shape of my life at 44. I can say without hesitation it was the Mio SHAPE ELITE that got me there. Still the same great calorie burn info, even better uptake on the heart rate when you are in motion and, neat things like a heart rate recovery test that tells you how fit you are. It is a sleek, super looking watch (a far cry from the bulge on the wrist it used to be). I wear it all day and I absolutely love it.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's going back!, January 23, 2008
This review is from: MIO Shape Elite Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Sports)
I am a little surprised by some of the GREAT reviews that I have found on the internet regarding this unit. I received it for Christmas this year and have used it 10 times now while running and the P90X program I am doing. I have to say for ME, dead nuts accurate readings,(within 1%) I give it a "A-" for that. I never had a problem getting a quick accurate reading, The problem is can you read it??
For engineering and functionality it gets a "D". I'm an engineer so maybe I am a little tougher to impress, but I was VERY disappointed with the design.
To start with, I have 20/10 vision (better than average) and in normal light,lighting at the gym, or in my basement where I run the treadmill the numbers are almost impossible to read. The numbers on the LCD are too close together, for instance, a heart rate of 152 is easily mistaken for 162 ,even by my 13yo son who has eagle eyes. He said to me one day while wearing it "how do you read this thing?"
The display has a "Indiglo" type backlight, however, I found that if you turn on the light and then take a pulse reading, the light goes out before you can get a reading. And, if you take a pulse reading and then hit the light you might just be able to catch the reading before you lose the light. You are suppose to be able to extent the light by 2 secs by hitting any button while the light is on, that never worked for me.
The better design would be to have the pulse reading come full screen with another touch of a button, OR just a larger display period.
Being an engineer I know quite often they get locked into the one aspect of the product that they are working on without looking at the over all larger picture, that being "Is It Usable!" The other features seemed to work fine, but again, if you can't read it what good is it. I was very frustrated by the lack of forethought.
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