WatchApp: Activity Recorder

I am just wondering on the TRAINING TYPE the only sub type it shows areunspecified and flexibility training but from your parameters used in your app it includes cardio training and strength training.

I mention the reason for this in the app description. I'm pasting the quote here again.

*Note*: The list of activity sub-types is limited due to a ConnectIQ bug that affects most devices. The most requested activity sub-type is Strength Training, and unfortunately that one is affected by this bug. I will update the app as fixes are deployed with device firmware updates.

So as is now.. it's a bit annoying.. to config a custom app.. that behaves as one of the orignal apps.. and uploads as the original app.. just other settings for displayfields and autolap and such..

Since we're just repeating ourselves...

If you think it would be useful, all I need is someone to test a debug version.

I have tried to use it on my vivoactive which has 2.70 fw and works perfectly, as the purpose of this app sounded very interesting (for instance to record calories doing sports other than running cycling or swimming).
1- the menus are very unresponsive on vivoactive to the point that navigating the options takes ages as it always selects the wrong option. Doesn't swipe well, doesn't tap well.
2- even when i select HR, i see no pulse. My hr works perfectly and it is connected to the watch.

3- why keeping the sensor off by default? Why are they not ON by default, and let the user decide to switch them off as and when needed (ie gps off when indoor). I understand disabling the sensor that don't make sense for a given activity (ie bike cadence sensor when swimming) but HR is paramount for any out of the water activity (epsecially for accurate calories count) so why keeping it switched off? Also, if the watch detects i'm wearing a HR belt, it is because i want to use it!
It doesn't make any sense.
Other than that- good idea and than you for the effort anyway.

1- the menus are very unresponsive on vivoactive to the point that navigating the options takes ages as it always selects the wrong option. Doesn't swipe well, doesn't tap well.

Interesting. This is the first I've heard of this.

On the 920xt the Activity Type menu has a slight (.5 sec) delay before loading, but scrolling and selecting on all of the other menus is quick. I'm currently using a custom menu implementation to avoid some of the limitations of the built-in menus. I could switch back, but then lots of the nice menu features would no longer be available. For instance displaying the sensor state on the sensor menu would not be available. You'd have to click into the submenu for a particular sensor to get to an enable/disable screen which could default to the current state.

2- even when i select HR, i see no pulse. My hr works perfectly and it is connected to the watch.

You are the second person to complain about this. I loaded up a few different activity types on my 920 and the heart rate data field started showing data about 10 seconds after enabling the sensor in the menu. I have to do more testing. This could be a bug on my side, or it could be a vivoactive specific thing.

3- why keeping the sensor off by default?? Why are they not ON by default, and let the user decide to switch them off as and when needed (ie gos off when indoor).

Do you have a power meter? If your answer is no, then then I have a perfectly good reason to disable sensors by default. That said, it should not matter what the default is. When you use an activity type for the first time, you set the sensors the way you want them. When you go back to that activity type later, it should use the sensors that you specified the last time you used the activity type. If this isn't working, then that is a bug.

If this defualt setting had any benefit, it would be on garmin menus by default.

This is not a fair comparison. Until you configure a sensor in your vivoactive, the Garmin apps behave as though you don't have such a sensor; they assume that you don't have such a sensor by default. Once you configure a sensor, it makes sense to assume that you have a sensor of that type. If you didn't, you wouldn't have configured it in the first place.

From an app, I have no way to know if a sensor of any given type has been configured with the device or not. I thought that the system I had implemented was pretty clever. Apparently it doesn't work on the vivoactive, or you don't think my system is nearly as clever as I do.

I have _currently_ chosen to default all sensors off, and to save the sensors used by each activity type so that you only need to configure them once. I could allow the user to specify what sensors they want enabled by default. I can remove the ability to remember the activity specific sensor settings. I can do a lot of things, but just enabling all sensors by default does not make any more sense then disabling them all by default.

1- the menus are very unresponsive

I have the same experience on my VA. I'd prefer the dafault menu. It's familiar and would add to an overal more consistent experience.

I can make a video of navigating the menu on VA. Let me know by pm.

This seems to be a problem with stuff being sent to the app store by developers that have ever tried it on the real device they say it works on.

Not that all developers should have all devices, but they need to have someone that has the actual device to try it out before it's published.

Look at how much stuff says it runs on the Epix, yet no one outside Garmin has even seen one! How many of those things will actually work on the real device? The CIQ simulator really doesn't simulate the differences in real devices very well these days, but we are told it will get better!

IMHO, publishing stuff that the developer doesn't KNOW works on a device only gives CIQ stuff a bad name. Look at widgets that are for the vivoactive that work poorly with the 10 second revert time on on va! (soapbox off)

Jim,

Take a peek at the app description over here. Pay special attention to the statement...

0.9.5
* Initial Revision
* Supports 920XT w/ 3.20 firmware and VivoActive w/ 2.70 firmware. Please post if you have success with earlier firmware versions.

Do you think I would explicitly call out that I know it works on vivoactive w/ 2.70 firmware if I had no idea whether or not the application would actually work? I managed to source two people to test this on the vivoactive before uploading to the app store, and I own a fr920xt. Did you notice I hadn't uploaded the app for the fenix3 or the epix yet, and that I've twice asked for people to test the app on the fenix3 in this thread so that I can add support for that device?

Aside from spending $250 on a device that I don't care to own, I don't know what else you want from me. If you want to help ensure that applications perform well on a device that you own, then be part of the solution and volunteer to test them.

I have an updated version that is an attempt to fix the menu slowness. If anyone with a vivoactive, fenix3 or epix would like to test, please let me know via PM.

Travis

I have an updated version that is an attempt to fix the menu slowness. If anyone with a vivoactive, fenix3 or epix would like to test, please let me know via PM.

Travis

Hi Travis,
I too just discovered the lack of it seeing my heart rate on the previous version with my vivoactive. Just updated to the newest version and will let you know about responsiveness etc. after my next session.

The version in the store does not include the menu changes I'm working on.