Now some of the rumors going around are:

• Motorola is coming out with an improved version of the device making it Waterproof. ( I HOPE!)
• Motorola is completely getting rid of the device and the price drop is to dump all inventory, and will continue to offer technical support for the next 2 years.
• Motorola is stepping back and doing a type of checks and balances to see if they will continue to offer the product.
• Motorola is working a deal to sell the Motoactv to another company.

Again these are just rumors. I would hope they keep going and take a little bit more time to fix some of the software kinks people keep having.

I do have to say this update is not as exciting as other updates but this one is necessary since it brings solutions to Motoactv’s buggy software.

Here are the details: ( Straight from Motoactv)

- Improve Scorecard when playing only BACK 9 on a course.
- Enhance manual PAR information entry.
- Fix “Application Force Close” in WORKOUT and NOTIFICATIONS. ( BIG ONE!!)
- NOTIFICATIONS improved to handle Unread Messages.
- Stop Watch START/PAUSE functionality improved.
- Fix battery drain when Wi-Fi is on.
- Improve display of Fit Test BPM average.
- Improve TTS message when the WORKOUT key is double pressed.
- Enhance ANT+/BTLE sensor connections.
- Improve “Pause” functionality during workouts.

To Update, your device all you have to do is plug in your device to the computer. It should prompt you to update and voila!

Source: Motoactv

Click Here for direct link.

Unfortunately, the portal is still down. But the page looks amazing!

See for yourself

www.Motoactv.com
Note: You might have to press “Logout” to see the new site.
Work in progress.

Courtesy of Jaybird

I got the opportunity to test out a pair of Jaybird Freedom Bluetooth headphones (JF3) and was impressed from the start.

My search for headphones started after my headphones would not accommodate my sunglasses on my runs and bike rides. The design of a lot of sport headphones run over the ear which is where my sunglasses run. I could not go for a simple in the ear model because those always fell out during my runs. Another big issue was the sweat. They needed to be very very sweat proof. ( Trust me a 2+ hour bike ride in Sunny San Diego is brutal.) I personally enjoy not having a wire running from my Motoactv to my ears as it gets in the way and certain times it wraps around arms and bike cables, that is why I opted to look for something with Bluetooth technology. Another feature that I was looking for on the headphones was a non rigid back that connects both earpieces together. Last, a headset that has a microphone so I can receive calls.

As I searched online for Bluetooth headsets I found out that there was not an overwhelming  amount of choices considering my standards. After much thought and reading I decided to pick up a pair of Jaybirds freedom headphones.

Jaybird freedom headphones have several attractive features. One of them being Jaybird’s secure fit are hexagon shaped ear cushions that rest against the back bowl of the ear that hold the ear tip securely and comfortably (This was important). Sweat proof technology that is truly sweat-proof even features a warranty if damaged (Most important). Premium sound quality ( I didn’t believe this but it really was!) Accessible, side buttons let you control volume, receive calls, mute calls, and skip tracks all withing reach. Elegant design.

The Jaybirds come with:

• JF3 Freedom Bluetooth Headphones
• USB cable ( odd size)
• 3 pairs of ear-tips
• 3 pairs of secure fit ear cushions ( The hexagon shaped silicone rubbers)
• 1 pair plastic pieces that go of over the ear if you need the extra security
• Premium Carrying case
• User Manual
• A really nice Box! ( I added this one)

Mini USB on left- Jaybird Charger on right

The JF3′s are obviously compatible with the Motoactv, and also many other devices.

Sound Quality

I was very impressed with the sound quality of the JF3 headphones right from the start, I compare the sound quality to the standard Motorola SF200 and also the Motorola S10-HD Bluetooth headset. As soon as I put them on the bass was amazing as well as the quality of the sound. As with all wireless headsets if you are too far away from the unit that the headphones are paired with quality will suffer. Volume is can go quite high if you want to block out the music that is played at the gym over the loudspeakers or just wind noise as you decent on your bike rides ( Note: it is illegal to ride your bike with both headphones on your head) One thing, the decrease in volume just through the headset wont completely mute the music, it leaves it at a very low volume, but does not completely mute it. Call quality is normal, not muffled like other units.

Pairing

Pairing this device is quite easy. Press and hold the Power button until the pinhole sized  LED starts flashing red and blue signaling you that it is ready to pair. The power button does require quite a bit of force which i thought should be unnecessary for a power/multifunction button.

The device also allows for 2 devices to be paired simultaneously. For example: Motoactv for music and Phone for calls

Another thing to note is the pin size LED that the headphones offer. It is very low key and wont give you that huge Bluetooth flash that a lot of units are known for. I really enjoyed this.

Pin-size Bluetooth LED

Comfort during activities

This was huge for me. The comfort of the headphones where pretty good, except for a couple of things that I will explain later. The headphones come with 3 different sizes of ear-tips, Small, Medium, Large. I used the small ear-tips and they fit perfect.

The headphones also come with the secure fit system by Jaybird which is exceptionally comfortable and secure. The system consists of silicone ear cushions that come in 3 different sizes and also a pair of over the ear clips for those really extreme activities. The ear cushions are teardrop shaped and also with a honeycomb pattern inside to allow flexibility and comfort. I tested the headphones with the medium sized cushions and never needed the over the ear clips since the cushions themselves where secure enough.

One more thing I do want to add is that these headphones can be worn with sunglasses because of the design of the headphones. The security comes from inside the ear and not over the ear. This was very important to me.

Here is a diagram of how the system works:

From Jaybirds user manual

One thing that did bother me was the flat cable that connects the left and right unit together. Like I mentioned before I was looking for something flexible and not rigid. What bothered me about the cable was that it dragged behind my neck and would get stuck with the sweat and caused the headphone to get pulled when turning your head. As i read other reviews online I did come across someone saying that this happens initially and eventually it goes away as the cable wears. I guess I didn’t wear it enough to wear the cable smooth and i wore them for about 15 days. The life saver to this problem was my headband and my bike helmet. I would tuck in the cable though the back of my headband and also my bike helmet. When I didn’t use the headband I would run the cable through the front, which I was not a big fan of but it worked.

Cable through the Front

Cable pulling when turning

Battery Life

The JF3′s are advertised as having a battery life of 6 hours under continuous use. I ran the same test twice with the MOTOACTV and this is what I got.

1st test: 4 hours and 5 min.

2nd test: 4 hours 30 min.

Given I had the headphones playing at full volume, looping a daft punk song which is very bass rich. Maybe that had something to do with it. The recharge time of a completely drained headphone was at about 2 hours.

Reception

Reception on the JF3 was great when there was nothing in between the Motoactv and the headset. The headphones have a 33ft range of reception but the signal gets disrupted when anything get in between, for example a human. I didn’t experience any problems with reception when I had my Motoactv on my bike mount,arm, and hip clip. I did experience a little bit of disruption however when i wore the Motoactv on my wrist. The disruption came when i would occasionally swing my arm behind my back while running, the reason for this was because my arm and my back would get in the way of the signal. The disruption was nothing major but again a little disruption.

Here is a diagram of where the unit should be:

From Jaybird Freedom user manual

Sweat Protection

One of the major things in my search for headphones was sweat protection of the device. There is nothing worse than experiencing “device freak out” because sweat got into your headphones and its creating a short circuit that sends all sorts of commands to your Motoactv. I put the headphones through pretty heavy use in really hot temperatures and sweat, (1 hour rides of  9 miles of climbing in the San Diego backcountry, this is enough to make a dog sweat, and they don’t sweat) Thankfully I never experienced “Device Freak out” with these headphones.

Jaybird offers a lifetime warranty for the headphones against any sweat damage that you may experience.

Control Buttons

Besides sporting a nice clean style the JF3′s offer 3 buttons for controls. The main power button, and 2 Volume buttons. I enjoyed the location of the Volume buttons since they where positioned perfectly for ease of use.All buttons offer many functions by double clicking or holding which is nice.The button that I was not fond of was the main power button, it required a bit of force for it to click. You would think that they would put a softer button to answer your calls and what not. To answer a call you had to press this button and push it which required you to push the device against the side of your head which would be a bit painful. I could deal with this for an occasional call but not as my main Bluetooth headset that i would use for calls on a daily basis.

Jaybird User Manual

Verdict

The jaybird freedom headphones where a joy to test out from the start. Their rich premium sound brought a smile to face. The comfort was so nice that I would forget i had them on after I tucked in that rear cable into my headband. I didn’t have the jaybirds long enough (Lost them) to wear the cable down like a lot of users claim. The nice fit is also sun glass compatible and that is a good enough reason why these guys are the official headphones of the USA Triathlon organization.

I would not advice these be your main headphones for everyday phone calls because of the force that the center button requires, but would advice these to be your go to Headphones for music and an occasional phone call.

In the end of the day I really enjoyed the headphones and are a great addition to your Motoactv, I believe they well worth the $99 dollar price tag.

I have enclosed an awesome video testing the water resistant properties of the device.
Enjoy!

Software 7.2/7.3

• New and improved views for golf as well as more options
• More flexible Workout Planning through your dashboard, actually very detailed planning as I found out today.
• New heart rate choices for fitness zones. You can now dedicate heart rate zones for any activity and it will remember and update your max Heart-rate ( STOP: There is a note on the website that mentions that the MOTOACTV heart rate strap is required, Whatever that means. Ill test it out with my Garmin strap)
• This is HUGE! See Facebook and twitter to your Motoactv. Plug-in for your phone through the Android Play store
• Better calorie accuracy
• Add More Custom activities
• Better views of post Workout Map
• Easier Wi-Fi Setup ( I thought it was pretty simple already)

So there you have it Junkies! Too bad I got the update at night if not I would be outside playing with it, see just like Christmas.

The cool thing about this is that Motoactv partnered up with Carmichael Training systems to provide a workout plan for runners and cyclists. For runners they offer a 16 week 5k training plan for beginner, Intermediate, and expert. They also offer the 20-week 10k for beginner, intermediate, and Expert.

For cycling they have a 20-week  General cycling program for Beginner, intermediate, and Expert. As well as 2 different 20-week intermediate interval cycle training plans.

I really like that Motoactv offers a training program because in all honesty that what most people need a plan. Running a 10k for the first time can be something very overwhelming for the non-active person and offering a free training plan that loads up into your Motoactv is definitely key.

I have included some snapshots some of the plans.

5k beginner

Cycling intermediate

For Carmichael Training systems: Click Here

When I first purchased my Motoactv I thought I could do without the bike mount that they offer, but boy was I wrong. My first ride with the Motoactv on my wrist was not fun as I attempted to choose an artist and song with one hand as i held on to my bike with the other, and of course I didn’t create any playlists and got bored of the current song that was playing. The decision was simple. I had to get the bike mount.

The bike mount itself isn’t too bad of a mount, though there is some room for improvement.

First the Pro’s:

• Extremely user friendly, the device slides right into the square mount.
• The rubber grip can very easily be taken off and mounted on another bike within literally seconds. (Huge plus if you ride multiple bikes)
• Because the grip is rubber it fits a variety of handlebar/ stem diameters

Cons:

• The clip in feature to the unit needs to be bent back from time to time for it to secure you device.
• The rubber bottom will stretch a bit with use.

So is it worth it?

At $29.99 USD I would say it is because of the accessibily it allows to your unit. I also love the how easy it is to transfer from bike to bike.