For those times when a rigorous run or other extreme outdoor activity has you leaving your smartphone at home, Timex has created a new fitness-oriented smartwatch that doesn’t need a constant connection to your phone. The Ironman One GPS+ comes with its own 3G connection for uploading fitness data or your current location, or reach out for help in the event of an emergency.
It’s not as fully featured as the current crop of Android Wear devices hitting the market, but for athletes who are serious about their fitness levels, the One GPS+ will keep track of all their speed and performance metrics, including their heart rate which can be shared to social networks or other pre-approved contacts. Its 3G connection also lets people send messages directly to the watch via a special email address. And if you’re injured during a run, it can even send out an SOS signal which includes your exact location.
The smartwatch features Qualcomm guts and a 1.5-inch Mirasol display which means it trades the colour fidelity of an LCD for improved battery life, which works out to about three days without a charge with GPS turned off, or just eight hours with location tracking on.
The Ironman One GPS+ is of course waterproof, and with four gigs of storage onboard it can store a small collection of MP3s and stream them over Bluetooth to a wireless headset. Pricing will start at around $US400, and while an exact shipping date hasn’t been confirmed just yet, Timex’s American site is already happily taking pre-orders for those desperate for a smartwatch that can take a licking, and keep on letting them brag to their friends about that amazing run they had last night. [Timex via TechCrunch]