EDIT: I've updated review in response to TomTom Community Manager's comment. After you read my review, I encourage you to click on comments and read everything Community Manager posted. I specifically asked him to address price difference between versions I talk about, and he was kind enough to respond in detail.

Before reviewing a product I try to use it extensively for at least a month. Being a long time user of previous TomTom Spark I was excited to take new Spark 3 for a ride. On one hand, I am extremely disappointed because most of the changes TomTom promised during last year are still missing. On the other hand, launch of this new device resulted in price slash of old model, which is great opportunity for those in market to buy fitness tracking watch.

Right now the old version of TomTom Spark Cardio+Music is selling for $139 while new version is $249. Looking at the price difference you are probably asking - what is the difference between the two? Actually not much, version 3 has:

1. Slightly redesigned wristband - subjectively I would say it is a bit better, but not really a difference maker
2. Bluetooth headphones - included with new version, again not a big deal
3. Compass - sounds great out of box, haven't used it once during my month long testing
4. Breadcrumbs support in software - watch can show you the path you've ran so you can backtrack. It's useful if you are long distance runner in unknown terrain; see picture attached to review
5. Support for uploading GPX files - another feature for advanced runners; you can upload running route to your watch before race and then track the path on your wrist during the race

And that's it. Although all features are improvements, none of them is truly a difference maker. Especially when you take price into consideration, buying old version from this link is no-brainer:

https://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Cardio-Fitness-Monitor-Storage/dp/B015CDWGQA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1480656995&tag=codeproject-20-soclog-20&linkId=c7bfbb2a7035a06a89dbb37d3f884980

Now, is TomTom Spark Cario+Music 2 or 3 a watch for you? Well, that depends on what you will use watch for... here is the list of things that I find problematic or controversial after long use:

- Long time to get GPS signal - if you are in a new area it may take up 10 minutes to get GPS signal. So, yeah, if this upsets you - definitely skip this product. If you are often running in the same area GPS caching will do the trick and in most cases TomTom Spark will pinpoint your location within 10 seconds.
- Heart rate tracking only truly works for running - for all other activities HR is definitely off. For example, when you are tracking heart rate during weightlifting you'll quite likely experience this. Also, I've read a review where customer was complaining that HR tracking is off for swimming. I understand that some people have high expectations, but be realistic ;) - this HR tracking technology simply won't work in water environment. In a nutshell, expect that HR monitor on this watch will give you pretty accurate reading whenever your wrist is in "I'm running" position; for all other positions it'll be off.
- Activity tracking is not top notch - sleep tracking and calorie counts are definitely little bit off. Tracking steps on the other hand is OK.
- Proprietary USB charger with awkward connection to watch - I seriously have no idea why they made it this complicated to connect watch for charging / USB data transfer. For all practical purposes you'll need to eject watch from wristband EVERY time you want to connect it to your PC / Mac. After a while you may get hang of it - practice will make whole process a bit faster. Water resistance may have played a part in design, but there was truly no need to make it this complicated.
- Speaking of USB charger - I've just ran into problems with it. I've attached image the illustrates the problem - how charger pin bent. I did manage to bend it back and charger still works... will see for how long.
- Lack of touch screen - this watch uses dedicated button for navigation. If touch screen is a must for you, then this is a deal breaker. On the other hand if you don't have formed opinion on this topic, hear my advice - give this watch a chance and try it. I was also on fence before buying when I discovered that screen doesn't respond to touch. Now, I actually prefer it this way - having a solid physical button you can press definitely beats swiping when you are in the middle of the run and sweat is dripping.
- Music is not that useful - while prospect of not carrying phone with you sounds great (and was one of the main reasons why I purchased this watch), I actually never used it after first week. First, you need to transfer music (or in my case audio books) through mentioned USB cable and TomTom software. Second, only MP3&AAC are supported. Third, Spark really relies on playlists so you can't just drag folder with files over to watch. In the end the whole experience and music/audiobooks navigation is far from user friendly. So, if I was buying TomTom Spark I would definitely go with Cardio only to save money. This is the belt that I use to carry my phone:

https://www.amazon.com/MoKo-Sports-Running-Waist-Pack/dp/B00U8MOHNG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1480656647&tag=codeproject-20-soclog-20&linkId=b1650f792fd7dd9f8ecf36c7a90d824c

Conclusion: if you are able to get this watch for $139 - get it. I do like it and use it every day. It's pretty stylish, works well and battery life is pretty good. Too bad TomTom is selling it for $250; at that price point you may as well look at other high end watches. In the end, it's your decision.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave comment and I'll try to respond. And if this detailed (just getting to 900 words ;) review helped, please mark it as helpful! Thanks!

EDIT: At this moment new version is $229, while old version is $129 (headphone bundle is $134). I'm on fence to order another old version Spark for this price. I did run into problems with charger. See attached picture.

For Community Manager - can you please provide your view as to why people should shell out extra $100 for new version? I agree 1-5 are improvements, but I don't see them as $100 difference. Thus, I would appreciate to hear your perspective.

As I said in my review I definitely think that price point is biggest hurdle for this watch. For $139 or less I do think buying this watch is great value for what it offers. I appreciate that you are following user feedback, and I hope you'll keep improving your offering.

I've used this watch every day for the last month and half or so, and overall am very happy with it. It's a bit pricey compared to its competitors, but it works well and the included bluetooth headphones are stellar. Here are some random thoughts based on my usage:

-For jogging, this is a godsend. I HATED taking my phone to run - I either had to hold it the whole time or place it in an arm holder, which would always slip as I started to sweat. The GPS works wonderfully and finds its position in seconds (just make sure to sync it with your phone at least once every three days). I've never had an issue pairing the headphones, and the ear buds themselves are very comfortable, easy to control, sound good and, most importantly, stay in my ears with no trouble at all. The heart rate sensor also works very well here. As for tracking and metrics, you're able to set goals and, at a glance, see your pace, heart rate, distance traveled, and pretty much anything else you might want to see - customize to your liking. All this plus the on-board storage for music means I'd give it 10 out of 5 stars strictly for this activity if I could. Awesomeness.

-For weightlifting (using the "Gym" activity on the watch) - Unfortunately, as others have said, the heart rate monitor doesn't work nearly as well as it does for cardio. It can't quite keep up, and overall lowballs the BPM. I often notice after a particularly hard set when my heart is pounding that it says I'm nearly at rest. Then, once I've calmed a bit and am about to do my next set, it's ticked up several notches but never gets very high. So, while it's nice to track history and time, I don't really trust the heart readings or calories burned at all for this activity. Which is a shame, as most days this is what I'm doing.

-General - The waterproofing is awesome, as after a horribly sweaty workout I can just take it with me in the shower. It can track your resting heart rate throughout the day, which isn't terribly useful but is kind of cool. It'll also track sleep, which also works pretty well (though I have noticed on occasion if I'm watching TV at night and lying still, it'll think I'm asleep when I'm not). In addition, you can see steps taken, active time and distance traveled. Everything is tracked through a smartphone app, PC program and/or website that is so-so with the information it provides. It's moderately intuitive and provides graphs for you to peruse, plus you can set goals and track your progress, but it offers little in the way of advice or coaching. Unfortunately, you need to connect to a PC to do firmware updates and to sync music - pretty annoying and really nonsensical at this point in the mobile age. I wish it had its own simple interface to sync music, but it doesn't - you essentially need to create a playlist in another application (Windows Media Player, for example), make sure it's in the correct format (m3u, I think), and then point the TomTom software to your playlist file. I'd prefer even a very basic drag & drop interface over this, but in the end it's a minor nuisance.

Overall, I'm very happy with the watch. I wish it tracked better for strength training, could be completely managed by the smartphone app and had a more intuitive way to sync music, but otherwise it works very well.