How to Make Your Garmin Vivoactive Vibration Work Again

Today Garmin announced a swath of new Vivo-branded article of clothing devices.  You've got the Vivoactive 3, which I'yard covering here – but also the Vivomove HR and Vivosport, which y'all'll meet in another postal service.  Those two are updates of the existing Vivomove and Vivosmart iii (yes, the one that just came out five months ago).

Only as I was saying – this is all almost the Vivoactive 3, and the changes here are pretty sweeping.  This is Garmin's kickoff wearable to add contactless payment capabilities (aka NFC), called Garmin Pay.  Further, Garmin continued the tendency of taking more than expensive lookout man features and placing them into less expensive watches.  Then areas like Vo2Max estimation and structured workouts are now present (with pre-loaded workouts). Plus a new and improved optical heart rate sensor.

I've been using the lookout man for about a calendar week now and have a reasonably good grasp of how well it works, both in twenty-four hour period to day utilize besides as a scattering of workouts.  The watch software isn't final nevertheless (the hardware is), but information technology's pretty darn shut.  The company expects to kickoff shipping mid-belatedly September, then on very similar timelines as the Fitbit Ionic that likewise only was appear a few days ago.  The Autumn 2017 battle of fettle watches has begun!

What's new:

Allow's simply start off with what's new.  Some of it is adequately obvious – the totally new blueprint of the external interface, but a lot of it is under the covers in the functionality of the scout, or fifty-fifty internal to the hardware (like NFC).  So since anybody likes bulleted lists, allow'southward just run through all the new/different things on the Vivoactive iii compared to the Vivoactive Hour of the past:

– Circular Sentry Pattern: No longer a square, the Vivoactive 3 is all rounded
– From ii buttons to one button: Removal of the two front end-facing buttons, and now only a single side-facing button
– Power to flip watch 180°: You can make the button be on the left or right, your choice.
– Improver of two swipe interface points on side of picket: These let up/down movement through menus
– Garmin Pay added: Contactless payments that utilizes NFC so you tin can purchase your coffee with just your wrist
– Structured workout support added: This allows you to download custom workouts and training plans/calendars to execute
– Pre-loaded workouts added: These are for run, cardio, forcefulness, and bike workouts
– Automatic Rep Counting added: For forcefulness workouts, this was seen previously on the Vivosmart iii this spring.
– VO2Max Estimation Added: We've historically seen this on higher end watches, so this is new at this price bespeak.
– Fitness Age Estimates added: This was too introduced in the Vivosmart iii this spring
– Stress Monitoring Added: This monitors stress throughout the day, also a Vivosmart iii feature this leap. (coming to F5/FR935 soon).
– New user interface in many areas: While not 100% new, in that location'southward a ton of differences within how the user interface works (see my video beneath on it)
– New 2017 Garmin Drag Optical Hr sensor: The same more avant-garde HR sensor we've seen on the Fenix v and FR935 is here likewise, bringing virtually constant 24×7 Hour recording (no major gaps anymore)
– Connects to Bluetooth Smart Sensors: It can connect to Bluetooth Smart HR Straps, Speed/Cadence Sensors (both private and combo), and Footpods.
– Up to 4 data fields per page: This used to exist three on the Vivoactive 60 minutes.
– Ability to calibrate treadmill distances: This was quietly introduced on the Fenix5/FR935 this past bound, and allows you to match indoor runs to what the treadmill says you did (after the workout).
– Increased price from $249 to $299: Non much more to say on this 1.

Side by side, but for the purposes of covering all the bases, the unit does maintain and/or have the following popular features/functions.  Many of you lot may know these already, merely in case you're wondering whether some of these are still there, or whether they are offered in the unit – I've got the well-nigh common ones here.

– Barometric altimeter included: Used for stair counting, but also workouts
– GPS with GLONASS for workouts: Also, this allows i-second recording rate every bit is the trend on most units lately.
– Battery life: is 7 days in smartwatch mode, 13 hours in GPS fashion (similar to Vivoactive HR)
– Connect IQ for third party apps and watch faces: Again, standard on almost all Garmin units these days over $200
– Music Control of your phone's music: Note the unit does NOT shop music on it. Again, in that location'south no music on the Vivoactive 3 directly.
– Numerous sport modes: This isn't only a running scout, but has everything from cycling to yoga, pool swimming (not outdoor) to rowing.  You lot can customize these individually (plus Connect IQ apps gets you more than sport modes).
– Basic waypoint navigation: You can save waypoints and navigate to them, using the internal compass.
– Ever on touchscreen display: Yup, the brandish is always on 100% of the time. At that place's also a vivid backlight if you demand information technology.
– Re-broadcasts optical HR: Y'all can select to re-circulate your heart rate from the optical HR sensor over ANT+
– Connects to Ant+ sensors: Specifically the ANT+ 60 minutes strap, ANT+ Speed/Cadency sensors, Footpods, and Tempe units (also connects to Bluetooth Smart sensors per the above).  Information technology does Not connect to power meters.

Phew – got all that?  Good.

As you can run across there's a fair number of new features and tweaks, but besides virtually everything is kept that I can find from the Vivoactive 60 minutes into this product.  Of form, sometimes there are tiny piddling differences that I might not take hold of initially as I may non utilise it a specific way someone else does – but overall things look pretty solid.

If you lot're looking for a fleck of a video walk-through of all the features, I've got simply the video for you.  Nothing super fancy, simply elementary and like shooting fish in a barrel to see everything that's new (and the card interface):

With that, permit's dive into all the basics of the watch.

The Nuts:

While I covered the bulleted list above, I'm going to swoop into some of the newer features in more than detail.  Continue in listen in the video I attempt and walk through almost everything in that listing.

The most obvious new aspect is the round-picket design.  If you compare the unit to the past, yous tin run across that the new Vivoactive iii has a much nicer looking blueprint (at least in my opinion), and goes away from that clunky feeling design of the Vivoactive Hour (though, I did like the super-slim original Vivoactive):

Within the unit of measurement there are three ways to control information technology.  First is the touchscreen itself, which can be used to select items or swipe upwardly/down through menus.  I haven't had any issues with the touchscreen in pelting/sweat in workouts (in fact, it rained this morning during my run…and about of my rides lately).  Though in the shower it kinda goes crazy.

So at that place'southward the single button on the right side, followed two swipe points on the left side.  These permit you to swipe upward/down through pages and menus.  Sometimes it's a bit clunky (vaguely reminding me of aspects of the old Forerunner 405/410 touch bezel).  But it does the job.

Oh, did I say push on the correct?  I meant left.  Actually, I meant however the heck y'all desire it.  Seriously.

It'southward BYOB: Bring Your Own Button.

Or I suppose more like CYOB: Choose your own push.  Either mode…

Within the Garmin Connect Mobile app you can choose which orientation you want.  So if you want to clothing it on the other hand and accept the button face inwards versus outwards, you can do that.  The sentry bands pop-off in two seconds and you merely rotate the sentinel effectually and change the orientation in the app.  Pretty darn clever.

Adjacent, we've got the new Garmin Pay addition.  This leverages NFC within the unit of measurement to allow you to load credit cards onto the watch and then pay for items with them anywhere yous observe a contactless payment reader.  Many stores have these, though not all are enabled/functioning.  This is similar to what Apple Lookout has, some Android Habiliment devices, and at present also the Fitbit Ionic.

This isn't nonetheless enabled on my spotter (maybe tomorrow), but note that it works with Visa and MasterCard to start – and but if your bank supports information technology.  Garmin has a website that'll soon list all the banks/credit card companies that are supported – merely it sounds like at to the lowest degree in the Us it'll be all the large ones.  Practice keep in mind that just because something is supported on the Apple Watch or Fitbit, doesn't mean it will be on Garmin.  And vice versa. These all have to be individually negotiated with Garmin and the banks (or Fitbit and the banks, or Apple and the banks).  Said differently: Information technology'due south a cluster.

Meanwhile on the back of the unit yous've got the new 2017 optical HR sensor from Garmin, which is the same as found on the FR935 and Fenix 5.  This is non only slimmer, only has better battery management – enabling them to record at ane-2 2nd rates.

Within that optical Hour sensor they're also leveraging information technology for HRV at balance, specifically around stress scores.  You saw this feature come to the Vivosmart three earlier this leap and information technology's surprisingly authentic for me.  At that place are really 2 elements to it.  One is on the watch itself where I swipe down to the stress widget to meet my current stress score:

And and then there's stress details on the mobile app, which shows me my stress score over the course of the day continuously.  I've constitute this fascinatingly accurate.  In my screenshots below there are large gaps of time where I wasn't wearing the lookout (considering I was at a trade-show and didn't want to wear an unannounced watch effectually), but the other times are super-accurate.  Cheque out that day on Monday where you tin can run into my stress level rising every bit I was rushing to prepare the Fitbit Ionic mail and videos.  And so after that it just drops off in one case I hit publish. Neat, Huh?

At present as you can run into in the video there's a fair bit of change to the user interface here, more often than not upon actions.  Aspects like selecting or catastrophe a sport/workout, or how activity summary information is displayed.  None of it revolutionary, merely some of it interesting for those UI geeks in the crowd.

In fact, some of this becomes super-axiomatic when tweaking your sport information page profiles.  It's here Garmin has totally inverse up stuff.  First up you've now got four information fields per page, and a total of three customizable pages (+ i 60 minutes focused page).  But information technology'south a petty more complex than that.  You need to choose a specific layout of 1, two, 3, or 4 data fields for all your pages.  It'due south a bit wonky since that means all pages are four fields (or only one field), even if you want to mix and lucifer.

In any event, the next unique slice is that while yous can customize those four-field pages with whatever you desire, just the heart ii metrics are totally customizable.  For these middle two metrics on each page you can choose all the usual data fields.

Whereas the upper edge and lower edge ones are a subset of fields, specifically only: Timer, Eye Rate, Calories, Distance, and Time of Twenty-four hours.

I suspect the reason they express information technology was to ensure they'd fit within the smaller space.  Simply realistically most metrics should fit in there simply fine.

Moving along, the unit now allows you to access structured workouts that yous can create on Garmin Connect or with Garmin Connect Mobile.  The new Garmin Connect Mobile app rolling out soonish enables that functionality right from your phone

And while not yet in the beta software I have, they are pre-loading workouts for a variety of sports directly on the device, sorta like Fitbit is doing.  Also now seen is VO2Max interpretation for workouts (non all workouts, just ones that you'd cross the threshold on), which was previously merely seen on higher end devices.

Speaking of workouts, the automatic rep counting for strength grooming is included as well within this, enabling you to track both reps, weight, and rest time automatically (and if it miscounts, y'all tin edit on the wing).

Finally, in the sport loonshit, we have the ability to connect to Bluetooth Smart sensors (plus of course Emmet+ sensors).  This started with the Garmin Fenix 5 back in January, and so the FR935, then the Edge 1030 this week, and now the Vivoactive iii.  You can come across below as I pair to a Wahoo TICKR centre rate strap on the Bluetooth Smart side:

Ok – there ya take information technology – a run through of all the features of the Vivoactive 3.  Wanna see some data?  No problem, here'due south a run I did a few days agone along the mountains with the Vivoactive iii on one wrist, the Fitbit Ionic on the other, and and then another unit with a breast strap.  That allowed me to validate both GPS and 60 minutes accurateness beyond three units.  You can dive into the data on the DCR Analyzer here, if you'd similar.  I'll add in some more than runs and rides later today every bit well – stay tuned!

Comparing the options:

Manifestly, there volition be plenty of comparisons to the Fitbit Ionic, and to a lesser caste the Apple Watch.  At first glance these are like, and for a certain subset of people – they volition overlap heavily.  But at that place are really nuances to each that are worth pointing out.

But before I do that – note that the answer to everything isn't ever an app.  So while Apple has a much greater drove of Apple Watch apps (and some fitness ones are awesome), you're still limited by the hardware.  And so y'all have to start with the hardware limitations on any of these devices earlier yous can assume that an app may make full the gap.  Farther, while I could endeavour and compare these watches while using every app on the planet, the reality is that some of those apps suck, and some won't always exist here. So I'one thousand mostly going to focus on native functionality here.

Garmin Vivoactive 3: The core strength here is a cohesive fitness and sport experience, specifically around the number of sport modes, and the accuracy of the heart rate.  Generally speaking, I see slightly amend accuracy with the 2017 Garmin Elevate sensor than with the Apple Watch or Fitbit sensors.  Not always, but mostly.  Too, Garmin natively supports things like cycling sensors and footpods, whereas neither Apple or Fitbit do.  And in the case of Fitbit, they don't support the HR strap at all.  Garmin and Fitbit are semi-similar for aspects like pre-loaded workouts and Fitness Historic period, but when it comes to pieces like Rep Counting, Stress Monitoring, and custom Structured Workouts, Fitbit has none of them (and Apple has none of those natively).  On the flip side, the huge gap here for Garmin is the lack of music internally.  Given the $299 cost indicate I think that'southward a pretty substantial miss.  Folks have been begging for it for years, and given it'south commonplace on and so many other units now, it'due south tough to not accept it.  Finally, the Garmin battery is well-nigh iii times that of Fitbit, and more than than a dozen times longer for daily-watch usage than Apple tree.  Of form, the screen isn't equally pretty, but information technology'south also always on.

Fitbit Ionic: The core forcefulness here is less sport and more full general fitness.  The unit plays to the strength of making things super easy to use, and stunningly pretty as well.  They've also got more custom bands to piece of work with, and have a deeper set of grooming programs available (all for a fee though).  Of grade, Fitbit'southward biggest asset is the platform around activity tracking, especially with friends and family.  They're very strong there with lots of date – far more than I usually see on Garmin.  Whether information technology be challenges or giving people kudos, there's a lot of ways to get in feel less isolating.  When it comes to music, their integration with Pandora is looking pretty sweet, as is their ability to store music onboard.  Though that's not terribly unlike than what Apple does.  While they do have an app arrangement for Ionic, it'due south pretty much empty correct now since it's not opening till the terminate of the month.  So that'll limit things initially.  Similar Garmin and Apple tree, they besides have NFC payments too.

Apple tree Lookout man: The Apple Sentry is stunning in design and how information technology looks, just I find it makes a better all-around day to twenty-four hour period watch than a sport watch. I do retrieve it makes for a decent full general fettle watch, but I detect accuracy of both eye charge per unit and step to be a bit wobbly at times depending on the sport.  Of course, the unit of measurement's biggest asset is its app platform.  With so many phone apps also having companion apps on the watch, you'll have far more than apps to choose from.  Now many of those apps are 'throwaway' in the sense they provide no true value beyond saying someone has an app (basically extended notifications).  Just some apps like Runmeter are fantastically detailed and deep, and actually brand the Apple tree Watch platform shine.  Like the others higher up, Apple has contactless payments and music.  But 1 limitation can be the touch display which isn't quite as reliable natively when running hard interfaces equally the buttons on the Ionic or the swipe aspects of the side of the Vivoactive three.  Nonetheless, they make a fantastic all-mean solar day watch.  Continue in mind you lot volition accept to charge it roughly every dark, maybe every other nighttime if yous're lucky.  And, information technology only works with an iPhone.

Android Wear: I know someone volition go all bent out of shape if I don't include it here.  And aye, in that location are Android Habiliment variants that roughly compete here – I think in the sport realm you lot've got the Polar M600 as one case that'due south very like to the Garmin in many means.  Polar lacks NFC contactless payment, just makes up for it in music.  Polar does also lack many of the cadre stress/fitness age/rep counting type features, simply stands ground when it comes to structured workouts and optical 60 minutes accurateness.  The merely thing is I personally discover the watch a bit clunky.

I'll item more of the differences in my upcoming in-depth review of all products subsequently in September.  Only that's just a taster of where things stand today.

Summary:

Overall this is a nice evolutionary update of the Vivoactive line.  We saw them break ground with the original Vivoactive a few years ago in being the slimmest GPS watch on the market, and then in the last iteration they greatly expanded the sport aspects of it to make information technology more competitive with other mid-range watches.

In this iteration we're seeing them round out areas that are non-running focused with things like rep counting and pre-loaded gym workouts.  As well every bit arrive more highly-seasoned to mainstream audiences with NFC contactless payments, stress scores, and better 24×7 Hour tracking.

I do think though the lack of music is a substantial miss – especially at the $299 price point.  If it were $249 that'd be less an issue, but given Fitbit and others are floating in the $299 price point – information technology makes it fairly competitive.  On the flip side, the Garmin watch is by far the most sport-focused of the three, and so at that place are certainly tradeoffs to be made in features.

With that – stay tuned for my full in-depth review later in September once they beginning shipping final production units.  Thanks for reading!

Institute This Postal service Useful? Back up The Site!

Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I'm an athlete merely similar you lot looking for the most item possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews more often than not have a lot of hours to put together, then it'due south a fair fleck of piece of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take fourth dimension to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and at that place'south quite a scrap of detail in there likewise.

If you're shopping for the Garmin Vivoactive 3 or whatsoever other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't cost y'all annihilation extra, merely your purchases help support this website a lot. Even more, if y'all employ Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with coupon code DCRAINMAKER, first time users salve xv% on applicable products!

Here'due south a few other variants or sibling products that are worth considering:

And finally, here's a handy listing of accessories that work well with this unit (and some that I showed in the review). Given the unit pairs with ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you can use just nigh annihilation though.

And of grade – y'all can always sign-upwardly to exist a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-gratuitous DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with backside the scenes tidbits...and information technology also makes you lot crawly. And beingness crawly is what it's all about!

Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I'll be happy to endeavour and answer them every bit quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I ever appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!

Found This Post Useful? Support The Site!

Hopefully you constitute this review useful. At the end of the day, I'thousand an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally accept a lot of hours to put together, so information technology's a fair fleck of work (and labor of beloved). As yous probably noticed by looking beneath, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there's quite a bit of detail in in that location besides.

If you're shopping for the Garmin Vivoactive three or any other accessory items, delight consider using the affiliate links beneath! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't cost yous anything actress, just your purchases assistance support this website a lot. Even more, if you lot use Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with coupon code DCRAINMAKER, offset time users salvage 15% on applicable products!

Here'southward a few other variants or sibling products that are worth considering:

And finally, hither's a handy listing of accessories that work well with this unit (and some that I showed in the review). Given the unit pairs with Ant+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you tin can apply just near anything though.

And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an advert-costless DCR, admission to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and information technology too makes you crawly. And beingness awesome is what it's all nearly!

Thanks for reading! And every bit always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I'll be happy to attempt and reply them as chop-chop as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I e'er appreciate feedback in the comments beneath. Thank you!

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