One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad

[David l]

@Olaf-Gottschalk I think you’ll find that there are few diehard Suunto users who believe that the sports watch it just that, regardless of what the advert says.

It is advertised as a smart watch and should therefore have at least the basic functionality of a smartwatch.

However, those functions, are not the top of the list of reasons that most people bought the watch for. But that’s not to say that you’re wrong.

The Race is actually a very good sports watch and the price, features and slimline fit make it better imo, that the Epix Pro I had previously.

[TrailEyes]

@David-l said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

It is advertised as a smart watch and should therefore have at least the basic functionality of a smartwatch.

Is it advertised as a smart watch? I don’t recall seeing that, though I most certainly could be wrong. I’ve generally seen it referred to as a “sport watch” or “performance watch” in marketing/promo materials.

Having used Samsung watches in the past, for anything billed as a smart watch, I agree with your core point that the expectation of certain functionalities would be much higher than for a sport watch.

[chee ee jordan lo]

@Olaf-Gottschalk I can concur dc rainmaker did mention this.

[Frank Stefan]

@TrailEyes You are right, it´s not published as a “Smartwatch”. However there are some functions that are not great. For example the notifications with missing emoticons. If i were a programmer and have programmed this function and i see, how emoticons are replaced with squares, i personally would ask myselve “is this really ready to be made public ?”. I would say: “no”, because it´s running, but it´not good.
So sometimes it would be better not to implement some functions, because if they are not ok, you will earn a little shitstorm.
In the new firmware for the SV they obviously implemented more icons for apps that send notifications. So it seems it is possible. Why no emoticons ?

Please note: The emoticons are just an example what i have selected to explain.

[babychai]

@Frank-Stefan said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

If i were a programmer and have programmed this function and i see, how emoticons are replaced with squares, i personally would ask myselve “is this really ready to be made public ?”. I would say: “no”, because it´s running, but it´not good.

you can’t mix programmer mindset with the businessman mindset. if you’re businessman i think you will think differently.
Suunto don’t need to wait their product to become perfect before sell it to the public. Suunto need to earn money to survive. they can sell it to the public first and then improve/add new feature later. some/many people will still buy it while waiting for the improvement coming, so why not sell first to make profit and improve cash flow?
while waiting for the improvement/new features we still able to enjoying our adventures with our Suunto sport watch.

[Frank Stefan]

@babychai Sure i understand your point. This “could” be a way to go for Suunto, but in this case it would be nice as a customer to have a roadmap, what Suunto has planned for the future of the firmware. I think this would stop a lot of discussions. The main point always (not only Suunto) for the customer is: Will it be implemented ? Will it be fixed ?
So as an result i think a lot of potential customers send the watches back because this lack of information.
If you purchase the watch and you know, they are aware of this problem or will implement this xyz function then maybe you will say: The watch is fine and worth the wait for the fix/upgrade.

[tiago]

@Frank-Stefan Polar did that with the first vantage V. And V3 seems the same,like another beta firmware at launch but this time without time frame for future updates. We should buy a watch for what is capable to deliver to customers at the launch,not for what is possible to have in a couple of months. When the products are launched in a rush, normally don’t work to well.

[Olaf Gottschalk]

@babychai my 5 cents to that as a professional programmer: if managers would care more about well educated programmers in their team, lots of things would not reach end users and it would not take longer.

Well trained devs are happy devs and can create bug free software in the same time as others create new bugs…

As Uncle Bob said: there are companies out there killed by bad software.

[babychai]

@Olaf-Gottschalk I’m not talking about bugs. i agree Suunto should not release it to the market IF they are aware those bugs and still advertise those features to the market. In my country i saw few Suunto ambassador are very hardworking do testing with the watch. i believe Suunto want to make sure their watch are bugs free before sell it to the public.

I’m talking about some features need improvement but maybe not very material. Those improvement Suunto can do it later according to their priority and sell it to the public first. E.g. emoji missing in notification.

[Olaf Gottschalk]

@babychai absolutely with you, features need priorities. Maybe the missing emojis makes me sad because I had the exact same issue 7 years ago with Polar’s first Vantage - they added the missing emojis after one year.

I would have never guessed this is still an issue anywhere… 🫣

[Minak43]

Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more! Investing in well-educated and well-trained programmers can make a significant difference in the quality and efficiency of software development.

A team of happy and skilled developers is more likely to produce bug-free software and deliver projects on time.

As a professional programmer, I’ve found that when managers prioritize the expertise and education of their team members, the overall development process becomes smoother.

This approach not only reduces the likelihood of bugs reaching end-users but also fosters a positive work environment. It aligns with the wisdom of Uncle Bob, highlighting the impact of bad software on businesses.

In a similar vein, I recently encountered a great example of a well-crafted webtoon site. By ensuring a solid foundation and quality development practices, It provides a seamless and enjoyable experience for users.

This serves as a practical illustration of how prioritizing skilled developers and effective management can lead to successful outcomes in the software industry. Cheers to bug-free and efficient coding!

[luizlobo]

I bought race suunto for the HVR and sleep control.
I had many old suunto models back in the past and moved to Garmin.
I read DC Rainmaker review and decided to buy the Race.

Unfortunately to my surprise, the HVR and Sleep are lousy, just totally inaccurate in my case.

And the Pod sensor feature seams to be created by nom sportive person.
Any serious athlete needs many pods per type. One pod per type is a joke. almost unusable.

I am trying to make the HRV and sleep to work. Otherwise I will have to go back to Garmin…

Sad from a great brand that in the past was associated with adventure and sports.

[BrunoH]

@luizlobo said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

Unfortunately to my surprise, the HVR and Sleep are lousy

The sleep was lousy for me too until I moved the watch to another wrist; after that it has been pretty much spot on. I take it as a sign that people, veins and skins are different. Many people here in the forum have said the same thing. Physiology among us differs!

[David l]

@luizlobo said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

I bought race suunto for the HVR and sleep control.
I had many old suunto models back in the past and moved to Garmin.
I read DC Rainmaker review and decided to buy the Race.

Unfortunately to my surprise, the HVR and Sleep are lousy, just totally inaccurate in my case.

And the Pod sensor feature seams to be created by nom sportive person.
Any serious athlete needs many pods per type. One pod per type is a joke. almost unusable.

I am trying to make the HRV and sleep to work. Otherwise I will have to go back to Garmin…

Sad from a great brand that in the past was associated with adventure and sports.

From an amateur athlete - what are pods? Seriously, if you rely on kit that much, you’re not likely to be a serious athlete, just a MAMIL with all the gear and no idea…………

[Audaxjoe]

@David-l that is a bit harsh! Pod for bike, so a cadence sensor for example.
If you have two bikes, say one indoor trainer in the winter and one you ride outdoors you can’t have two cadence sensors.
I’m a big Suunto fan, came from Garmin, and this doesn’t affect me as I only use a speed/cadence sensor indoors but can see how limited it could be.

[David l]

@Audaxjoe said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

@David-l that is a bit harsh! Pod for bike, so a cadence sensor for example.
If you have two bikes, say one indoor trainer in the winter and one you ride outdoors you can’t have two cadence sensors.
I’m a big Suunto fan, came from Garmin, and this doesn’t affect me as I only use a speed/cadence sensor indoors but can see how limited it could be.

Apologies, it was more a tongue in cheek comment.

[seanvk]

@Audaxjoe Agree, this would be a big quality of life update to support multiple sensors of the same type - like Coros, Garmin, and even Polar.

[Audaxjoe]

@seanvk said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

@Audaxjoe Agree, this would be a big quality of life update to support multiple sensors of the same type - like Coros, Garmin, and even Polar.

Yes, after I wrote the above I was thinking I am lucky on the indoor bike set up on a turbo trainer that my cadence and speed sensor are combined. Otherwise even one bike would be one sensor too many ‍️

[karmazynowycukiereczek]

@Olaf-Gottschalk said in One weekend and several bugs as well as missing features with the Race - I am sad:

some really understood my complaint, thanks!

I understand you perfectly and I had the same problem with people on the ‘Polish Suunto forums’.
I asked about emojis and rotating watchfaces, because the buttons press into the wrist at the gym or on a bike, and I received the answer “You should have checked the functions before buying.” Damn, we live in times of certain ‘standards’. For me, the UI rotation function is so obvious at the current “level of technology” that it should be there, just like the “restart” button.

Suunto is trying to maintain the position of a “serious outdoor watch” with the option of tracking “fishing” or “mermading” :D.

[Kristin Jensen]

Hi All,
On the topic of bugs i have to agree with some of here… i cannot not understand how a company can send a product to marked with flaws/bugs and not getting them fixed immediatly. The CTL/progress numbers on the app vs watch has had the 1-2 days delays since the release og the Race, instead of fixing this, they send more Races in different colours to the market and therefor in my mind sending unfinished products to the consumers. I have noticed several other bugs on my Race, f.ex when scrolling up to find activities the screen is all black and making me how to restart the watch, my race predictions and threshold view still says “Record at least 3 outdoor runs”. (i have had the watch for over a month and done 30 km trail runs, interval runs and other running) I run ultras, so i do not use the race predictor, but still it is something that should work.
I almost check for updates every single day, but nothing happens, and i wish that Suunto at least could give us customers some informations about upcoming updates and features and not just being silent, as there customer service is horrible too.
I have always had a crush on Suunto for being something special, but now i more feel like that they are a money machine and not caring for us… the consumers.
I have had Coros and Garmins before, and now thinking about going back to Coros as they are just what i wish Suunto was, open about there future plans in firmware and roadmaps… Coros now just seems as more a watch for the runners than Suunto does, but i really wish i was wrong in this statement.