Product Description : Amazon.comDesigned to help serious fitness enthusiasts study and optimize their aerobic training, the Polar RS300X is a watch and heart rate monitor in one. Smart Coaching features help you train at the proper intensity for your desired results, with educational features such as the Polar Fitness Test designed to remove guesswork from your training. This bundle includes a wireless WearLink+ transmitter and S1 footpod. A clear, multi-line, user-configurable display shows information such as distance, pace, and heart rate.What's in the box?Polar RS300X training computer Polar WearLink+ transmitter Polar S1 footpod RS300X Getting Started Guide S1 footpod user manual Smart Coaching FeaturesFitness Test: If you’re looking to improve your fitness and want to keep up to date with how well you’re doing, the smart Fitness Test tells you what you need to know in minutes. By regularly comparing test results, you can track progress and see how your fitness is improving. OwnZone: Knowing the right intensity to improve your fitness can be a challenge. OwnZone adjusts your heart rate training zone to match your body’s current physiological condition. By using OwnZone, you can be sure you’re training at an intensity that improves your aerobic fitness. OwnCal: OwnCal is one of the most accurate calorie counters on the market. It calculates the number of calories expended during a training session based on your weight, height, age, gender, individual maximum heart rate (HRmax), and how hard you’re training. Training Load: The web-based Training Load helps you strike a balance between rest and training, showing your daily cumulative training load, and advising when rest days are needed and when it’s best to train harder in order to maintai performance improvement. Overall FeaturesBody MeasurementAutomatic age-based target zone as BPM or percentage of max Average and maximum heart rate of each lap and training Heart rate as BPM or percentage of max Heart rate-based target zones with visual and audible alarm HRmax (age-based and user-set) Manual target zone as BPM Data transferCompatible with Intel-based Mac, PC, and polarpersonaltrainer.com G1 GPS sensorTraining, lap, and total distance Speed-based target zones with visual and audible alarm Current, average, and maximum speed and pace Web-based functionalityTraining analyzing Training diary Training load Training programs RecordingTotals 16 training files with summaries Weekly history S1 footpodTraining, lap, and total distance Current, average, and maximum speed and pace Speed- and pace-based target zones with visual and audible alarms TrainingAutomatic lap recording Display zoom Graphical target zone indicator HeartTouch button-free operation of wrist unit Interval trainer guided workouts for heart rate, pace, and distance 99 laps Time- and distance-based interval timers Two-line, user-configurable display ZoneLock ZonePointer WatchBacklight Date and weekday indicator Displays text in English, German, French, and Spanish KeyLock Time of day (12/24h) with alarm and snooze Water resistant to 50 meters WarrantyPolar timing products include a limited two-year manufacturer's warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. About PolarEstablished in 1977, Polar products help you understand and maximize your training. The company's combination of expertise in sports, physiology, and electronics results in an innovative product line of fitness tools for athletes of all ability levels to achieve desired results. Product Description : The RS300X combines these three to give you a true understanding of the effort you put in. And on top, all the essential heart rate features come along RS300X, on the run and online. Measures your heart rate combined with speed and distance. Helps you to train at the right intensity with personal training zones. Displays how many calories you've burned. Tracks your latest 16 training sessions and your last 16 weeks of training. See all Product Description : I love this watch. I own a Garmin 305 as well which I bought after a disappointing experience with the RS200. My biggest disappointment with the RS200 was that the transfer using one's computer speaker became difficult to impossible after a few months. Although it is an additional purchase, the flow link has solved the problem of uploading data to a users computer. While most competitors don't charge extra for a device to upload data, Polar does include a very comfortable fabric heart rate monitor strap. To upgrade the Garmin rubber strap it costs about the same amount of money as the Flowlink for Polar watches so it is a wash in the end. Nobody does GPS better than Garmin and mine has been a reliable watch. Although my Garmin gives me heart rate information, it is very simple. Polar is certainly more of a training tool and better suited for runners who emphasize heart rate training over simply how far they went. Garmin can give you an aerial map of where you ran but this is not very important if you run the same few routes around where you live usually. I chose the foot pod so that I could track my training distance indoors and out with my polar. It definitely needs calibration but once that is done it gives data that is very close to the GPS distance. The pod is a little larger than other companies foot pods but it is still unnoticeable weight wise when running with it. It uses a single AAA battery and is waterproof and gets an estimated 20 hours of life. More important than the foot pod size, I appreciate the normal watch size. The Garmin is a brick and even the newer models can not be worn as a sport watch during other activities or at work due to their awkward size. I am very happy I decided give polar another chance.Update 2/20/12I feel obligated to revise my earlier review. As mentioned in my first review, I really wanted to like this watch. It has the fitness test, gives information to help determine if you are overtraining and has a variety of interval work out options. I had to dump my RS 200 when the strap on the watch finally broke after about 15 months and was integrated with the watch and not easily replaceable. With the RS 300, the watch band has held up and the flowlink data transfer worked pretty well. It does take a few attempts to upload data but ultimately gets the job done. The latest issue with my polar is the foot pod. The S1 foot pod which is huge compared to most other brands suddenly stopped working after 12 months. I paid to ship it back to polar with the original receipt and they sent it straight back. Although it is not mentioned anywhere on Polar's website, the 2 year warranty is invalid when your order from Amazon. You have to buy it from a recongnized dealer to have a warranty on this product. I have paid to ship it a second time to the orginal seller who agreed to repair it. I received it back today supposedly repaired but it is still clearly broken. I now must call and am hoping for a satisfactory response from JOMASHOP. I would have already bought another foot pod but they are close to $100--way too much to reinvest in polar when it may also break under normal use in a few months and will be impossible to get repaired or replaced under warranty.Garmin may not be sleek and they may lack a couple of the heart rate related analytic functions polar has but my 305 still works after being dusted off recently. Later models from Garmin have gotten some criticism as well but if I decide to upgrade my watch it will not be with another Polar product. I was excited when I purchased this. I did not even flinch at the cost as I wanted to track my running on the computer. I never got it to sync with the computer. I took it to a running store with the instruction book - they couldn't figure it out either. And the instruction book did not match the screens/menus, which were complicated and not well arranged.I decided to keep it anyway. Well, about in a year the battery went out. You must send it back to Polar who will charge you $100! AND it takes them about 1 month. Then in about 1 year it happened again. this time, I took it to a watch shop. Unfortunately, then it only lasted about 3 more months!So I am on the hunt for a new heart rate monitor and thought I should warn potential buyers - Avoid Polar in general and this one specifically. The RS300x SD is accurate and a great aid to my training. Once properly calibrated, the foot pod provides accurate pace read back to help me work on my speed and pace. Keep in mind that you should recalibrate the foot pod when the environment and/or factors change such as new shoes or running on a track versus a dirt trail. I also own a GPS training watch and if you are a runner more concerned with speed and accurate readings for pacing, this watch is perfect. For long distance jogs, I use my GPS watch. GPS watches take more time to determine the pace and the delay may be too long to be useful. The foot pod gives instant pace and speed readings. At first, the user interface may seem a little unfriendly but I found it to be quite easy after a couple minutes of playing with the watch. It may be a good idea to tuck in your shoelaces because the lace hitting against the foot pod while running may get annoying after awhile. The heart beat sensor was surprisingly comfortable. I am happy with my purchase and felt that it was well worth it.
