Makes running fun…almost

If you’re anything like us, your workout equipment creates more dust bunnies than muscle. It’s all too easy to use a new gadget until it loses its luster, then toss it in a closet or drawer where it’ll never be found again. The Nike+ SportWatch GPS is an exception to this rule.

First and foremost, at $200, the Nike+ SportWatch GPS is simply too expensive to throw out. It’s also far too functional -- it’s fully waterproof for those rainy day runs, tracks your pace in kilometers or miles, displays calories burned, and can chime at a selected interval. You can even monitor your heart rate, if you don’t mind buying the optional Polar WearLink+ heart rate monitor. Once your run’s over, plugging it in via USB will connect you to Nike+’s excellent online ecosystem. Here you can track run lengths with colorful charts, challenge friends or evenly matched strangers to races, and even build a cute avatar of yourself.

But is that enough to sell a $200 GPS watch to iPhone users? Probably not. Most of the SportWatch’s features can be found in the $2 Nike+ GPS app for iPhone. If you aren’t opposed to running with your phone, you’ll have a near identical experience—possibly even improved if you run with music. Plus, you’ll save 198 bucks. That said, the SportWatch GPS is positioned as an advanced fitness device, which means it gives runners access to more features (like simple lap counts) and a chance to quickly check their stats while running.

The bottom line. If you already have an iPhone, the SportWatch might seem like overkill. But for serious athletes (and anyone who doesn’t already have a Nike+ device), this is one piece of tech that can take some of the pain out of your daily workout.