Suunto 9 GPS watch gets four Firstbeat performance metrics
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Owners of the Suunto 9 (view on Amazon) will be happy to know their GPS adventure watch is getting a few Firstbeat performance features.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Released in June 2018, this high-end wearable pays particular attention to battery life. Depending on usage, it can run anywhere between 25 hours and 120 hours and that’s with GPS tracking switched on. Quite impressive.
Suunto has achieved this by lowering the GPS power by combining GPS and motion sensor data. There are also various pre-defined battery settings to choose from.
The 100 meter water resistant timepiece uses a digital compass, altimeter, accelerometer and optical heart rate sensor to keep tabs on over 80 sports activities. There is also full GPS route navigation built-in. One thing it lacks, though, are Firstbeat performance analytics.
But that’s changing with the latest firmware update (2.9.42) which should already be available for everyone. For the first time, it brings 4 Firstbeat features including:
- Vo2Max Fitness Level: This is a measurement of how well your body uses oxygen when you’re exercising. It reflects the aerobic physical fitness of the individual.
- All Day Stress and Recovery: This is an indicator on how your body responds to the challenges of life and environment.
- Body Resources: The feature takes 24/7 stress tracking to the next level. It uses a combination of stress, heart rate variability (HRV), sleep and activity data to let you know when to push hard, when to rest.
- Sleep Quality Assessment: This examines who well you’ve slept in terms of recovery.
Along with the usual squashing of bugs, the firmware update also delivers guidance tips for altitude and first exercise along with improved GPS accuracy.
To update your Suunto 9 (if you have not done so already) download and install Suuntolink . Once that’s done, connect the watch to the computer and follow the on-screen instructions for updating it. The accompanying smartphone app will also let you know when there’s a firmware update available.
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