Garmin® introduces vívoactive® HR – a GPS smartwatch with wrist-based heart rate

19 Feb 2016, 00:00 AM EST

OLATHE, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), today
announced vívoactive HR, a GPS smartwatch with Garmin Elevate™ wrist
heart rate technology. The vívoactive HR helps keep track of active
moments throughout the day, counting steps and floors climbed, intensity
minutes, monitoring sleep and featuring built-in GPS-enabled sports apps
for walking, running, biking, swimming, golfing, paddle boarding,
rowing, skiing and snowboarding. The vívoactive HR uses 24/7 wrist-based
heart rate data to calculate calories burned information as well as the
intensity of fitness activities, providing proper credit for users’
array of workouts. With the Connect IQ store, users can easily
personalize their vívoactive HR with free apps, widgets, watch faces and
data fields. The vívoactive HR is being announced in conjunction with
Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and will be showcased at the Garmin
booth #CS 90.

“The vívoactive HR builds on the incredible versatility and
multi-functionality of its predecessor by adding wrist-based heart rate
and a barometric altimeter – allowing it to track even more data
essential to workouts and day-to-day activity,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin
vice president of worldwide sales. “All your efforts to stay active are
accounted for from taking the stairs at the office to going on a run or
ride.”

Measure Daily Activity

Featuring Elevate wrist heart rate technology¹, the
vívoactive HR provides 24/7 heart rate monitoring and eliminates the
need for a chest strap. Using the heart rate data the vívoactive HR
quantifies the intensity of fitness activities and allows users to
monitor their progress against aerobic activity goals recommended by
leading health organizations like the American Heart Association.

The vívoactive HR’s always-on, touchscreen, sunlight-readable Garmin
Chroma Display™ lets users track activity and stay connected anytime,
anywhere. Its built-in GPS-enabled sports apps include:

Running – Using a built-in accelerometer and GPS users can track runs
either indoors or out. Additional features include Auto Lap®, Auto
Pause®, and vibration alerts for heart rate, pace, run/walk intervals,
and more. Post-run summaries include stats such as total mileage,
calories, average pace and overall time.
Cycling – The cycling app measures time, distance, speed and calories.
It is compatible with speed and cadence sensors, and the Varia® lights
and radar (sensors and radar are sold separately).
Pool Swimming – In addition to tracking total and interval time,
distance, pace, stroke count and stroke type, the swimming app also
features easy pausing for rests, complete with rest timers, and can
calculate swolf, a measure of swimming efficiency.
Golfing – Users can view a simplified view of the green, measure shot
distance and be pointed in the right direction with PinPointer while
golfing on one of the 40,000 course maps worldwide available for
download from the Garmin golf course database.
Stand Up Paddleboarding and Rowing – Users can easily track and view
pace, time, distance, stroke count, stroke rate and distance per
stroke. When using an indoor rowing machine, users can track time,
stroke count and stroke rate.
Skiing and Snowboarding – The skiing and snowboarding app measures 3-D
speed by calculating the speed and distance on an incline versus
latitude and longitude. It also provides splits automatically and
features Auto Pause, which freezes the timer automatically when users
stop or ride the lift.

The vívoactive HR also includes Garmin Move IQ™, a new feature that
continuously monitors for periods of sustained activity. With Move IQ,
the vívoactive HR automatically recognizes walking, running, biking,
swimming and elliptical training. Users can easily track their exercise
throughout the day without needing to start a timed activity. Once
synced with Garmin Connect™, users can review their full day of activity
in a convenient Timeline view.

Stay Connected

With up to eight days’ battery life² in watch/activity
tracking² mode (with 24/7 heart rate monitoring, no GPS) or
up to 13 hours using GPS, the vívoactive HR keeps up with users’ active
lifestyles and keeps them connected. The vívoactive HR will send any
notification from a compatible smartphone³, including
incoming calls, texts, emails, calendar reminders, social media alerts
and more, to the device with a vibration alert so users don’t miss a
beat. Additional on-device smart capabilities allow users to check
weather information, control music on their smartphone, control a VIRB
action camera, locate their smartphone, and allow friends and family to
track activities in real time with LiveTrack.

The vívoactive HR is compatible with the Connect IQ™ platform for
endless customization options. Through the Connect IQ store in the
Garmin Connect mobile app, users can download any of the free apps,
widgets, watch faces and data fields so their vívoactive HR can suit
their individual needs.

Throughout the day the vívoactive HR automatically syncs with paired
mobile devices through the Garmin Connect Mobile app, so users can see a
complete picture of daily activities. In Garmin Connect, a free online
fitness/golf community, users can track workouts, sleep patterns and
trends, join online challenges to compete against friends and earn
virtual badges. They can also view Garmin Connect Insights, smart
wellness insights that provide cues to help them reach goals, shout-outs
when milestones have been met and relevant healthy tips from experts.
Insights also show users how they are doing in comparison to people like
them for extra motivation. The vívoactive HR is also compatible with
corporate wellness offerings from Garmin.

The vívoactive HR will begin shipping in Q2 for a suggested retail price
of $249.99. It will be available in regular and extra-large fit black
bands. Accessory bands will be available in black, white, force yellow
and lava red for a suggested retail price of $29.99 each.

The ever-expanding Garmin fitness segment develops technologies to
enhance and promote healthy and active lifestyles. Whether users are
runners, cyclists, swimmers, multi-sport athletes, or simply looking to
stay active throughout the day, there is a product that can help them
reach their health and fitness goals.

For decades, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless
devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active
lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including
automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation. For more
information, visit Garmin’s virtual pressroom at garmin.com/newsroom,
contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200, or follow us at facebook.com/garmin,
twitter.com/garmin,
or youtube.com/garmin.

¹ See Garmin.com/ataccuracy

² Battery life varies based on usage and smartphone model

³When paired with a compatible smartphone. See
Garmin.com/ble for more information

About Garmin

Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN).
Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal
subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United
Kingdom. Garmin, vívoactive, Auto Lap, Auto Pause, Chroma Display and
Varia are registered trademarks. Elevate, Move IQ, Connect IQ and Garmin
Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd.
and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current
expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in
this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as
a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting
Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed
by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file
number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html.
No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise.