Austin-based watch company, Soleus Running, recently launched their new GPS 1.0 in the Philippine market, and with an SRP of ₱6,150 it is surely turning heads, including the competitors.

Soleus GPS 1.0 looks like your ordinary watch, down to the display so it is quite surprising that a GPS device can fit in such a relatively small factor, but the most surprising fact about this watch is its price: at ₱6,150 it is definitely the least priced in the market!  Here are its features:

• GPS: displays distance (miles or kilometres), pace, speed, calories burned
• Data Storage: 100 laps
• World Time: 106 cities covering all time zones
• Rechargeable Battery: up to 8 hours on GPS according to Soleus
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Weight: 2.0 oz

As much as I’d love to give you a report on how it performs, I unfortunately don’t have a unit to test this product so I can’t compare it with similar GPS products in the market.  As much as its price is really attractive and assuming that it performs as good as it claims, I do have a particular reservation about rushing to the store and getting one for myself.  You see I got addicted to running because of my GPS watch because I got to download my tracks on my PC and view my “performance” with the product’s software.  From there you can analyse how you did and what you can do to improve.  This is currently what the Soleus GPS 1.0 does not do so you’re stuck with these laps on your watch.  There is some good news on the horizon though—Soleus promises an upcoming compatible cable to be launched next year to allow you to do just that.  How much that cable would cost though remains a mystery.

As an avid GPS user myself, I could say that this watch is good for beginners wanting to “level up” their running gear as it allows you to enjoy the basic features found in similar but doubly priced GPS watch in the market.  You just have to do some extra manual labor though to share your activities to your favorite sites.

To those eyeing this as a replacement to their “dying” Garmins (like myself unfortunately), I’d say if you can, hold off until the “download cable” arrives as you may get frustrated by not being able to view your tracks.  The 100 lap memory too could be too little for you and you may lose some precious tracks for good since you can’t download your data, unless you manually encode it.

Pros

• Price (SRP ₱6,150)
• Form factor
• Covers the basic but most needed features
• 8 hours on GPS at par with competition

Cons

• Can’t download tracks (for now)
• Non-graphical screen

If you’re looking for a no-frills GPS watch without breaking the bank, Soleus GPS 1.0 is for you!  GPS watches don’t come any cheaper than this and even old models from competition don’t even come close to its SRP.  It is a bit too Spartan though for some more advanced users, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t be usable for them as well.

It’s great that Soleus is declaring a price war in the GPS watch scene and I like that they’re bringing the technology to a more affordable level.   I sure hope that this watch, currently in its debut 1.0 version, will continuously “evolve” to be more than just a “cheap” GPS watch, but a watch to be of equal footing with its competitors.  Great job, Soleus!

Soleus watches are available in L Timestudio, Timegear and select Wristpod boutiques.