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The R300, aimed at runners, is a blue triangular device best worn, according to the manual, on the left upper arm. (The general consensus of my running friends, especially women, is that they wear other such devices on the upper arm. The men sometimes prefer it on their wrists.) It takes one standard AA battery which is expected to last about 16 hours. The screen is along one side of the triangle and the two control buttons lie along another. The screen is long and thin with three values across the top and a symbol identifying what the numbers are below. For example, one mode shows my mileage as 5.24 miles, at 6.8 mph at a pace of 8’49”. Below the line it says “avg.” Other modes show maximum values (apparently for one stretch I did a 4’04” pace), odometer and elevation (which is notoriously inaccurate on most handheld GPSs), calories, zone (you can set the device to beep if you fall below or exceed a minimum and maximum pace), date and time, lap, RCL (for recalling past laps).
The setup tools can only be initiated when turning the device on, so I found myself “rebooting” quite a bit when I wanted to change a setting. The settings are for preferences: miles vs. km, pace display, whether the buttons “beep” when pushed, my weight, so it could calculate calories burned, etc.
The unit performed as advertised. Once it acquired a signal, it reasonably accurately displayed distance, time and speed. (The marketing material notes running distance accuracy “to a few metres.”) I tested it on a well measured course. For the 4.13 miles, it had 4.18 miles. (My GPS, which I wore on the other arm, had 4.16.) Unfortunately, there is no way to use the device as a stopwatch if there is no GPS signal. So, essentially, if you cannot get a fix, you are carrying a rather large non-working digital watch. That happened to me more than once in the few weeks I used the R300 in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. (Luckily, I did have my running watch on my wrist as a backup.)
The R300 includes a stretchy woven band with a plastic buckle. The unit is attached to the strap via a rubber-like mat that lies against the arm. The mat is not solid, so it’s not too hot, but I did find an imprint of its pattern on my arm after an hour or so using the device. The instructions note that it’s best to put the device on loosely lower on the arm and then to move it up the arm to a preferred location. Then it’s time to snug it up. I hoped the buckle would allow for quick on and off. Unfortunately, the buckle caught my skin each time I tried to put it on “in place.” I had to revert to the suggested method of putting it on.
I found I had to push the buttons (there are only two) rather hard to get them to engage. Sometimes the two buttons needed to be pushed at once, which was awkward, especially with the device on my arm. While I applaud the goal of simplicity, and thus the “just two buttons,” at times they seemed overly complex and I wished for one or two more.
The R300 is designed for the left arm only. That might explain the challenge I had finding a signal when I ran along the Mississippi in Minneapolis; for the first half of the run my left arm faced rather tall trees! There is no backlight, so if it’s dark, the screen is unreadable. The device itself has no reflective material, suggesting it is for day use only. The unit was reasonably comfortable but seemed (and is according to the specs, 190 grams) a bit heavier than other models (78 grams for my current running GPS).
There are a few limitations of which to be aware. The R300 doesn’t use GPS for locational information (you can’t determine where you are or how to get home). There is no way to save workouts (except the current one) on the device or to download the data captured to a computer. Finally, I found no way to capture the speed of each mile I ran automatically, something I take for granted with other devices.
The R300 lists at $180 but I found it online for $143. (A more feature laden offering from another vendor, lists at $167 but I found it online for $120.) This is a respectable first step for Navman. I look forward to the next generation.
