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Hello there, Moto: A MOTOACTV Review

MOTOACTVThis MOTOACTV review is a part of our second-annual New Year, New Rear Week to help you to be fitter, healthier and a touch (okay, a lot!) more awesome in 2012. Read all New Year, New Rear posts here!

There are so many gadgets and gizmos on the market these days. From body-monitoring devices to fancy pedometers to GPS devices, you can literally measure every step you take, every minute you sleep and every calorie you burn. While it can get obsessive—I mean, at some point having piles upon piles of data to sift through just eats up time and brain space (at least for me)—technology that actually uses data to coach you to work out better should be what fitness technology is really about. And that’s exactly what the new MOTOACTV device does. It doesn’t just spit out numbers; it uses them in a really fun and motivating way.

Motorola sent us the MOTOACTV to try out a little more than a month ago, and while I was expecting it to be just another performance tracker, it really is darn awesome. It’s pretty much three devices in one: GPS, workout tracker and music player. You can synch it with your computer, upload your data and let little Moto (that’s what I named mine), suggest a workout, play your “Fit Song” or “High Performance Playlist” (which it chooses based on your performance—how cool is that?!), set goals and get tips from fitness experts. MOTOACTV also records all of the usuals: pace, number of calories burned, miles covered, personal records. While the device I tried didn’t have heart rate, that feature is coming soon, according to its website.

You can wear the little MOTOACTV device on your belt, as a watch, on your arm or on your bike (you do have to buy these options separately as accessories though. They range in price from $19.99 to $29.99). I liked wearing it as a watch best, as it was easy to see and play with. And, guys, playing with it is so fun. It has a touch screen that pretty much operates like an iPod Touch or SmartPhone. You can easily scroll through data, change up your music—and the graphics are simple yet pretty. As silly as it sounds, it makes you feel cool. And it makes you want to work out harder.

Setting up the device was surprisingly simple, too, and the only issue I had to speak of was that loading music was a bit cumbersome. (My iTunes library was too massive to synch with the MOTOACTV, but thankfully you can drag and drop music files on to the device when it’s plugged in to your computer. It just takes some clicking to figure out the right file.)

Seeing that it’s a combo performance tracker and music player, the price tag isn’t cheap. A 16GB MOTOACTV is $299.99 and an 8GB is about $250. But if you’re in the market to buy a new MP3 player and something to track your workouts, this is pretty much the coolest thing out there right now.

Have you tried the MOTOACTV? Agree with our review? Want to try it? Tell us! —Jenn

 

 

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!