The New Nike+ Sport Watch Best GPS 2011

Nike are famous for their sports watches but until recently have had nothing to compete with Garmin or Polar when it comes to GPS capable devices. This has changed with the introduction of the Nike+ Sport Watch GPS.

Nike have partnered with TomTom to challenge Garmin's dominance of the upper end of the sports watch market. TomTom are most famous for their automotive GPS systems but also bring plenty of experience from handheld GPS aids.

As you would expect there is a strong emphasis on style in the new watch. It is a broad, square, flat to the wrist, watch which allows for a large display. This is essential if you want to check your data as you are running. There is a powerful backlight for evening running.

For those tough people who think nothing of running in the rain, the watch is also waterproof. In fact it is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters so you can afford to drop it in the pool!

It is the GPS that will attract everyone's attention, though. GPS allows you to run anywhere and compare data with any other runs easily. You won't have to stick to the same old path everyday to know if you are improving or not. The watch will calculate distance and speed for any run you make and this can be checked against previous runs, either on a computer or on your wrist. If you do connect to a PC, you can upload the data to Nike+ to view your runs plotted on TomTom maps.

The heart rate monitor is invaluable for seeing improvements in fitness levels. The fitter you get, the lower your heart rate will be for comparable runs.

When it comes to training regimes, the Nike SportWatch will help set challenges and suggest targets. It can even give you audible encouragement as you run and let you know when targets have been hit.

For anyone who is already a member of the online Nike running community the watch will allow you share your triumphs with others.