I had heard about the Soleus GPS 1.0 watch a few times over the course of the fall, but with how busy things have been, I just didn’t have the chance to hit up the folks from Soleus and give it a shot. But back around Thanksgiving we got in contact and they sent me out a unit to try out.
I actually hadn’t planned to put together a review until after Christmas, but two things changed my mind. First, the unit has exceeded my expectations. I honestly didn’t expect much from the unit, and expected that it might be poorly executed on. But in reality, its simplicity is astonishingly easy to use, and even more importantly – its accuracy is dead on. Secondly, because the unit is simple and includes less features (hence why its $90…ok, officially it’s $99, but street is about $90), there’s less to write about. As such, while this is an in-depth review, there’s just less compared to a $400 run watch. And yet, that’s totally cool. How cool? Well, you’ve gotta read on to find out.
So, with that introduction, let me put up the usual notes about my review:
Like all my reviews, they tend to be pretty in depth (perhaps overly so) – but that’s just my trademark DC Rainmaker way of doing things. Think of them more like reference guides than quick and easy summaries. I try and cover every conceivable thing you might do with the device and then poke at it a bit more. My goal is to leave no stone unturned – both the good and the bad.
Lastly, at the end of the day keep in mind I’m just like any other regular triathlete out there. I write these reviews because I’m inherently a curious person with a technology background (my day job), and thus I try and be as complete as I can. But, if I’ve missed something or if you spot something that doesn’t quite jive – just let me know and I’ll be happy to get it all sorted out. Also, because the technology world constantly changes, I try and go back and update these reviews as new features and functionality are added – or if bugs are fixed.
UNBOXING:
The unit comes in a tidy little yellow and black box, complete with the ability to see if the watch in question still has a battery charge (not that it matters, because you’ll just charge it back up anyway):