The new Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter has arrived as Garmin has finally judged the iPhone fitness market as here to stay.
Why Garmin Is A Wise Choice In iPhone Fitness Adapters
What is so great about Garmin's entry has nothing to do with the Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter, it has to do with Garmin's vast knowledge in
creating fitness platforms and software. Nobody else in this small market has near the level of experience or expertise that Garmin has on this front
because this market is just a little over one year old.
Right now in the early phases of this app release for the Garmin Fit App it has some capacity limitations. The Garmin dongle also will not allow you to use
most of the 100-plus apps available on the iTunes store so you are pretty much locked into the Garmin Fitness App. That probably will not be a bad
thing in the long run as the app evolves but in the near term it limits your choices. Of course you can go ADHD studying all the apps out there nowadays
so perhaps being limited isn't so, well, limiting.
Use The Adapter To Download Workout Info To iPhone From Other Garmin Products
Since the new Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter can communicate with Garmin heart rate monitors, GPS watches and bike computers this means you'll be
able to log-in to Garmin Connect on your iPhone, plug in the adapter and download any current workouts straight over your iPhone. This makes it the
most travel friendly fitness software platform possible and is also part of what makes this device such a killer app.
No Bike Computer Case
Unlike the market pioneer Wahoo Fitness, Garmin did not decide to introduce a bike case for iPhone and it is hard to say why not. Perhaps they did
not want competition for their bike computers. Perhaps they looked at the very limited battery life of the iPhone in GPS mode and decided the additional
weight of an auxiliary battery would make the device less appealing, and heavier, for serious cyclists. The final possibility is that they will come
out with one but just at a later date - stay tuned on that one.
The True Market For The Device
The market for this device at present would be: 1.) gym goers who want to convert iPhone into a heart rate monitor, 2.) joggers that want a heart rate
monitor and other accessories to measure speed and distance, and that is about it because without a bike case it is too risky to attach iPhone with no
case to the bike although you could put the iPhone with sensor in an armband and then use it as a bike computer. Of course having the iPhone not visible seems
to defeat the purpose of using the iPhone as a bike computer substitute because bike computers are generally mounted to the stem of a bike.
If you want to talk with a real expert about your heart rate monitor options then just call the Heart Rate Watch Company at 866-586-7129. We are the real deal and you can't
find this kind of help in a big box store or at Amazon.
copyright 2012, Rusty Squire, author, support@heartratewatchcompany.com
