Nike+ SportWatch GPS Powered by TomTom Review

There's something magical about the effect data can have on our workouts. I can skip running for a week, and not care much, but when I see on a graph that I haven't run in a week, it hits home in a new way. When I am running, knowing that I'm near my fastest mile time pushes me to the next level, and makes me run faster. Having data helps us understand our workouts, fine-tune them, and stay motivated—and Nike knows it. The The Nike+ SportWatch GPS ($199.99 direct) builds all of Nike's popular Nike+ running software and social network into a watch with TomTom GPS technology inside, allowing you to track and monitor your workouts from your wrist. It's a great, useful system, but it's more expensive than buying an iPod nano and the Nike+ kit to go with it, which serves a similar purpose. If you want the GPS features, the SportWatch is the way to go, but many runners will be better off with the iPod combo—you'll get most of the SportWatch's features, plus everything else an iPod can offer, like music playback while you run.

Design and Features
The SportWatch looks quite sporty, a plastic mix of dark gray and neon yellow. The band is surprisingly small—I don't have large wrists, and I still had to adjust the band to one of its widest settings. At the end of the band is the USB port, which pops easily out of the strap. (This lets you upload your workout stats.) Weighing 2.24 ounces, it's hardly heavy, but it feels chunky on your wrist because the plastic, both on the band and on the watch face, is quite rigid. It definitely takes some getting used to, especially if you don't wear a wristwatch every day.

The GPS inside the SportWatch provides the biggest advantage over other Nike+ products, like the Nike+ SportBand ($59, 4 stars). GPS is a much more accurate measure of speed and distance than the in-shoe sensor that comes with the SportBand—the sensor sometimes over-guessed how far I had run, but the GPS was on target each time. Having GPS built into the watch means there's no need for another device to provide the GPS signal, and it also lets you map out your run later to see exactly where you went, and how far and how fast.

Working Out With the SportWatch
The watch's default display shows the time in large, blocky numbers. There are three buttons on the left side: two black controls for scrolling up and down, and an all-purpose yellow button.

Starting a workout is extremely simple: if you're ready to run, press and hold the yellow button for about three seconds. It springs to life, and looks for two things: either a GPS signal (which it can take a minute or two to find even in the best conditions, so be patient), or the bundled red Nike+ sensor that you can put into your shoe—some Nike shoes have a pouch for the sensor, but I just tucked mine underneath my shoelaces. Once it's connected, you can take off running.

While you're working out, the SportWatch tracks your every move. If you're outdoors, it uses GPS to track your speed, distance and location; if you're without a GPS signal, the sensor takes over. I liked using both, so I could use the sensor until the GPS signal was found instead of standing around waiting. It can also track calories burned and, with a compatible sensor, your heart rate. While you're running, you can tap the face of the watch to mark laps, or to see your progress—it's much easier to just poke the display than to scroll through menus when you're running.

The only thing I really didn't like, and to my mind the one thing really missing from the SportWatch, is that there's no music application inside the watch. I can't run without tunes, and found myself running with both the SportWatch and my iPod, for which there's the cheap, Nike+ Sport Kit ($29, 4.5 stars), which does most of what the SportWatch can do. If the SportWatch were to build in a small amount of storage, a headphone jack, and a tap-to-play function, it would be near perfect. Without it, I still need my iPod to run.

When you're done running, press and hold the yellow button again to end the run. You'll get a message like "Great Job!" that congratulates you for exercising. On the watch itself, you can see how you did—how far you ran, your time, and how you measure up against your previous workouts.

After Your Workout
Most of the watch's value comes after you're done running, on your computer. When you're finished running for the day, plug the SportWatch GPS into a USB port on your computer—it supports Mac and Windows machines. It automatically launches the Nike+ Connect software, which uploads your workout straight to nikeplus.com, where all your workout information lives.

Nikeplus.com is a powerful Web site that does everything from give you training schedules and tips, to measuring and mapping your runs. You can see a monthly or weekly view of how much you've run, set goals for yourself, and even set up challenges with your friends. All the options are simple, too, which I appreciated—goals are things like "Run More Often" and "Run Faster." The site is a great way to track your progress toward a goal, or just keep yourself running regularly. (If you haven't run in a few days, your SportWatch also starts to remind you that it might be time for a workout.)

I like the idea of the Nike+ SportWatch, and it's well executed. It's simple to set up, and easy to work out with aside from a slight bulk problem. The problem, though, is that unless you're okay with running in silence, you'll be running with the SportWatch and an iPod. And when you can buy an Apple iPod nano

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