UPDATED: February 9, 2011

This post will continue to receive updates as the Android ecosystem changes often. Please read my review of Zephyr’s HxM Bluetooth heart rate monitor.

Features to look for in a sports tracker

  1. Easy access to data during your workouts. Pace, distance, time and heart rate should be easy to read on a single screen.
  2. Map access during outdoor workouts. Preferably, maps should cache to SDcard to save on data costs. The latest Google Maps affords limited caching now, which most sports tracker apps use. A couple others incorporate offline maps from a variety of map sources.
  3. Wireless sensor compatibility for data such as heart rate, breath rate, temperature, blood pressure and so on. The only wireless standard presently compatible with available Android handsets is Bluetooth. You’ll need to be running Android 2.1 and higher, as well. The field of available Bluetooth sensors is small, but it’s packed with quality. Zephyr Technology’s HxM and BioHarness heart rate monitors offer the best features and have SDKs allowing developers quick integration with any app. Polar makes a reliable WearLink+ Bluetooth sensor for an alternative option.
  4. Data should be importable and exportable. Standardized .gpx, .kml and .kmz file types can be used with a variety of 3rd-party services and software, allowing you to analyze your workouts with greater detail as well as keeping all those hard-earned workouts together on your hard drives.
  5. Direct uploading to a web portal companion which allows you to dig into the data and analyze your workouts how you see fit. Using a variety of metrics, workouts should be organized in a log, preferably in a calendar for ease of access.
  6. Options for mobile data usage. You should be able to run the app and record your sessions in Android’s “Airplane mode”. Mobile data is needed to acquire uncached map tiles, to use A-GPS and to synchronize your workouts with the web portals. Sometimes a mobile connection isn’t possible or expensive with roaming. A-GPS brings quicker GPS fixes but is not necessary.
  7. Configurability. From how often waypoints are recorded, to satellite sensitivity, to user details and lap statistics. The best fitness apps have precise methods of calculating energy spent using min/max heart rate by way of extra configurability options.
  8. Voice feedback. Plenty of options here makes for a winning concept. Properly configured, you might not have to touch or even view your mobile between start and finish. You should be able to choose the data you want to hear and how often it’s announced, allowing your eyes to remain focused on the trail.

(note: When looking for a sports tracker, remember that GPS accuracy has little, if nothing, to do with the app itself, especially long established apps like these below.)

Tracker apps supporting wireless health sensor(s)

  1. SportsTracker Pro www.sportstracklive.com This excellent app has been my favorite for nearly a year. Highly configurable with superior quality options and graphics. Currently the only app to support Zephyr’s BioHarness, supporting also Zephyr’s HxM and Polar’s WearLink+ heart rate monitors. A very active development team provides excellent customer support. The Pro version is $10 and is needed for wireless sensors and social networking features, to name a few. Should appeal to most athletes, especially those wanting a lot of configurable functionality. I love the “Big” screen option and all the voice cues Sports Tracker has.
  2. Endomondo www.endomondo.com Lots of good features in a great looking, minimalistic app. Missing some important configurability more serious athletes want (limited voice cues, only basic caloric calculators), but sports some fun and innovative options others don’t have (Pep-Talk allows a friend to send a voice message to cheer that you hear during the run). Very active development team but they do take their time rolling out promised features. Free and paid versions. You should choose Endomondo if you want out-of-the-box readiness and don’t want to be bothered with advanced options.
  3. Run.GPS www.rungps.net No other sports app has as many tools or been in development longer. The most configurable and missing nothing, you’ll want to read the user’s manual and stock up on patience before starting the 14-day trial. One you have it set up though, Run.GPS offers the most technically well-rounded sports apps, albeit in a somewhat outdated UI. Offline maps and detailed training reports are highlights here. Should appeal to more advanced athletes for serious training. Different price points from free to over $50.
  4. SportyPal www.sportypal.com Like most other sports trackers on this list with origins pre-dating the first Android phones, SportyPal has been around for a long time and has always been a good app choice. Today’s versions offer up basic but solid functionality, modern and thoughtful interfaces and at least one exclusive feature via a plug-in for Sony Ericsson’s LiveView watch. Though I can’t seem to find the LiveView function worthwhile in the least. Free and Paid versions. Should appeal to those who want an app to “just work”. SportyPal Pro brings Zephyr HxM compatibility.
  5. RunKeeper runkeeper.com RunKeeper is popular, very popular. Easy to use, good looking interface, lots of different services to subscribe to, available on iPhone and Android, RunKeeper has an evangelical following and probably the best marketing department. So how’s the app? Good, but point-for-point it just falls short on the features I find most attractive and depend upon everyday. Free and paid versions with an expanding range of paid services and subscriptions.
  6. MyTracks REMOVED FROM RECOMMENDATION* http://mytracks.appspot.com/ MyTracks is a Google project and is produced by devs in their “Spare time”; 20% of the dev’s time is allocated. Of all the apps offering wireless sensor compatibility, MyTracks might be the most disappointing to me. In fact, besides unofficially supporting Bluetooth heart rate sensors in the HxM and WearLink+, MyTracks might have lost more features than it gained over the past year. Over the same time, MyTracks projects and promised features had me very excited. For example, MyTracks Tour de France project incorporated ANT+ wireless protocols, never seen in Android, to stream data from all sorts of wireless sensors. To date, the devs are still talking about what’s coming. So how’s the app? Raw but good. You’ll see data that many sports trackers don’t include, in a basic interface that brings out the Android geek in you. It’s unfinished, but I include it because it’s worth trying and keeping an eye on. Free.(UPDATE: I cannot recommend using MyTracks for the following reasons; 1) The app does not yet support wireless sensors 2) As of Feb 01, 2011 we lost the ability to upload map data. I understand how tough app development can be but this team has fallen way behind the competition.)
  7. CardioTrainer www.worksmartlabs.com Definitely one of the most popular Android apps, CardioTrainer just added heart rate monitor support in February 2011. I’ve yet to try it out with my hrm, but I’ve tested it out a few times in the past. CardioTrainer appears to have RunKeeper’s business model of providing an app or service for every possible fitness and diet need.
  8. Athlosoft www.athlosoft.com I have to apologize for having forgotten about this pioneer of mobile sports tracking. I remember Athlosoft and Run.GPS both with mobile sports tracking solutions in 2006 and 2007 and very nearly gave me the best reason to buy a Windows Mobile phone, the only mobile platform Athlosoft works with. Even if you wont consider a WinMo phone, check out their website for a look at probably the most complete solutions for any athlete training with a mobile.
  9. LegLogger www.leglogger.com New sports tracking app with Zephyr HxM support. Will report back on this one soon.

Gallery

Other health and fitness apps

OnTri www.ontri.com

Heart Rate Monitor androidheartmonitor.com For use with Zephyr’s HxM, it does exactly what you think.

Wireless sensors (Bluetooth)

  1. Zephyr Technology’s HxM and BioHarness The HxM is the best heart rate monitor for most Android owners offering reliable, medical-grade sensors, rechargeable batteries and adds cadence data. The BioHarness is the most sophisticated wireless bio sensor available anywhere, for any mobile platform. Prices are $99 and $710.
  2. Polar WearLink+ An excellent heart rate sensor but it lacks rechargeable batteries and a cadence sensor. I used my WearLink+ for over a year before switching to Zephyr’s HxM last year. It performs flawlessly but you will go through a lot of coin-cells, which are difficult to switch out. Price starts at $95.
  3. Frwd B Series Heart Rate Monitors for Mobiles (discontinued distribution outside of FINLAND) www.frwd.fi
  4. Kyto Electronics Heart Rate Monitors (Bluetooth) www.kytocn.com model HRM-2805