Introduction
What is the Zephyr HxM bluetooth heart rate monitor? The title is fairly self explanatory but it
is a chest strap heart rate monitor that communicates via bluetooth wireless
with an Android smartphone for fitness tracking. Please note that it is not compatible with
iPhone.
A bluetooth HRM is ideal for me for several reasons. First, it reduces the number of accessories I
need to have with/on me when I work out.
I carry my phone for music so the HxM frees me from having to wear an
HRM "watch". Not a huge deal
for most but the "watch" accessory does get in the way when I wear
gloves for strength training. Second, because
it doesn't have a "watch" and uses the phones hardware for GPS,
computing, etc., it is much less expensive than most of the other high-end HRMs
at around $99. To get the most out of
it, you will need to buy a pro-level app for your phone but that's only an
additional $4-$5 and you'll get that back in discount if you buy the device
through the app's website (See Software below). Finally, the tracking is
uploaded automatically to the application's websites so you can see all the
details of your workout including route, speed, heart rate, etc. without any
data entry. It would be great if it
uploaded automatically to myfitnesspal.com but MFP hasn't built that feature in
(yet).
Hardware
The hardware itself is lightweight and comfortable and works
very well. As is mentioned above, It is really just a chest strap with the snap-on
transmitting module. The module is
rechargeable with the included USB adapter and holds a charge for at least a
week's worth of workouts. There is no
on/off switch, it is activated when the sensors are against your skin.
The HxM provides information beyond just heart rate like
cadence so you can get an approximate speed even if you are working out indoors
on a stationary machine like a treadmill or elliptical. Like most better HRMs, these devices are
primarily for outdoor exercises but its nice to have some additional features
for those of us who do are cardio in the gym.
Most importantly for a device like this, it pairs easily
with an Android phone (I use a Droid Charge running Gingerbread 2.3 Update: I've moved on to the Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0) and the
connection remained steady even when using a bluetooth headset during the
workouts. Most lost connections I had
were due to software issues, not hardware (see below).
Software
Despite the benefits above, the HxM is held back by the
quality of the software. Zephyr does not
provide a specific app but recommends several on their website. I've tried the
pro version of two, Endomondo and SportsTracker, to try to get the most out of hardware
and they both have a few shortcomings. Both apps also have free versions on the
Android Market but with some limited functionality.
Endomondo ($3.99) has an extensive library of activities,
tracks and maps routes via GPS, and the app maintains a steady connection with
the HxM with good heart rate tracking. It
even has a support community on its website.
I really like this app except for one major shortcoming: it doesn't take
heart into consideration for its calories calculations, only an estimate based
on activity, age, weight, and speed.
The developers have acknowledged the shortcoming and are working to
rectify the issue but, until then, the calorie burn calculator isn't much
better than the estimates on MFP.
So, I decided to try SportsTracker Pro app ($4.99) from
sportstracklive.com because it does use heart rate in the calorie burn calculations. The app has many tracking features similar to
Endomondo but its list of activities is much smaller and focused mostly on outdoor
workouts. For example, there are no
options for strength training or cross training so you have pick a surrogate
for those types of activities. This app did, however, do a better job at
tracking cadence/speed for indoor activities and has a nice web interface for reviewing
workouts. The major problem that I had
with SportsTracker was that it kept losing the bluetooth connection with the
HxM, which kinda defeated the whole purpose of using it. Update: with my new Galaxy Nexus, I have no dropped connection issues. This app is working great now.
My hope is that Endomondo updates their app and website
soon, but until then, I'll keep looking for the software that will make the
Zephyr HxM as useful as it can be. Next
up: SportyPal (no indoor tracking currently).
Conclusion
The Zephyr HxM itself is a good piece of hardware with a lot
of potential but it needs some help from software developers to help it reach
its optimal functionality.
