Sunday, June 20, 2010

TIMEX IRONMAN TRIATHLON WATCH w Tap Screen

This is my current favorite watch by Timex. Presenting the latest Timex IRONMAN Triathlon T5K254HC  watch with TAP Technology. Ok I admit, when I first read about it, I thought it was a touch screen watch, and I thought "COOL", I could scroll through all the functions just by touching the screen.....sure...I even brought my buddy to the shop and told him it was touch screen! Yikes....The poor guy kept pressing the watch's face to no avail!!! LOL....

Let it be known people! that this watch is Tap Screen not Touch Screen. So, only in Chrono and Timer modes does the Tap Screen come into PLAY! Instead of the usual way to Start the Timer/Chrono by pressing the button at the edge, Tap Screen allows us to activate, deactivate and/or split, just by duh....Tapping the Screen. Ok this may initially put a few of you off. You maybe thinking :"Wah Lao..what's the dif then? I can just press the buttons enough already what! Need this fancy Tap meh?". I had this same thought too! Timex claims that with TAP, we will be able to access info without breaking stride as in the runs. Seriously, I'm no PRO runner so if pressing buttons breaks strides and takes an extra few secs, let it be! BUT chotomateh! I purchased this piece of watch solely because of the TAP Techno! Not for running but for swimming! 

Yes, I need it to count laps underwater. Pressing any waterproof watch underwater is asking for trouble. Doing so will allow water to seep into the watch resulting in foggy screens. With TAP Tech, I'll not jeopardise the device anymore. Its no pure lap counter which is available where the device is worn on the finger where the thumb can activate lap splits. This takes a little few secs on the turns to tap the screen (1-2secs). The TAP comes with 3 settings, light, medium and hard. On the first trial swim, the watch was set to light TAP. I encountered several instances where I had to tap twice in order to clock the split, so I'm not going to set it to medium or even hard.

This watch has an over sized screen which is a bonus. It comes in 2 colours, Orange Black and Black Grey. Its 100M Water Resistant and has a capacity of 150 Laps. The alarms are audible. The rubber strap is pretty comfy and it has a secure strap lock. Overall, I give this watch a 8/10 rating based on technology, aesthetics and functional design.

What would make me give it a 10/10 is if Timex were to incorporated GPS and Heart Rate monitoring options.

To the Guys at TIMEX, thanks for the TAP Tech!

2 comments:

  1. I am looking for a watch too. The Garmin 320XT has great reviews but it was too ex for me now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah the Garmin was one of my considerations. With GPS being the latest craze. Cool watch...and yes its ex lol...

    ReplyDelete