For people who are not exactly sure what this is, or what it can do, I will give you the quick rundown.
This is a bluetooth enabled heart rate monitor that pairs with your Iphone or Android phone. It sends real time statistics to your phone via an app you can download in your phones Appstore.
If you are serious about your workout, or if you feel like you are unsure how hard your body is working out, a heart rate monitor is a great device to have.
The apps that run this heart rate monitor are able to do many things like: track heart rate, map your GPS during your activity, monitor what heart rate zone you were in during various parts of your workout, and much more.
To my review:
The Rhythm is actually the 2nd heart rate monitor I have owned by Scosche. I had purchased their 1st generation monitor named "MyTrek" and then realized it had been built with a very fatal flaw. Unfortunately the heart rate monitor was not sweat proof and shorted out not long after buying it. This happened to me after owning it for just over a month. I loved the Mytrek, but unfortunately, having a piece of workout equipment that breaks from sweat doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
I contacted Scosche, and after talking to the customer service they sent me out the new and improved Rhythm. This new unit is sweatproof, splash resistant, and is a great upgrade from the original.
The unit is extremely light, and does not cause me any issues while I am wearing it on my arm. ( you wear it just below the elbow on your forearm.) The strap is made from a neoprene type fabric, and it sticks very well, so when i am running and sweating it stays put.
the device has 3 buttons on the front, and a LED indicator light. The buttons on each side control your music volume, which is a great addition. The middle button is the power on/off. The LED light lets you know various things like when the bluetooth is connected and when the unit is charging/full.
I compared the heart rate monitors accuracy with the monitors that are built into the treadmills at the gym, and it was always withing a couple beats, so it is very accurate.
This heart rate monitor is different than most chest strap monitors, in that it tracks your heart rate by using lights and a sensitive camera on your arm, instead of electrical currents. I won't get into details of how all that works, but the main point to take away is that it works and is reliable.
Charging the unit is very easy, it comes with a charger that plugs into your computers USB, and can be fully charged within 2 hours. The battery life is expected to be around 5 hours, but I have yet to have it discharge fully. One side note and my only real gripe with the Rhythm, is that the charging dock can be very difficult to remove from the unit. I am a pretty strong guy, and I have pretty strong hands, and it gives me a bit of a struggle. I am hoping the more I use it, the easier it gets.
Overall I give this unit a 4/5.
Compared to other monitors on the market, it performs very well, with the only downsides being the charging cradle, and the battery life is not nearly as long as some chest strap monitors. For the average workout this is no issue, but if you would like to monitor your heart rate throughout the day, this wont last.
The software that comes with the Rhythm I have not personally been using. There are a few different apps that will work with the Rhythm, and I chose an app called Icardio. Reading the reviews in the appstore for the Scosche app seems to hint at the software not being as good as other options.
Price: Around $100
Light/comfortabale
easy to use
water resistant
accurate
Volume control
comes with 2 removable arm bands of different sizes
Con's:
Charging cradle
battery life.
price is a bit more than the chest strap monitors, but
if you are looking for a arm mounted monitor, this is
the way to go.
Comes in the box: Heart rate monitor, USB charger, large and small armband, owners manual and registration card.
You can purchase one here:
http://www.scosche.com/rhythm
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