Bikes Blog

Google launches Pixel Watch smartwatch – however is it good for cyclists?

Posted on by BooksForEveryone
06
Oct

Google has simply launched its newest product, the Google Pixel Watch. Actually, it’s the primary smartwatch designed wholly by Google.

It’s fairly a compact system at 41mm throughout, with a domed, spherical design, a touchscreen, gorilla glass and an always-on Amoled display. Google claims 24 hours of battery life.

Considerably for cyclists, it packages well being monitoring performance from Fitbit, now a Google subsidiary.

So will the Google Pixel Watch be any good for cyclists?

Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the options following the Pixel Watch’s launch.

There’s an array of well being, health and sleep monitoring performance within the Google Pixel Watch.

First up, like lots of the greatest biking watches, the Google Pixel Watch contains a variety of well being and exercise monitoring options, in addition to maps and navigation.

For a lot of this, you’ll want a BLE (Bluetooth) connection to your Android telephone with the lower-spec model, though the higher-spec mannequin has its personal LTE community connection built-in and may function independently of your telephone. 

Google gives a six-month free subscription to Fitbit Premium, supplying you with entry to further analytics, though you’ll must pay for this after the free interval to get the total health monitoring performance.

Well being monitoring

Fitbit majors on well being monitoring, so it’s no shock that a variety of that performance finds its method into the Google Pixel Watch.

Google says the brand new watch contains Fitbit’s most correct coronary heart fee monitor but (that stated, it’s nonetheless an optical HRM) and may observe your time in coaching zones throughout 40 totally different exercise sorts, together with biking, and that it robotically identifies whenever you begin exercising. 

The Pixel Watch will monitor your coronary heart fee repeatedly.

The Google Pixel Watch will observe your resting coronary heart fee. Whilst you’re asleep, it’ll additionally monitor your respiratory fee and coronary heart fee variability and provide you with a sleep rating with occasions in deep, mild and REM sleep.

You possibly can analyse the info within the Fitbit app for traits, which is doubtlessly helpful to determine when you’re overtraining. As with the Apple Watch, there’s an ECG app and blood oxygenation monitoring built-in.

There’s stress monitoring within the Fitbit Premium app, which may additionally doubtlessly add depth to your exercise and restoration monitoring.

Fitbit Premium additionally offers you a ‘every day readiness rating’, indicating if it’s essential recuperate or can tackle extra train. Google guarantees you VO2 Max estimates, so you’ll be able to monitor your health degree and traits over time.

Fall detection is doubtlessly helpful for cyclists.

Google says that it’ll add fall detection to the Pixel Watch, which is able to determine when you’ve had an accident and alert your nominated contacts or emergency providers.

It’s a perform supplied by loads of the greatest bike computer systems and biking apps, in addition to tech together with Specialised’s ANGi crash detector.

Maps and navigation

Google says the Pixel Watch will present maps and provide you with turn-by-turn navigation.

The implementation seems fairly fundamental from Google’s display photos, by way of the extent of element, and doesn’t appear to incorporate road names, however it does look as if it is going to be clear and simple to observe for fundamental navigation. How that interprets to using, we’ll need to see. 

Though the maps and navigation look fundamental, they need to be simple to observe.

The Pixel Watch has built-in GPS, so you’ll be able to observe your actions while not having to take your telephone with you.

There’s additionally in-built Google Assistant, which helps you to inform the watch the place you wish to go and get instructions. You can too reply texts and emails, and examine your calendar.

Lastly, the Google Pixel Watch incorporates Google Pockets, so you need to use Google Pay for that cake on the cafe cease mid-ride, and depart your money and bank cards behind.

The underside line for cyclists

Primarily based on what we all know at launch, the Google Pixel Watch gives a superb vary of fundamental performance that’s doubtlessly helpful to maintain tabs in your using, the place you’ve been and how one can get to your vacation spot.

The well being and health metrics are prone to be helpful to watch the way you’re progressing and periodise your train too, significantly when you wish to preserve energetic off the bike.

However, just like the Apple Watch, it’s a general-purpose smartwatch. As with all smartwatch vs bike pc comparability, it’s not, on paper, as honed-in on the precise wants of cyclists as a devoted unit.

Google Pixel Watch fashions and costs

Whereas the higher-spec Google Pixel Watch has its personal community connectivity, you’ll want your telephone to get one of the best from the lower-spec mannequin.

The Google Pixel Watch will likely be accessible in two fashions at launch.

The lower-spec mannequin will get Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity and is priced at £339, whereas the higher-spec version provides 4G LTE, letting you permit your telephone behind and nonetheless keep related. It’s priced at £379.


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