Español Along with the new TomTom Runner 3 / Spark 3 and TomTom AdventurerA new activity bracelet has also been introduced: TomTom Touch. As an activity bracelet it contains the usual suspects of today: activity tracking with step counting, calories, sleep tracking, call and message notifications and even optical pulse monitor to keep your pulse under control all day long. All accessible from a touch screen (Touch, touch and such..., hence the name...).
But there is one important new feature that TomTom is pioneering: measuring the percentage of muscle mass and fat.
Content
Measurement of muscle mass and fat percentage
Similar to what we can find in more advanced scales, the new TomTom Touch wristband incorporates a function to know the percentage of muscle mass and fat we have in our body, so you can know at any time if what you're doing is serving something, or if the week eating at the resort buffet with everything included is wreaking havoc (well, for that you don't need a wristband, you know you do).
You might wonder how the bracelet tastes those percentages. It's very simple, it's not some ultra-modern technology. The bioimpedance is something that has been on the scales for a long time. An electric current crosses your body and, depending on how long it takes to return to the starting point and what is holding back the current (the fat), it can tell your approximate body composition. You can read more about this method of calculation in Fitbit Aria scale test.
What TomTom has done is integrate this technology into a bracelet. And it's not that the bracelet is cramping you every 5 minutes, but the button you see on top of it is the point where the measurement is made. By accessing the percentage calculation option and putting your finger on it, the current will pass between your wrist and your finger (which will be touching the button) completing a circuit between both arms. That's how it calculates your body composition.
All this data will be automatically synchronized to the TomTom MySportswhere you can track trends over time.
TomTom Touch, also for sports
As you would expect, the wristband also has a mode to record detailed training. In this sport mode you will have all your heart rate data thanks to the integrated optical pulse sensor. There is only one sport profile, so after synchronizing the activity you will have to change the type of training to what you have done.
It should be noted that, as you would expect from a bracelet of this type, it does not have a GPS receiver. All step, distance and pace data will be determined exclusively by the internal accelerometer.
TomTom Touch - Availability, feedback and price
TomTom Touch can be purchased from today directly from the TomTom websiteFor the moment only in black, although the strap can easily be replaced with others in brighter colours that TomTom will have in the catalogue. With a price of 149 ? it is on par with the rest of the bracelets on the market that offer similar features: activity monitor, sleep monitoring, 24-hour pulse monitoring and optical pulse sensor for sports activities.
But in addition to the already common features of this type of device, the TomTom Touch wristband is distinguished by its ability to measure body fat. Although the data from this type of measurement is not accurate in itself, observing the trend is clearly an indication of whether or not the type of diet and exercise you are doing is serving your purpose.
There is no point in looking at your body composition one day and saying that you have a 19% of fat, because that 19% may be correct... or not. It may be 18.3% or 19.9%. There is no precision in that particular measurement, since it depends on the amount of water you have in your body at that moment (since it is measured through electrical impedance).
This can vary depending on your hydration and in fact, if you take the log before and after a workout, just the amount of water lost in the form of sweat will vary quite a bit (that's why it's advisable to take these kinds of measurements in the morning when you get up, so that the logs are comparable on a daily basis).
But if you follow up for 6 months and the trend is from 20% to 15%, it's clear you'll be losing fat mass.
Because weight by itself is not always indicative of our progress, and this is where the importance of monitoring at least fat mass lies. Because thanks to these body composition trends in terms of muscle and fat, you will be able to know whether the 5kg you have lost is fat (good) or muscle (not good).
In short, TomTom Touch is just another activity bracelet, but with a unique and interesting twist that can satisfy a large number of users. Well thought out by TomTom.
And with that... thanks for reading!
Great. The best idea I've seen in a while for users who need to pinpoint their progress and whether their mistakes are due to diet or training.