GPS watches are all the rage these days and with good reason. Over the past few years, the devices have evolved into wrist computers, tracking direction, distance, speed, altitude and more. This makes them incredibly useful for outdoor enthusiasts, runners, cyclists and others who want to track their performance and speed.The market has been dominated by the likes of Garmin, Suunto and Magellan for some time, but there may be a new offering coming soon to help shake things up a bit. A company called Leikr, which was founded by former Nokia engineers, has unveiled a new GPS watch and is currently looking for funding through a Kickstarter campaign. How does it differ from the competition? Well for starters it features a two-inch touch screen that not only displays a host of fitness info, but can also show off detailed full color maps as well. The device uses OpenStreetMap data and links in with Endomondo to share workout info over the web and is protected with tough gorilla glass to ensure it stays safe. The techs behind the project promise fast GPS signal acquisition and wireless connectivity with the cloud, meaning you won't have to plug the watch into anything until you're ready to charge it. Considering they are also promising long battery life, that may not be as often as similar products currently on the market.
The Kickstarter campaign is just under way and the team is hoping to raise $250,000 to fund development of their watch. At the moment, they've collected about $40,000 with 28 days yet to go. So while they haven't exactly secured their funding just yet, they're off to a promising start.
For fitness buffs, this looks like a great addition to the workout routine. I'm digging the styling and information it puts at your fingertips. The project is really interesting and since I'm considering investing in one of these watches in the semi-near future, I'll be keeping an eye on the progress to see how tis plays out.
