Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin

Brad_Olwin

@philippe-makowski You need to use Suunto App for creating routes, you can probably do this with SportsTracker as well, which has a web interface.

A Former User

@brad_olwin said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

@philippe-makowski You need to use Suunto App for creating routes, you can probably do this with SportsTracker as well, which has a web interface.

and to toggle to use it on the watch no?
If making routing on big screen is the concern you can use a 3rd party like komoot and enable the sync to SA.
Also you can have some old phone/tablet with SA just to make the bridge.

philippe makowski

@brad_olwin I don’t want the Suunto App, neither SportTracker, no smartphone, I just want to get a track, put a route, without any smartphone. I didn’t bought a watch that need a smartphone. You are obsoleting my watch. I like the Ambit 3 Peak.
why don’t just let us us the watch like a USB Drive ?
or allow us to put route and get tracks with Suunto link ?

freeheeler

@philippe-makowski
99% of the users appreciate the intuitive and easy process of setting things up by phone and send it to the watch.
I am absolutely sure I would switch the brand if higher IT skills would be required to setup my watch.

suzzlo

@philippe-makowski I get your point, but the world evolves and companies need to take decisions and adapt. Every time Apple, Mercedes… make a new Device, they are in exactly the same situation: some people love some people hate, but they continue. Only time will say if they where right or not.

Enjoy your day!

freeheeler

@suzzlo said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

Only time will say if they where right or not.

most of the times they’re right

philippe makowski

@suzzlo sorry, but it is not a new device.
When I bought my Ambit 3 peak, nothing said that I need a smartphone to use it. And now it is mandatory. I want to still use my watch.
For new devices, why not, let’s people make their choice.

pavel.samokha

@philippe-makowski well, your Ambit was always a connected device which requires additional tools and services to use it fully. Sometimes hardware part of the solution break down first and needs replacement, sometimes it’s software/service part.

For example, I have an old iPad 3rd gen, which is still alive and functioning well. I am used to watch YouTube on it, but I can’t do it anymore - because this iPad has old iOS version and YouTube app is outdated and doesn’t work properly. The same with browser - many sites doesn’t work in it anymore. Does it mean Apple failed me? I don’t think so, I think it’s cool that device served me long time and still working well. But everything is aging and first I had to adapt to using it with new limitations and eventually I decided to order a new one.

The same with your Ambit - now to use your Ambit you need to use different software and services. For you it may be not as convenient as it used to be, but as I wrote earlier - after one time setup you’ll be able to at least get tracks without need of a smartphone.

martin

SportsTracker has a web interface and shares user account and database with SA app, so you should be able to avoid using a smartphone ?

philippe makowski

@pavel-samokha said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

after one time setup you’ll be able to at least get tracks without need of a smartphone.
how ?
sorry, but it is not what say the docs.

Brad_Olwin

@philippe-makowski The Ambit3 Peak was always a connected watch with a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone. The full capability of the watch could not be used without the smartphone connection.

A Former User

@philippe-makowski said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

@brad_olwin I don’t want the Suunto App, neither SportTracker, no smartphone, I just want to get a track, put a route, without any smartphone. I didn’t bought a watch that need a smartphone. You are obsoleting my watch. I like the Ambit 3 Peak.
why don’t just let us us the watch like a USB Drive ?
or allow us to put route and get tracks with Suunto link ?

Honestly speaking I think that is a lost battle.
Suunto was always like that (at least from the ambit series).
Don’t want to sound harsh, but :
1 - People with ambit series and without smartwatch are a minority
2 - Old watch, redoing everything to “enable upload gpx like a a usb drive” could give more problems than solution (Last time I put a gpx directy to my 530, it blocked…and had to reset it)
3 - The digital transition, when it began was much much worse, I feel there was an huge improvement.
Honestly, I would just buy a used android tablet or phone just to put the app to make it a bridge and use any 3rd party to draw the routes. I believe any 20/30eur used device would work.

Understand your frustration, but since the solution is so simple, I wouldn’t loose a minute of my energy discussing it.
If you really really need all that disconnect readyness of a device, yes grab a garmin, but sometimes it may not be as seemless as it seems
PS: I also had ambit 3

Efejota

@philippe-makowski I had an Ambit 3 Peak also. Moved a bit angry to S9 later. Your case is different as my main concern was not being able to sync with the phone and the need to discard a perfectly valid item. As @André-Faria said, the situation became much better than in the beginning. I also considered to move to Garmin, but the experience from some friends made me stick to Suunto and it looks like the best decision. I would go for a used Android to use it as a brige, as @André-Faria suggested.

A Former User

@philippe-makowski hello there,
even a friend of mine does not want to so I’m thinking to install Android-x86 somewhere on his pc and then try to install the SA and use it to plan routes or/and see your moves. I will let you know if it works it might be a viable way to keep using your A3P with only a PC

A Former User

@andré-faria said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

3 - The digital transition, when it began was much much worse, I feel there was an huge improvement.

I agree on this. As of my use case, I can say that I’m almost 100% happy with the current transition state.

sebchastang

@andrasveres Huge improvements for Suunto x watches owners…

If I sum up the impact of the transition on my usage (and probably lot of ambit/traverse owners ones):

January 26, 2021

No more possibility to sync routes / POI / sport modes with a mobile device (Movescount app -> Suunto App): I had to buy a laptop
No more possibility to log suunto apps data (Moveslink2 -> Suuntolink) (Yes, It is a big loss of very important data)

November 30, 2021

No more possibility to use my custom suunto apps (cannot create or edit anymore)
No more possibility to manage Sport modes except removing/recreating sport modes each time I want to use a different one from those currently used in my watch

What is the next step? Removing Time display feature from the watch?

Lots of you tell ambit/traverse owners they don’t accept evolution but it is not the point.
We are aware to evolution but we didn’t expect to lose some important features, some important data and to be restricted to use a computer to sync the watch. This is not evolution, this is regression.
All of those features were available on Movesount app.

We have to load routes on Suunto app then sync watch with computer

No more interval training, no more custom functionality through Suunto apps, no more simple web application to create a route, edit moves description, … All is focused on mobile phone… What a joke. Who can serisously prepare a trek or hike route on a 5 inches mobile phone? I don’t even put description on my activities anymore since movescount web is down. Using 2 thumbs on a mobile phone to edit description… not for me!
Movescount web was a so good platform to fully manage our watch. Map, routes / POI / Sport modes management, data analysis, metrics, clear interface, suunto apps editor, …

So ambit/traverse owners will have to buy a new expensive watch and throw their good old one to trash. What a waste, not really CSR compliant. I feel disgusted.

Brad_Olwin

@sebchastang said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

@andrasveres Huge improvements for Suunto x watches owners…

No more interval training, no more custom functionality through Suunto apps, no more simple web application to create a route, edit moves description, … All is focused on mobile phone… What a joke. Who can serisously prepare a trek or hike route on a 5 inches mobile phone? I don’t even put description on my activities anymore since movescount web is down. Using 2 thumbs on a mobile phone to edit description… not for me!
Movescount web was a so good platform to fully manage our watch. Map, routes / POI / Sport modes management, data analysis, metrics, clear interface, suunto apps editor, …

So ambit/traverse owners will have to buy a new expensive watch and throw their good old one to trash. What a waste, not really CSR compliant. I feel disgusted.

You can plan a route on ANY web-based mapping that has GPX export and easily import into your watch. No one,
Including Suunto is forcing you to draw a route on the phone. It is your choice whether or not you want to add descriptions to your activities. There are rumors that complex internal training will reappear but not likely for Ambit watches. Frankly I am surprised Suunto is still supporting these matches, no cell phone manufacturer supports 10 year old phone designs.

A Former User

@sebchastang let’s not forget that I’m using an Ambit3 too and I wrote “my use case”

You are right about Suunto Apps and complex interval workout. And while route/POI sync is done with a PC, but as you said, preparing a route on a PC is more pleasant, you need a PC anyway. Routes can be planned with any software you want, then transferred to Suunto app manually or automatically (it software is connected with Suunto app).

We have to admit that out watches are getting old and as time passes it will get more incompatible with Suunto’s new platform. The platform evolves and our watches will be obsolete at some point, we can’t do much about it.

I feel your frustrations, but I choose to embrace the situation while my watch is functional hardware wise. After that, I’ll see what will be my next move.

Peace, I’m out.

A Former User

@brad_olwin said in Goodbye Suunto, hello Garmin:

Frankly I am surprised Suunto is still supporting these matches, no cell phone manufacturer supports 10 year old phone designs.

Well, if you ask me, in case of Suunto and Ambit/Traverse watches it’s not about extending support for these watches, but more about giving an alternative to what has been taken away, Movescount.

sebchastang

@andrasveres @Brad_Olwin Thanks for your advice / opinion.

I am just asking for a basic support to let me still use the watch like it was designed for.
Of course I’m not expecting any new functionality.

OK, even if it’s more complicated (draw route on an other web app, put it in Suunto app, then transfer to watch with laptop), I am still able to sync route, POI.
We also have to admit that sport modes management is badly implemented in Suuntolink. Delete / re-create sport mode is not really comfortable but once again, it is still usable.

The most embarrassing part is losing the Suunto apps feature (I mean create / edit / save log data).
Suunto never told (when watch was still to buy) this feature would not be supported anymore soon.