Highgear Enduro Axio Altimeter Watch
June 30, 2009
It’s no secret I am not a tech whiz, but it is a mystery how I end up reviewing all the tech stuff that comes our way. I rarely wear a watch and tend to just flat out not care about things like my heart rate, the altitude, how long it took me to do something, or, oh yeah – the time. I don’t have an odometer on my bike, I have never timed a hike or climb, and my answer to “how high is this mountain” is usually “who cares?” I’m just not one of those tech-addicted, number-obsessed people. I am not going to tell you a mountain is not a mountain because it’s only X meters away from some other mountain, or run home to mark on a map the latest choss pile I climbed, or bang out a long dramatic blog post about how far I ran that day. I mean, it’s all just so randomly inane and fussy.
Numbers just don’t matter to me. So it’s pretty funny that Enduro’s latest offering has really won me over. I was so stoked with this gadget’s cute look, ease of use, cool altimeter, and well-fitting wristband that I actually checked the time before and after my ride, AND monitored the altitude the whole time! I have to admit it’s kind of fun to see whether the pressure is dropping, and just how high you’ve climbed. It’s rare for a tech watch to actually fit a small-boned wrist, and the Axio fits great, with room to spare for those tiny, tiny people. The watch face is a reasonable size; not one of those gigantic watch faces the size of a frisbee. You can wear this watch and still look cute; it’s classy enough to make the transition to social use. Now, admit it, you know it looks ridiculous when people wear enormous dive watches out to dinner or to the movies. It’s like a billboard, “Look at me! I’m outdoorsy!” If you really need to advertise your hobbies, you probably want a more in-your-face style of watch. This one is streamlined, pretty, and subtle.
The device seems very intuitive; I could figure stuff out without the instructions. This is a big deal, everyone. I usually can’t figure out how to manipulate the controls and then give up after a few minutes, and end up wearing a beer can-sized watch with the wrong time and with a billion wasted functions. This one, I got, though. I got the time figured out and was able to find the altimeter with just a few button pushes. Now that I’ve read the directions, I’m more confused than I was before, so I recommend going with the “intuition” method. There are a ton of functions – I was keen to see that there’s even a little weather forecast icon! Too bad it didn’t have a ‘thunderstorm’ picture, because that’s what I got stuck out in, but it did warn me clouds were coming. It also has a compass, which is pretty neat, although that requires calibrating which is too much work for me. There’s also a data function for those who want to track their total altitude, and many, many alarms, including a hydration alarm for people who can’t figure out if they’re thirsty. OK folks, I draw the line there. I like playing with the functions on this watch, but if you really need your watch to tell you to drink, you must put down the technology and back away slowly.
So I’ll never use the hydration alarm, but this watch has converted me into a watch-wearer. I love the look and the fit, and the ease of access to all the functions. If only all electronics were this easy and attractive!
