VivoWatch By Asus With Advanced Characteristics

Posted on Aug 30 2015 - 7:51am by Matt Holtzen

The Asus VivoWatch is fun to use and comes with great battery life but lacks amazing characteristics. The latest wearable from Asus looks like a watch, but is really more of a fitness tracker. It is also compatible with iPhones for the first time, because unlike the previous Asus ZenWatch, it does not use Google’s Android Wear software.

Vivo-Watch

App

The HiVivo app has a clean design, but is quite basic. For instance, the sleep monitoring information is a lot less detailed than on a rival gadget like the Jawbone UP3. Analysis is limited, too. More context and insight about the data would’ve been useful and arguably more valuable than a happiness quotient. Since there is no GPS in the watch, unlike the Sony Smart Watch 3, distance data is based on your height and weight details entered into the app.

Designing & Build

The back of the watch is less persuasive, with a textured plastic that feels pretty average. It is dominated by the charging connector and heart rate monitor. And though it is a conventional watch strap width at 22mm, it isn’t removable, so there is no swapping it out. The strap is okay, but there are other fitness gadgets that feel much more comfy.

The strap is rubber this is an IP67 water resistant watch, so the strap needs to be as sporty as you plan to be. You can plonk it in water one metre deep for half an hour, too. The watch’s square display sits inside a chrome oblong with rounded corners, which looks classier than the VivoWatch’s relatively low price suggests.

Sleep Monitoring & Other Characteristics

Like many fitness monitors, the Asus Vivowatch calculates sleep. Unlike some, it does so without having to tell it when you’re nodding off. The information it captures includes how much sleep you had, how many times you turned over, and what your “comfort percentage” is.

The watch’s alarm function can wake you up after counting your sleep. Even though this looks like a smartwatch, in a certain light, it is really not. Notifications are limited to being told you have received a call, nothing more.

Assessment

The Asus VivoWatch shines is in its battery life and having a clear watch face that is always on and easily read in any light. The heart rate monitor lets you track your resting heart rate and has some use for running and other exercise, even though the app does not really want to track anything other than walking and sleep.