Announcement: vívosmart HR+

Today Garmin announced vívosmart HR+, an activity tracker with wrist-based heart rate plus GPS. The vívosmart HR+ adds new features to the company’s popular vívosmart activity tracker product line including GPS, additional running data and Garmin Move IQ™ auto activity detection. With Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate technology the vívosmart HR+ provides 24/7 heart rate monitoring. It also tracks steps, distance, calories, floors climbed and activity intensity. It features an always-on, sunlight-readable display and water rating of 5 ATM, so it’s swim and shower safe.

“With a compelling combination of GPS, wrist-based heart rate, long battery life and water resistance, the vívosmart HR+ was designed to keep up with users’ active lifestyles,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Wherever your day takes you the vívosmart HR+ is made to help motivate and track all your active moments.”

The exciting addition of GPS to the vívosmart line allows users to even more accurately track distance, time and pace for their activities, as well as view a map of their activity on Garmin Connect™. Additional running features include personal records, virtual pacer, Auto Pause®, Auto Lap® and walk/run mode. Using Elevate wrist heart rate technology, vívosmart HR+ monitors heart rate at the wrist and quantifies the intensity of users’ fitness activities using intensity minutes. This feature helps users monitor their progress against activity goals recommended by leading health organizations.

The vívosmart HR+ also includes Garmin Move IQ, a feature that continuously monitors for periods of sustained activity. It automatically recognizes walking, running, biking, swimming and elliptical training so users can easily track their exercise throughout the day without needing to start a timed activity. Once synced with Garmin Connect, users can review their full day of activity in a convenient timeline view.

Users can easily stay connected with family, friends and work during activities with smart notifications, including incoming calls, texts, emails, social, calendar reminders, and any other notification from a compatible smartphone. Other connected features allow users to control music on their smartphone and find their phone when they’ve misplaced it.

Throughout the day, the vívosmart HR+ automatically syncs with the Garmin Connect Mobile app to save users stats. In Garmin Connect, a free online fitness community, users can track workouts, sleep patterns and trends, join online challenges to compete against friends and earn virtual badges. They can also receive Garmin Connect Insights, smart wellness insights personalized to each user that provide cues to help them reach goals, shout-outs when milestones have been met and relevant healthy tips from experts. Insights also show users how they are doing in comparison to people like them for extra motivation.

The vívosmart HR+ has up to five days battery life in watch/activity tracking3 mode (with 24/7 heart rate monitoring, no GPS) or up to eight hours using GPS. It is shipping now and has a suggested retail price of $219.99 and is available in regular size black/shark fin gray, imperial purple/kona purple and midnight blue/bolt blue, and an extra-large black/shark fin gray band.