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(More customer reviews)Since there are now only two brief comments, these details underlying my conclusion may assist potential FT60 buyers ...--- What Prompted the Purchase ---
A winter surprise: my Garmin Forerunner 305 yields only heart rate data when exercising indoors. Further, user comments reveal that its associated Foot Pod does nadda unless your feet are moving forward on a treadmill or the like.
Initially, it seemed the Polar F11 would be just fine for indoor tracking. While it performs well, trying to get to the data proved profoundly frustrating. As for pushing the F11's data to the Polar website (free), lotsa luck. The watch needs to chirp/talk to a microphone on your PC. Short version: the thing was a complete pain to actually use, in virtually all respects. I quickly returned it to Amazon, did more research, then grabbed this FT60. Lightyears in blissful difference!--- Operational Details / The Watch (& Polar's Customer Service) ---
1) Setting up the watch was very intuitive. But the printed manual is indeed useful, if needed.
2) Customer service is marvelous! I encountered one setup snafu -- it seemed the setup routine died midway through. I called Polar (number at the website); quickly encountered a human; he gave me step-by-step "hard reset" instructions, which immediately cured the watch's apparent headache. No questions other than "How may I help you, M'am?" From dial-up to completion took just about five minutes, if that long.
3a) It's incredibly easy to review the data on the watch both during and after a training/exercise session. During the session, just tap the larger middle button on the right to signal you're ready to start. Tap again to get it going. To change screens, tap the up and down buttons on the right. To pause, hit the lower left button. To stop completely/end the session, tap the lower left button again. To turn on the backlight, tap the upper left button. May sound complicated, but it all feels quite natural in terms of actual usage, so it's really *NOT* about struggling to memorize anything.
3b) Reviewing data on the watch: During session, a few taps on the right buttons yield heart rate avg/max, calories burned, % of fat burned, & session duration. Ditto when the session is over; there's even a blurb teling you how you're progressing in overall fitness.
4) Once you input your particulars, the FT60 provides an accurate tailored-for-your-specs calorie count for everything, whether a Wii Boxing/ Running/ etc session (academic studies yield calorie counts per minute; Google/ as a doublecheck), spinning on an indoor bike, using a step machine, etc.
5) The heart rate strap (in the box) is so comfortable that I forget I have it on (something I can't say about the Garmin strap). Just moisten the (obvious) sensors and you're good to go.
6) Unlike the F11, the battery in BOTH the watch AND the strap are user replaceable. There's even an obvious indentation on the back of each, for the screwdriver.
7) Nice touch: you can easily remove/unclip the "power" part of the strap, saving battery life.
8) Great extras, in terms of setting up tailored programs in the watch itself. The manual explains it all.--- The Free PolarPersonalTrainer.com Website (PPT) ---
Finally, there's the matter of pushing the data to the freebie PPT website (you can set up your account while awaiting FT60 delivery). The bad news: you'll need a $55 add-on, Flow Link, which I ordered from Pa.-based Heart Rate Monitors (free shipping) via Amazon Marketplace. Ordered on a Thursday night; USPS delivery in NC the following Monday; comes in a bubble wrapped 8.5x11 inch envelope, fitting in mailbox -- track via your Open Orders page at Amazon.
The good news: the Flow Link cradle personifies no-fuss. Download the free "WebLink" software from Polar and install. Reboot (a must, trust me.) Attach the Flow Link's USB cradle. Set your FT60 face down onto the curcular center of the Flow Link device. Polar's software springs into action, pushing the data to your PPT account as expected. (Vista Ultimate / 32-bit laptop.)
At the website, you can change the string of default-named "Training Session"s to Spinning, Wii:Boxing, Stepping, HHA (HipHopAbs), Yoga, whatever at your "My Sports" tab. If your indoor bike gives you speed and distance, that can be added to the corresponding PPT session as well.--- Tip ---
Google SPORTTRACKS for a free and incredibly useful Win app, wherein you can (manually) log all your Polar data. Extra work, but it's so inherently motivating. Who wants to see empty days when ya sluffed off your fitness routines?! Allows you to keep track of ALL your fitness activities, whether indoors or outside.--- Bottom-Line ---
All in all, a best-bang-4-da-bucks purchase. The premium price over the F11 has paid for itself in saved time/tears via eliminated data-retrieval woes. Watch is comfortable, and looks decent enough to wear sans exercising. For all of these reasons, I highly recommend the FT60, without any reservations whatsoever.
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Polar FT60 Women's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Purple) Size: M-XXL strapThe smartest way to better fitness, the Polar FT60 women's heart rate monitor watch helps you stay motivated and improve your conditioning. The FT60 works by first checking your daily condition, and then guiding you to the ideal training intensity for your age and fitness level. Knowing your heart rate not only helps you reach your personal fitness goal, but also improves your physical condition in general, as it's vitally important to train at the appropriate intensity level. If you exercise too hard, you may quit before you reach the real benefit, but if you work out too leisurely, you'll struggle to lose weight at all. The FT60 helps overcome these problems by encouraging you to map out a complete fitness routine.
The FT60 is packed with innovative training features to help you toward your exercise goals. First off, the watch includes a Polar Star personalized training program that adapts to your workout habits. By giving you weekly training targets and providing constant feedback, the watch guides you without being too strict, helping you reach your goals more efficiently. The watch also displays heart rate info in several ways, including as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, as beats per minute, and within a graphical target zone indicator. And should your heart rate exceed or dip below your target zone, the FT60 will sound an alarm that helps you return to form.
Users will also love the variety of proprietary Polar functions, including ZonePointer, Polar OwnZone, and Polar OwnCal modes. The ZonePointer is an audible and visual feature on the display of your FT60 that shows you where your current heart rate sits within your target heart rate zone. The Polar OwnZone mode, meanwhile, provides a customized target zone for individual exercise sessions. Finally, the Polar OwnCal mode shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session, as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can also set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure, helping you achieve both short-term and long-term goals.
Other features include support for the G1 GPS sensor (sold separately); a built-in fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest in just five minutes; a ZoneLock mode that lets you activate a target zone in the midst of training with the press of a button; an OwnCode mode that prevents crosstalk from other heart rate monitors nearby; a recording mode that tracks your average and maximum heart rate, calorie expenditure, distance, and total exercise time, and then puts it in an exercise file (with 100 total files); water resistance to 30 meters; a 12/24-hour clock with a day/week indicator; a built-in backlight; an alarm with a snooze; a low battery indicator; and a Polar FlowLink connection for transferring data between the FT60 and a computer. Sporting an attractive purple housing, the watch carries a two-year warranty.
Manufacturer's Warranty The original purchaser of this heart rate monitor is backed by a limited warranty that states that this product that the product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for two years from the date of purchase.
About Polar The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of "intensity training" by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.
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