Suunto Foot POD

I bought the Suunto Foot POD in March 2008 and logged 1000+ miles since. Overall, I'm satisfied with the accuracy and reliability. Probably, the lightest accelerometer on the market today, unnoticeable when running. Accuracy does depend on the pace, but do not vary greatly (you'll notice if you do intervals on a track). Distances are usually true within +/- 3% compared to GPS measurements. Interestingly, the accuracy seems to be sensitive to the ambient temperature - when it's in the 20s an low 30s outside, the POD consistently underestimates distances by 7-8%. (To check it I ran on an inside track without recalibrating the POD and every time got reasonably accurate readings, within 1-2% of the true distance). Also, sometimes the POD goes on the fritz with no apparent reason (happened 2 times in 9 mos with y POD). The cure is to take the battery out and then put it back. Other than that, it worked well so far. The only suggestion I have for an update is to add a manual ON/OFF switch instead of motion-activated. You see, I had to change the battery after ~500 miles, which translates into ~70 hrs of running time. According to manufacturer specs, it should last ~200 hrs. Meaning that the 130 hr difference is the "dead time" accumulated before and after workouts, and during times when I accidentally tripped it on (it doesn't take much to turn it on, and it stays on for half an hour after that).

So far so good! I have used the Suunto Foot Pod for about two months about 70 miles and I think it is great right out of the box. I did have to calibrate it for me at a local track.

Easy to use and seems pretty accurate. Was easy to calibrate, if you read the manual and figure out how to use your watch first... I don't notice I have it on. One problem, my original battery lastest a couple months (with twice a day workouts) before it failed. The second battery has only lasted a week and the unit stopped transmitting, I put in a new battery again this morning and it's working. I'm concerned as to if I problem with the unit right now. I think it might be stuck in the 'on' position permanently so there is no 'rest' for the battery when not in use.

Have used the new Suunto Foot POD a few times now and I've been impressed with the accuracy of the distance measurement right out of the box. It's very comfortable and lightweight (almost un-noticable). Very pleased overall.

Pairing it was easy. The use of a 2032 battery is great, long life. Right out of the packaging it was very accurate.

I love love love my Suunto Foot POD and watch. It is an awesome training tool. The POD is very accurate. It was easy to pair with my watch. I don't even notice the POD on my shoe. I chose the Suunto watch & POD over other products because of the awesome reviews. I hope that other runners will do the same!

I have the Suunto Foot POD paired with a T3 and the combination works as well as I could reasonably expect. If you've figured out how to use any Suunto watch then the POD will be a snap. Read the instructions carefully, however, as you have to turn the POD upside down during the pairing process. A technically elegant solution to unintended pairing but not something a normal person would try if they lost the instructions. Once paired it's time to install the POD on a shoe. The POD includes a small piece of plastic that slips under the laces and then snaps around the bottom of the POD. It's very secure but if you rotate between two or more pairs of shoes in your training I wonder how long the plastic fingers that lock the plastic piece into the POD will last. The plastic looks very rugged so maybe this fear is unfounded. The POD takes a shake or a few steps to wake up if it's been undisturbed for more than 30 minutes and the wake up feature seems to have the right degree of sensitivity to prevent nuisance triggering but still turns on when expected. The POD is pretty accurate out of the blister pack but in case you need to adjust it, that can be done through the watch. Overall, no complaints. The POD does what you buy it to do. It's low maintenance and pretty accurate. The newest version (2008) is weathertight and is ready to go almost as soon as you get it. If you don't need geospecific information it beats the GPS pod for time-to-ready, doesn't need a view of a satellite constellation and is very rugged.

I have a Foot POD and a t6. The Foot POD does a fine job measuring distance and speed while walking or running. It does not, however, do a good job measuring those things while using an eliptical machine. Also, the calibration process is a bit challenging.