The Nokia Sports Tracker

Here’s a cool app that I installed last year when I first got my Nokia N95.  Nokia’s Sports Tracker allows you to monitor and record your workouts – time, speed, and distance.  It was one of the first apps I install however I actually didn’t use it much mostly because as an athlete, I didn’t find it very convenient as a serious athlete and didn’t think it worked all that well.  (Admittedly, it could have been due to user error – with the N95 you need to slide the phone open in order for the GPS to work!).   So why am I talking about it now?  Well, for one, they’ve updated the app software which makes it function better including a very unique scroll screen.  I think this is very clever.   Unlike a Garmin 405 where you have to press the mode button to see different screen views, with Sport Tracker, you simple thumb the up/down/left/right button on your phone and it quickly auto-scrolls, much like scrolling on an iPhone where the next screen floats or coasts into view. (hmmm… sounds like they are readying this app for the new N97′s touch screen!)

Another really cool feature is the use of the GPS tracking and the launch of a community website to share your workouts – live.   Not only can you see how far the person is going but it tracks their exact movements on a Google map.   When the workout is over, it can be saved in that person’s profile.  Super cool however I do find the live tracking to be a bit freaky.   I’m just waiting for the time when I’m broadcasting my workout to the world and someone comes up to me and says “I saw you online running in the neighborhood and thought I’d join you.”  Yes, there is a privacy setting and you may chose to register using an anonymous username.*   But should I originate and record all my workouts starting and ending at the front door of my apartment?  Something to be cautious of if you use the app.  I think ultimately, you’ll want to keep your live workouts private if not among friends.

The main reason I haven’t found much use in Sports Tracker however was its lack of a heart rate monitoring functionality.   As with many serious athletes, I want to record my heart rate during my entire workout. I already have a Garmin, Polar, and Suunto that I can use.   (My preference right now is to use my Garmin 305 due to it’s GPS tracking.)  So Sports Tracker with my N95 has been used more for fun – commuting to work, walking to the store, etc – places I’d take my phone and not wear my heart rate monitor.   But here’s a game changer and the coolest new update… Polar has teammed up with Nokia to make recording your heart rate on your phone possible!  It just introduced the N79 Active which comes with Polar’s bluetooth HRM strap (more on this later). It’s only a matter of time before you can buy the strap separately. And with my phone already capable of playing MP3′s is is possible I can have it all carrying just one device? Sports Tracker may not be design for the serious athlete (the workout log and tracking features are not all there and I still have to hold my N95 in my hand with the slider open to work) but you can’t deny the coolness factor, and it’s getting there.

Download the Nokia Sports Tracker (and check compatiblity)

Nokia’s Sport Tracker Community site (in Beta)

*If you have an OVI.com account you can link two and use your ovi login.