Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Draft #3: Product Summary and Analysis

According to Garmin's website (2019), the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is an advanced GPS smartwatch that provides users with a variety of sport and fitness tracking features. The smartwatch allows users to keep track of a specific sport type, its number of repetitions, sets, and time using pre-installed sports apps. It also monitors critical aspects of daily fitness and stress levels continuously. The smartwatch is able to "estimate your V02 max and fitness age, important indicators of your physical fitness that can often improve over time with regular exercise." The stress levels are calculated and monitored by the smartwatch using its integrated sensors to track the user's heart rate. Another unique function of the Vivoactive 3 Music is that it boasts on-device storage for up to 500 songs, playable wirelessly via Bluetooth earphones. The smartwatch has also been recently updated to connect with popular music streaming services such as Spotify, although its usage requires a WiFi or data connectivity. As these functions are readily available without requiring connectivity with a smartphone,  users will be able to leave their phones behind while still receiving accurate tracking data and play music conveniently on their Vivoactive 3 Music. In comparison to other similarly priced fitness smartwatch products available in the market such as the Fitbit Ionic, (5KRunning.com, 2019) states that the Vivoactive 3 Music has a competitive edge in terms of several specifications and a novel software feature called "Garmin Connect". 

The first improvement that the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music has, is its battery capacity can last up to 7 days, or a GPS battery life of 13 hours, whereas the Fitbit has a standard of 5 days, and 10 hours of GPS battery life. This might be because the Fitbit has a higher resolution display and more responsive touchscreen feeding on its battery. 

The second specification improvement is that the Vivoactive 3 Music also has better tracking accuracy for outdoor sports activity due to usage of GPS in addition to GLONASS and GALILEO satellite navigation systems, whereas the Fitbit is limited to GPS tracking. Having additional satellite navigation systems provides users with more precise and accurate information instantaneously from their smartwatch, instead of relying on data retrieved from a single GPS navigation system.

 Last but not least, the Vivoactive 3 Music is also lighter than its competitor, weighing just 39 grams, compared to the Fitbit weight of 49 grams. The difference in weight might be due to the fact that the Fitbit has a relatively larger 1.4-inch square LCD display. Meanwhile, the Vivoactive 3 Music has a 1.2-inch transflective LCD circular display, which also allows the smartwatch screen to be easily readable under all lighting conditions. Although the difference in weight might be considered minuscule, the majority of people tend to prefer lighter and less bulky products, especially when they wear watches for hours on end.

The main selling point of the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music, as explained by Loda (2019), is because "Garmin has a top notch software eco-system called 'Garmin Connect'." After installing the Garmin Connect application on a phone and pairing the devices, the user can view activity data collected from the smartwatch which is automatically synced into the software through a function called "Physio TuneUp". The software provides a detailed analysis of vital health and fitness activities, including a coaching feature that offers customized workout plans and personalized coaching advice to help with training.

In conclusion, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is an impressive middle price range GPS smartwatch that accurately tracks, analyzes sports activities and plays on-device music, whereby users do not require connectivity to a smartphone to access such services.

Fitbit Ionic vs Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music - Which Is Better? (2019). 5KRunning.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://5krunning.com/fitbit-ionic-vs-garmin-vivoactive-3-music/

Loda, R. (2019). Garmin VivoActive 3 Music Review. Runningshoesguru.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from 
https://www.runningshoesguru.com/gps/garmin-vivo-active-3-music/

Vívoactive® 3 Music.(2019). Garmin.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://www.garmin.com.sg/mobile/products/intosports/vivoactive-3-music/

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Draft #2: Product Summary and Analysis

According to Garmin's website (2019), the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is an advanced GPS smartwatch that provides users with a variety of sport and fitness tracking features. The smartwatch allows users to keep track of a specific sport type, its number of repetitions, sets, and time using pre-installed sports apps. It also monitors critical aspects of daily fitness and stress levels continuously. The smartwatch is able to "estimate your V02 max and fitness age, important indicators of your physical fitness that can often improve over time with regular exercise." The stress levels are calculated and monitored by tracking the user's heart rate with its integrated sensors.
Another unique function of the Vivoactive 3 Music is that it boasts on-device storage for up to 500 songs, playable wirelessly via Bluetooth earphones. The smartwatch has also been recently updated to connect with popular music streaming services such as Spotify, although its usage requires a WiFi or data connectivity.
As these functions are readily available without requiring connectivity with a smartphone,  users will be able to leave their phones behind while still receiving accurate tracking data and play music conveniently on their Vivoactive 3 Music.

In comparison to other similar priced fitness smartwatch products available in the market such as the FitBit Ionic, the Vivoactive 3 Music has a competitive edge in terms of specifications. 
Firstly, the Vivoactive 3 Music battery capacity can last up to 7 days, or a GPS battery life of 13 hours, whereas the Fitbit has a standard of 5 days, and 10 hours of GPS battery life. This might be because the Fitbit has a higher resolution display and more responsive touchscreen feeding on its battery. 

Secondly, the Vivoactive 3 Music also has better tracking accuracy for outdoor sports activity tracking due to usage of GPS in addition to GLONASS and GALILEO satellite navigation systems, whereas the Fitbit is only limited to GPS tracking.

 Last but not least, the Vivoactive 3 Music is also lighter than its competitor, weighing just 39 grams, as compared to the Fitbit weight of 49 grams. The difference in weight might be due to the fact that the Fitbit has a relatively larger 1.4-inch square LCD display. Meanwhile, the Vivoactive 3 Music has a 1.2-inch transflective LCD circular display, which also allows the smartwatch screen to be easily readable under all lighting conditions. Although the difference in weight might be considered minuscule, the majority of people tend to prefer lighter and less bulky products, especially when they wear watches for hours on end.

The main selling point of the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music, as explained by Loda (2019), is because "Garmin has a top notch software eco-system called “Garmin Connect”.". After installing the Garmin Connect application on your phone and pairing the devices, all the activity data collected from your smartwatch will be automatically synced into the software through a function called "Physio TuneUp". The software provides a detailed analysis of vital health and fitness activities, including a coaching feature that offers customized workout plans and personalized coaching advice to help with training.

In conclusion, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is an impressive middle price range multisport fitness smartwatch suitable for everyday usage. It accurately tracks and analyzes sports activities and plays on-device music, whereby users do not have to rely on connectivity to a smartphone to access such services.


Vívoactive® 3 Music.(2019). Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://www.garmin.com.sg/mobile/products/intosports/vivoactive-3-music/

Loda, R. (2019). Garmin VivoActive 3 Music Review. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from 
https://www.runningshoesguru.com/gps/garmin-vivo-active-3-music/

Fitbit Ionic vs Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music - Which Is Better? - 5KRunning.com. (2019). Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://5krunning.com/fitbit-ionic-vs-garmin-vivoactive-3-music/

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Draft #1: Product Summary and and Analysis

According to Garmin website (2019)the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is an advanced fitness smartwatch that integrates an impressive amount of sport tracking features with smartwatch capabilities.
The main function of the smartwatch is to monitor critical aspects of daily fitness and stress levels continuously, such as V02max and heart rate using its integrated sensors. The website also states that the smartwatch will keep track of the specific workout type, number of reps, sets and time with its custom workout feature. Pre-installed sports apps on the smartwatch enable tracking of data for multiple sports activities without connectivity to a smartphone. 
When connected to the user's compatible smartphone, the user will be able to receive and respond to phone notifications conveniently on the wrist. Furthermore,  the product boasts on-device storage for up to 500 songs playable via Bluetooth earphones. It also has a contactless payment function, removing the hassle of bringing your smartphone during workouts.

According to 5krunning (2019), in comparison to other fitness smartwatch products available in the market such as the FitBit Ionic, the Vivoactive 3 Music has better battery capacity. It can last up to 7 days, or a GPS battery life of 13 hours, whereas the Fitbit has a standard of 5 days, and 10 hours of GPS battery life. This might be because the Fitbit has a higher resolution display and touchscreen, hence more taxing on its battery.
The Vivoactive 3 Music also has better tracking accuracy for sports activities such as running or cycling, due to usage of GPS in addition to GLONASS and GALILEO trackers. The Fitbit is only limited to GPS tracking. 
Although both smartwatches have music playback capabilities for offline listening, the Vivoactive 3 has more device storage available. It is able to store up to 500 songs, whereas the Fitbit can only store up to 300 songs. Vivoactive 3 Music has also been updated to connect with popular music streaming services such as Spotify, although it requires the usage of WiFi or data connectivity.

Furthermore, the Fitbit weighs 49 grams, whereas the lightweight Vivoactive 3 only weighs 39 grams. This might be due to the fact that the Fitbit has a 1.4-inch square display, while the Vivoactive 3 Music has a 1.2-inch transflective LCD circular display. Although the difference in weight might be minuscule, the majority of people tend to prefer lighter and less bulky products. The transflective LCD display of the Vivoactive 3 also allows the smartwatch screen to be easily readable under all lighting conditions.

Loda (2019), states that one selling point of the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is because "Garmin has a top-notch software eco-system called “Garmin Connect”.". After installing the Garmin Connect application on your phone and pairing the devices, all the activity data collected from your smartwatch will be automatically synced into the software through a function called "Physio TuneUp". The software provides a detailed analysis on vital health and fitness activities, including a coaching feature that offers customized workout plans and personalized coaching advice to help with training.

In conclusion, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is an impressive middle price range multisport fitness smartwatch, suitable for everyday usage. 


Vívoactive® 3 Music.(2019). Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://www.garmin.com.sg/mobile/products/intosports/vivoactive-3-music/

Loda, R. (2019). Garmin VivoActive 3 Music Review. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from 
https://www.runningshoesguru.com/gps/garmin-vivo-active-3-music/

Fitbit Ionic vs Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music - Which Is Better? - 5KRunning.com. (2019). Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://5krunning.com/fitbit-ionic-vs-garmin-vivoactive-3-music/

Final Personal Reflection

Over the course of the trimester, Technical Communications has taught me many essential working skills such as formal writing, drafting of m...