Nokia N79 Active

Keep track of your ticker

Tue 14 Apr 2009 // 11:02 UTC

When you're working out with a standard Polar heart-rate monitor, you need to add your own soundtrack. Nokia's solution allows you to play music at the same time as you exercise, which at least cuts down on the amount of gadgets you need to take with you.

Are the case and 'phones tough enough?

It works well but it could have been easier. You can adjust the music player - or the FM radio - mid-workout but to do so means exiting the Sports Tracker app, which seems like an unnecessary palaver. Dedicated music player controls would have been useful here so you could start, stop and switch tracks at the push of a button. Since Sports Tracker is theoretically available to all Symbian smart phones, such a device could well be on the way. But at least once you return to Sports Tracker it will have carried on logging your stats while you've been off acting the DJ.

The headphones are different to those on the standard N79: a sporty pair with noise isolating rubber grommets in three different sizes to help them fit snugly. They stayed in alright, but we found that we needed to push them quite deep into our ears to avoid the rubber sleeves moving while we jogged, which resulted in an unacceptably loud rubbing sound. Fortunately, it's easy to add your own favourites using the N79's standard 3.5mm jack plug, which is conveniently located on top.

Polar makes other related devices too, such as cadence sensors for bikes, pedometers, blood pressure systems and body temperature devices, all of which could conceivably be partnered with phones. This first collaboration is likely to be a tester, but if it's successful, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Verdict

The combined technology of the N79 Active adds up to a powerful multimedia device that's optimised for physical training. There are more specialised training monitor devices available but for non-professionals this provides everything you need to know plus a bit more. We'd have liked to see dedicated music controls to make it easier to act the DJ while you're working out but otherwise it's an excellent personal trainer. ®