Polar A360 firmware update adds speed and distance tracking
The A360 is Polar’s first attempt at competing head-to-head against mainstream premium fitness trackers such as Fitbit Surge, Jawbone Up3, and Microsoft Band 2.
The A360 tracks steps, calories, heart rate and sleep. Like most of Polar’s products, it allows for integration with their Smart Coaching functionality, which includes features such as Training Benefit and the ability to enable sport profiles.
Essential reading: Polar A360 – fitness tracker with wrist based heart rate
In our review of the device, we branded the Polar A360, a well designed 24/7 fitness tracker for people looking for a convenient, yet stylish, way to quantify and track their daily activity. The wearable allows for easy transitioning into training sessions, has a very good battery life, is water-resistant and provides motivational feedback.
As always, there are a few negatives. In the case of the A360, this includes the lack of GPS, and inconsistencies in heart rate readings. Also, for some reason the A360 lacked distance tracking. Polar has finally addressed this last point by introducing speed and distance metrics to the Polar A360. The firmware update can be installed by syncing the A360 with the Polar Flow app or web service.
The changes mean that during a training session, you can now see your current speed and distance. After your session you’ll see a summary with info about your speed and distance covered. When syncing the Polar A360 with the Flow app and web service there will be a more detailed analysis. The feature is available for running related sport profiles and walking.
