The MOTOACTV is great, don’t believe the hype

The MOTOACTV can bring your exercise routine into the 21st century!

If you are into working out (and have an Android smartphone) the MOTOACTV is a device you definitely might want to consider. The MOTOACTV does what a lot of devices (and services) are offering out there – help gameify your workout regimen. The gameification is fun, it makes you WANT to take more steps, WANT to do that extra step and WANT to prove to yourself that you can do it.

Now the device is big (bigger than the nano) and the armband is not perfect. But for a 1st generation device, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I’ve only been using it for a few weeks, but have already found that it is pretty cool. You can use it to track GPS, steps, calories and more. Integration with Google Maps will display your outdoor workouts (something that is more than a little cool).

The device retails for $200/$250 (8GB/16GB), but that’s a little misleading. You will at least want the watch band or armstrap, and/or something for your bike (or the heart rate measuring chest band). Most people will drop between $60 and $100 on accessories.

However, tied into the MOTOACTV online suite of fitness tracking and the Android application, it is a pretty cool ecosystem. While not mature, I certainly believe that the MOTOACTV ecosystem is one worth supporting. When released, the MOTOACTV was certainly a “beta” product. With some strong firmware updates (including the Golf workout), it has really matured into a useful, credible workout tool.

Fortunately, Motorola has a ton of accessories for the MOTOACTV, 3rd Party Accessories are lacking at this date however

By gameifying my workouts, the MOTOACTV has certainly helped me get my workouts back on track. It is a great tool for tracking field sports, running, biking and a myriad of activities. It’s hard to completely explain the value-add the MOTOACTV has, but trust that it is more than a little awesome.

Pros

Does not get in the way when working out
Great music/phone/text playback
Really neat GPS capabilities (and mapping capabilities)
Helps making working out (more) fun

Cons

Battery life is decent, but not great (and you have to charge your watch)
Need some accessories to make it really worth your while
While not a beta product anymore, still could use some polish

In Conclusion

If you are looking for a good GPS watch, there really is not a better option on the market. There are other GPS watches, but they don’t have the OLED screen, the bluetooth/smartphone integration and the ecosystem of the MOTOACTV. I wouldn’t suggest the MOTOACTV to everybody, but if you’re an early adopter (and work out a lot or looking to start), you should definitely check one out!