Saturday, February 05, 2011

Swimovate Pool-Mate Swimming Computer


For a long time I have been thinking there has to be a better way to count laps. I make my turn and then I say to myself the number of the lap I am now swimming. Or is it the lap number I just finished? Shit. Round down. Don't do that again. Turn. Arrrrgggggghhhhhh.

So, I found this watch. It costs around a hundred bucks. There is an upgraded version for $200.

When I opened the box I was amazed at how chintzy it felt. It had a plastic goodness to it that you might find in a watch costing 10 times less. The LCD numbers look like they may have been scrounged from surplus Soviet gopher trap detonators.

The confusing instructions were loaded with helpful hints like "If you find that the 'computer' did not count your lap, try extending your arm for a longer time after each turn. This is also a great way to take a little rest." Huh?

It was hard to ignore repeated warnings of - WHATEVER YOU DO - DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT - PRESS ANY BUTTONS WHILE "COMPUTER" IS UNDER WATER!!!!

So how did it actually work? It worked fantastically, thank you.

It just clicks off every turn you make. My only complaint is that it only records 99 "sets." It takes 72 "sets" in a 25 yard pool to make a mile. Not a big deal in that all you have to do is reset the watch after every mile. Of course, you will have to keep track of your overall miles. Maybe there is an underwater abacus available for this purpose. Note to self...

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Hi

Thanks for buying one of our watches. I don't remember writing the repeated warning you quote in the manual, glad the message got across but we didn't want it to come across so forcibly so apologise.
Actually the watch will count 999 sets per session with 999 laps per set so should be enough for any swimmer.
If you have any comments how we can improve things please let us know it helps us make a better product.

Swimovate

EvilElf said...

RETRACTION!!!

The comment above led me to test out the 999 laps per set. They are correct. It is strange because if you are on lap twelve it says 12 not 012. But after lap 99, another digit pops up for 100.

A friend of mine told me he is now planning on getting this watch too.

Swimovate, if you are still out there, any words on the upgraded version? Do they sell more than the $100 one? Do they work well with a mac? How do folks seem to like them compared to the regular one?

If I ever pick up one of those I will review it too. But, that could be a while before that happens.