Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Updated Review: I have returned the A370 to Amazon. When my wife and I had 3 Fitbits go bad in the space of not much more than a year, I decided it was time to try another brand. I already had a Polar H7 heart rate monitor (HRM) with chest strap and was really pleased with it (I give it 5 stars) and the Polar Beat app (4 stars from me) which I used during workouts. I have a lot of Garmin products and really like them, but they’re for navigation, not fitness. Two things struck me as I looked at the Garmin Vivoactive and somewhat similar Polar A370 customer satisfaction scores on Amazon: First, both had a lot of reviewers giving poor marks (1 or 2 stars); the Polar had 29% of reviewers give poor marks while Garmin had 23%, and second there were only 106 reviews for Polar compared to 2964 for Garmin (and more than 10,000 for the Fitbit which I will never use again). Apparently not many people buying Polar. I decided to look at both the Garmin Vivoactive and Polar A370 before buying. The Garmin was everywhere but I couldn’t find Polar. As a result I contacted Polar Customer Service and asked what stores in the greater Seattle area carried their products; amazingly, they couldn’t tell me. Ultimately I decided to buy the Polar A370 for continuity and compatibility with my database on Polar’s web site as well as my satisfaction with the Polar Beat App and my Polar H7 HRM. After a week and a half I have decided to give the Polar A370 3 stars and not recommend it for people not already Polar customers familiar with Polar. After 3 weeks I decided to return the product and downgraded my rating to 2 stars • Similar to the observations of multiple people who gave the A370 only 1 or 2 stars, I find that the BATTERY IS UNACCEPTABLE. I have to charge the battery twice a day in order to wear the A370 day and night. The battery only lasts 10 to 15 hours 1 star for the battery. • Pairing the A370 is usually a frustrating task. I have half a dozen items that I pair with my phone using Bluetooth; only the A370 gives me trouble. It normally takes me 4 or 5 tries to get a pair. Frequently I get a message on both the A370 and my phone that the devices are syncing then I get a message on the A370 that says the sync failed. I also frequently have to enter a 6 digit number on my phone to authorize the A370 – this is the only device I have which requires this. 1 1/2 stars for Bluetooth. • In order to use the A370 you have to have the Polar Flow app on your phone (not Polar Beat which is specifically for capturing heart rate and monitoring exercise). The app is not at all intuitive and there are no instructions (per contact with Polar Customer Service). I do like seeing what my heart rate was during the night. 3 stars for the Polar Flow app • Progress against my activity goal is measured constantly and reported to me as a percentage. Problem is I have no clue what my activity goal is. The only goal I can set is a nebulous statement about how active a person I will be – no way that I have found to set metrics. My (failed) Fitbits were much better at goal setting and monitoring progress. 2 stars for goal setting.