Swimovate adds NFC to PoolMatePlus
Swimovate, the company behind the PoolMate brand of lap counting and distance measuring swimming watches, continues to innovate with the addition of NFC capability to its PoolMatePlus.
NFC – or Near Field Communications – is a technology built into many modern smart phones, is already used for contactless payment systems and can be used for other data transfer – at least in the case of Android phones. Apple currently only allow the use of NFC for Apple Pay!
The PoolMatePlus is designed for use both in the pool and open water. For open water use, rather than using GPS, the watch needs to be calibrated to the swimmers stroke length. The main advantage of this is on battery life. GPS is extremely demanding on battery life and GPS devices need to be recharged frequently whereas the PoolMatePlus has a battery life of around two years.
The addition of NFC technology means users can immediately and easily sync their swim data to Android phones and tablets, with no need to pair the devices (as you need to with Bluetooth) and without compromising battery life.
The device retains more traditional pairing options for PCs or Macs via a USB pod.
PoolMatePlus is available from www.swimovate.com at an RRP of £90.
Simon Griffiths
I started Outdoor Swimmer in 2011 (initially as H2Open Magazine) as an outlet for my passion for swimming outdoors. I've been a swimmer and outdoor swimmer for as long as I remember. Swimming has made a huge difference to my life and I want to share its joys and benefits with as many people as possible. I am also the author of Swim Wild & Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 a Year, I provide one-to-one support to swimmers through Swim Mentoring and I'm the creator of the Renaissance Swimmer project.
