MOTOROLA MotoACTV : 3 - Activity Review
I used this for all 3 workouts over the weekend. The first 2 was for cycling and this morning for my 12km run.
Cycling
For cycling, I set the catch mode to 'extended' meaning it the GPS updates every 2s to save batteries. The 50km ride took about 2.5 hours to complete and I had still about 60%-70% battery left. Not bad I thought and it was paired with my speed/cadence and HRM units. Worked flawlessly. The smallish screen is not a problem too and its looks less intrusive compared to the humongous Edge 705.
I could see the reading clearly, in fact better than the Edge 705 even without backlight on. At home, it was easy enough to sync via wi-fi to my Motoactv account. Almost as good as my forerunner wireless sync (because its syncs automatically whereas on the Motoactv, I had to sync manually). There are max of 6 metrics and I think that's sufficient. I have the tendency to max out all and on the Edge I had 8 metrics displaying, which can be dangerous when you are struggling to look at while riding! (as I've learned painfully at Cameron Highlands last year!).
For Sunday's ride, a slight glitch where I do not have an explanation yet. The unit detected my HRM but could not read from it for some reason. I did the ride with HR data but back home I simple cycled the power and it was working again. Strange but at least I have a solution.
Running
This unit also syncs to my iTunes playlist on my PC. I had some of my favourite lists loaded up and this morning went for my 12km run WITH MUSIC. At first I was a bit worried that the wire running from my wrist to ears would be a hassle but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. I simply looped lightly the extra length of the able on my right hand and it was no problem at all; better, I feel, compared to having it connected to a phone in running pouch or in hand (I've tried both).
While running, I could just hit on the watch (anywhere) and it would read out the current metrics over the headphone. This is a neat feature! So neat that I kept whacking it.....which comes to my next point....the screen get a bit difficult when sweat is all over the place. Its not as bad as it sounds though (my 405 touch bezel is MUCH WORSE, basically useless in sweaty conditions). You don't really need the rest of the stuff on the other screens....just your main 6 metric screen and TAP feature. Simply love this. I'll run with music just because of this feature!
For this run, I had the phone set to 'normal' mode, meaning 1s data gathering. the 1hr 15mins or so usage with wired music got the battery levels down to about 60%-70% there about. So I could probably get a decent 3.5hrs or usage in this mode with music and paired to my HRM. There's still a 'marathon' mode where it captures every 3 seconds and this should not be and issue for even 6-7 hours of running with music.
Data Import Issues
I exported a .CSV file and got it converted to .TCX so that my other trackers can use the data. (I used this link for the conversion http://dev.zinu.co.uk/MotoActv/). The .TCX file showed a lot of 'dips' in the data. As a result, Sportracks and Strava estimated higher power than usual due to the 'acceleration'. Here's what I mean from my Garmin capture.
and Strava...due to the 'micro accelerations' the power estimate was way too high for this ride.
At first I thought it could be a conversion problem from the link above but using Sportracks to directly use the CSV file and then using its plugin to export a TCX file, I got the same results.
Strangely, when I used excel to access the CSV file and plot the speed/time data, I do not get the spikes. This looks pretty much the same as
Preliminary Final Thoughts (contradicting I know...)
This is a neat device. Possibilities are almost endless with its Android base. However, Motorola needs a lot of work on this device namely on the battery life and the entire ecosystem revolving this product. Garmin has something up and running in Garmin Connect for years now but to be honest its nothing great nor wonderful and pretty basic IMO. Which is why I use Strava (am a paid member!) and offline I'm using registered version of Sportracks 3. What I would like to see in MotoACTV data site:-
- TCX export to my offline trackers
- A calender view (which I find puzzling that they do not have)
- I'm not sure about this one but maybe something that helps to note whether the ride/run had some Personal Bests in it? Like what Endomondo and Strava does.
- Power estimation
I think with just the above few, the site will blow Garmin connect out of the water, will be close to Strave and Endomondo will be no where to be seen.
By the way, I'm getting out of Endomondo as I just can't maintain so many accounts! Once MotoActv gets better, Garmin will be out as well and I'll reconsider not renewing my Strava account.
One last note, love the Android MotoACTV app as well. Its almost full featured and I can view all my workouts.
Cycling
For cycling, I set the catch mode to 'extended' meaning it the GPS updates every 2s to save batteries. The 50km ride took about 2.5 hours to complete and I had still about 60%-70% battery left. Not bad I thought and it was paired with my speed/cadence and HRM units. Worked flawlessly. The smallish screen is not a problem too and its looks less intrusive compared to the humongous Edge 705.
I could see the reading clearly, in fact better than the Edge 705 even without backlight on. At home, it was easy enough to sync via wi-fi to my Motoactv account. Almost as good as my forerunner wireless sync (because its syncs automatically whereas on the Motoactv, I had to sync manually). There are max of 6 metrics and I think that's sufficient. I have the tendency to max out all and on the Edge I had 8 metrics displaying, which can be dangerous when you are struggling to look at while riding! (as I've learned painfully at Cameron Highlands last year!).
For Sunday's ride, a slight glitch where I do not have an explanation yet. The unit detected my HRM but could not read from it for some reason. I did the ride with HR data but back home I simple cycled the power and it was working again. Strange but at least I have a solution.
Running
This unit also syncs to my iTunes playlist on my PC. I had some of my favourite lists loaded up and this morning went for my 12km run WITH MUSIC. At first I was a bit worried that the wire running from my wrist to ears would be a hassle but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. I simply looped lightly the extra length of the able on my right hand and it was no problem at all; better, I feel, compared to having it connected to a phone in running pouch or in hand (I've tried both).
While running, I could just hit on the watch (anywhere) and it would read out the current metrics over the headphone. This is a neat feature! So neat that I kept whacking it.....which comes to my next point....the screen get a bit difficult when sweat is all over the place. Its not as bad as it sounds though (my 405 touch bezel is MUCH WORSE, basically useless in sweaty conditions). You don't really need the rest of the stuff on the other screens....just your main 6 metric screen and TAP feature. Simply love this. I'll run with music just because of this feature!
For this run, I had the phone set to 'normal' mode, meaning 1s data gathering. the 1hr 15mins or so usage with wired music got the battery levels down to about 60%-70% there about. So I could probably get a decent 3.5hrs or usage in this mode with music and paired to my HRM. There's still a 'marathon' mode where it captures every 3 seconds and this should not be and issue for even 6-7 hours of running with music.
Data Import Issues
I exported a .CSV file and got it converted to .TCX so that my other trackers can use the data. (I used this link for the conversion http://dev.zinu.co.uk/MotoActv/). The .TCX file showed a lot of 'dips' in the data. As a result, Sportracks and Strava estimated higher power than usual due to the 'acceleration'. Here's what I mean from my Garmin capture.
and Strava...due to the 'micro accelerations' the power estimate was way too high for this ride.
At first I thought it could be a conversion problem from the link above but using Sportracks to directly use the CSV file and then using its plugin to export a TCX file, I got the same results.
Strangely, when I used excel to access the CSV file and plot the speed/time data, I do not get the spikes. This looks pretty much the same as
So, a work in progress. I've already posted this phenomenon on Motoactv forums yesterday....no responses do far. I don't this data issue one bit. I've a feeling its not Motorola's fault but can someone please advise?
This is a neat device. Possibilities are almost endless with its Android base. However, Motorola needs a lot of work on this device namely on the battery life and the entire ecosystem revolving this product. Garmin has something up and running in Garmin Connect for years now but to be honest its nothing great nor wonderful and pretty basic IMO. Which is why I use Strava (am a paid member!) and offline I'm using registered version of Sportracks 3. What I would like to see in MotoACTV data site:-
- TCX export to my offline trackers
- A calender view (which I find puzzling that they do not have)
- I'm not sure about this one but maybe something that helps to note whether the ride/run had some Personal Bests in it? Like what Endomondo and Strava does.
- Power estimation
I think with just the above few, the site will blow Garmin connect out of the water, will be close to Strave and Endomondo will be no where to be seen.
By the way, I'm getting out of Endomondo as I just can't maintain so many accounts! Once MotoActv gets better, Garmin will be out as well and I'll reconsider not renewing my Strava account.
One last note, love the Android MotoACTV app as well. Its almost full featured and I can view all my workouts.
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