Walkmeter for iPhone by Abvio App Evaluation

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The Walkmeter app for iPhone from Abvio has a lot of the options I would like in a GPS velocity and distance monitor. You possibly can view your steady strolling time, distance, tempo, energy burned and common tempo. You possibly can see your strolling route on a map if you are strolling, and it may possibly submit updates of your progress to Twitter, Fb, and e mail. You may get voice updates to your time, distance, and Twitter. After your stroll, you possibly can see your stats and evaluation exercises. It additionally integrates with web sites and apps similar to dailymile, Strava, and MyFitnessPal.

Walkmeter App

The Walkmeter app is obtainable for GPS-capable iPhones and iOS gadgets. The fundamental model is free, with Elite upgrades and totally different voices for a small cost. Lots of the superior knowledge options require the Elite improve. There aren’t any extra membership charges required. To make use of the mapping function, it’s worthwhile to be linked to wifi or 3G.

You possibly can set it to show English or metric items. You have to set your weight to get a calorie rely. To get began, you simply go to the Stopwatch display and press Begin (or begin it from an earphone distant with the Elite improve). Now it shows stroll time, distance, present and common tempo and energy burned. The show is customizable to point out dozens of various gadgets. I like the large, brilliant numbers on the show. I had no drawback switching from the app to the music operate as I’ve with some single-tasking apps.

The app can solely be used open air and is finest used the place there may be robust GPS sign reception. I had problem utilizing it a number of occasions:

• After I saved my iPhone in a pants pocket
• After I walked subsequent to a bluff that blocked the southern sky
• On a hill

Primarily based on my expertise, it’s best to have your iPhone mounted in an armband, so it will get the very best GPS reception when utilizing the Walkmeter app. I might not belief this as my solely measuring gadget as a result of these weaknesses.

The app has automated cease detection (with the Elite improve), so you possibly can select to pause it once you pause, or you possibly can let it try this for itself. I had a number of cases once I forgot to show it on or unintentionally paused or stopped it. I've been taking extra care to shut the iPhone display, so the Cease button doesn't get pressed unintentionally.

Walkmeter App Measures Your Pace and Distance

No calibration is critical as a result of the app makes use of your cellphone's GPS operate to find out distance and velocity. Nevertheless, when you have a lack of GPS sign, it’s possible you’ll find yourself with flaky readings. On one stroll, my distance and velocity began doubling due to weak GPS sign. When you’ve got a robust GPS sign, it may be a really useful app.

You possibly can select what sort of exercise it’s – stroll, run, hike, skate, ski, cycle. The app shows your final choice so that you don't should reply 20 questions earlier than you will get began every time.

I like the flexibility of with the ability to select what shows within the Stopwatch operate. Some folks might need to view tempo (minutes per mile) whereas others need to see velocity (miles per hour), for instance. However these are simply two of over 40 totally different capabilities you possibly can show, together with elevation, grade, cut up occasions, odometers, and many others. It is every part a knowledge junkie may need. You add notes concerning the route as properly.

I particularly love with the ability to change to the map display whereas nonetheless recording the stroll. You see your route being drawn as you stroll it, and you may as well verify the map to assist maintain your self on the right track.

You possibly can set Walkmeter to provide you voice bulletins at your alternative of time intervals, distance intervals, and passing occasions. You possibly can select what it updates you with – time, distance, velocity, tempo, and comparability to different rivals.

It’s straightforward to avoid wasting your knowledge after the exercise and easy to reset. I discovered the operation to be extraordinarily intuitive. After you cease and save a route, you possibly can load it once more sooner or later to stroll the identical route.

Sharing Your Exercise

Walkmeter goes a good distance in direction of being built-in with social media. You possibly can ship Fb, Twitter, and e mail updates to submit robotically primarily based on occasions (begin, cease, and many others.), at set occasions, at set distances, and many others.

With the Elite improve you get many extra social options, together with the next:

• Your pals can ship you encouraging replies, and you may select whether or not the app will learn these to you thru a voice announcement, together with selecting particular folks to get them from. You possibly can have updates despatched to family and friends of your location and progress. This may be an effective way to maintain folks up to date with out having to cease throughout your exercise to do it your self.
• Do you want some digital competitors? They name this ghost racing, and you may compete towards your individual occasions or towards imported rivals.
• You possibly can export your routes and exercise knowledge as CSV, GPX, or KML information.
• You possibly can import a route or digital competitor by clicking on a GPX or KML hyperlink or file in Mail or Safari.

Backside Line 

I give the performance of the Walkmeter app 4.5 stars. It has virtually every part I may need in a strolling speedometer app, and lots of capabilities I didn't notice I cherished till I noticed them. It’s definitely worth the Elite improve to get the superior coaching options.

However I might give it solely three stars as a strolling speedometer/distance monitor due to the poor efficiency I had in getting a dependable GPS sign. That is principally a weak point of the GPS means of the telephone I used to be utilizing.

Of be aware, because you want wifi or 3G reception to make use of the maps, don't take this off the overwhelmed path anticipating to make use of it as your sole supply of maps. In the event you don't have a connection, you don't have maps, although you could have a GPS sign.