Spartan update complains

314BMI

Tbh watch works fine for me. As a sport watch.

As a activity monitor it is 10 steps behind fitbit (sleep recognition, activity recognition - thats one big joke). Even step counting sukcs - it is not rocket science. Do the same thing that fitbit does: start adding steps after series of 8… anything less is not ‘walking’. So easy, so hard for suunto team.

And please do not answer me that sensor manufacturer knows what to do. They do not. In laboratory envoirment they have precise start and end time and they analize data within that interval. And they know that the subjest was running or riding a bike. It is obvious that they cant analize IMU data (try indoor rowing and stroke count is rubbish).
Yes, I work with biosensors…

Sleep recognition is one simple formula on probability.
If you add machine learning after gathering data from millions of users you will get some idea how it should work and when it is not working. But you have add ability tk adjust wake up time in the app.

But the thing that bothers me the most is that they cut app functionality just to work with some types of their watches. For me adding scuba diving by hand is the most annoying thing ever. I cant even add gps location. But of course if you have new suunto diving computer with gps it adds all that info automaticaly.

Suunto is a company and their goal is make more money. And I believe that they have better management than development team. They know that loosing ‘a few’ unhappy users is what they can afford.

After my suunto episode that lasted 8 years, few years with fitbit I will just go to strava or any third party (not supported by any watch manufacturer) platform.

BobMiles

@314BMI I agree with you in so many ways. Looking at the Ambit3, they really put some top features in there by that time. The software did not look fancy, but it was functional and thought through.
Now, the software doesn’t look fancy and the features are a joke for that price range.
It’s just an average GPS watch with half baked fitness tracking, sketchy OHR, strange marketing and development decisions.
The watch face with the duplicate battery indicator says it better than a thousand words, they lost it.

Michał Rudzki

@Brad_Olwin Unfortunately nope, they didn’t, but what they did was they learned a lot on Spartan hardware and they put into S series. Spartan + WHR has better hardware than 3 and 5. Also, they took VO2 and Movescount from Spartan and they gave us promises that the didn’t keep. So how you can feel ?! when you buy a watch that cost you around 500 euro on early-stage and after 2 and half-year you get information that SSS just died. Also, all functionalities that supposed to be on SSS go to 9/5/3. The worst thing is that the promised a lot but they didn’t really deliver that on 50%…

BobMiles

Here’s the thing with suunto nowadays: You always wait for the big reveal, the day when they lift the curtain off their secret development and suddenly close the gap to their competitors.
I have waited since the spartan was released. It won’t come.
All the features requested on the forum are available with competitors. Most of the requests on the forum are not very special or extraordinary, but just basic functionality someone would implement when they design a modern day sport watch.
If they could, they would. But it seems the people who made the ambit are gone, and so is their mindset.
I would not recommend to buy a suunto watch at this time, and I own three of them.

jthomi

Maybe I missed something but what does “…you get information that SSS just died.” mean?

@Michał-Rudzki said in Spartan update complains:

@Brad_Olwin Unfortunately nope, they didn’t, but what they did was they learned a lot on Spartan hardware and they put into S series. Spartan + WHR has better hardware than 3 and 5. Also, they took VO2 and Movescount from Spartan and they gave us promises that the didn’t keep. So how you can feel ?! when you buy a watch that cost you around 500 euro on early-stage and after 2 and half-year you get information that SSS just died. Also, all functionalities that supposed to be on SSS go to 9/5/3. The worst thing is that the promised a lot but they didn’t really deliver that on 50%…

auxina

I trust that my SSU still has life.
Some update will arrive, even if it is corrections and little else.
I also hope that the evolution of SuuntoApp brings benefits to my SUU.

fejker

@auxina I agree. If they fix the bugs they introduced with the last update (which was about 5 months ago BTW), then it will be perfectly fine. Waiting for bug fixes that long kinda sucks.

Matthew Curtiss

@fejker and I’m counting bugs introduced a year ago at this point.

Prenj

I don’t know about you, but for me it sounds surreal that in times when manufacturers reveal new watches every year or even more often there is one manufacturer that finds it perfectly normal that their customers should wait years till they get watch to work as it should. Imagine buying car that can, at time it’s released, go just 50 km/h and manufacturer tells you not to worry, it will be sorted out with updates in next few years. I guess they could have tricked you only once to buy their product.

Forgive me for saying this, but it’s a shitty strategy and it will destroy the trust you built with your customers. After that it’s just the matter of time when you start your free fall.

fejker

@Prenj With the Ambit 1 it was fine because there weren’t that many adventure sport watches out and it was kind of unique to own it and see it grow with new features almost every update, but then it got old with A2 and A3. I wasn’t following the A2 and A3 too closely as when they announced them I was very content with what my A1 could do and was happily suggesting Suunto products to my friends. Then I upgraded to the SSU and got fooled quite easily by the sales rep who said … “well, right now it has a bit less features than the previous models, but they are promising a major update next month to include new features” - keep in mind this was in August 2016 and the watch didn’t even have a way to customize sport modes. It was kind of odd to me, but I trusted Suunto to deliver because of my experience with the A1. Oh how I was wrong and we were in for quite a ride … every expected update was bound to fix all our woes and “end world hunger”. At first we even got upcoming features lists which were quickly shut down and left us wondering what was coming in the next update.
Right now I feel like I want to punch somebody at Suunto in the face. No way I am suggesting somebody to buy their product.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@fejker You can punch me but not in the face please. Belly or butt is ok.

Just a little joke, but I do understand as well.

fejker

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos you are the last person to punch, even tho they left you on the front as a punching bag.

BobMiles

@fejker I bought a FR945. For the first time I have working OHR, fully functional navigation, proper sleep tracking, proper multisport support, long battery life, automated on-watch-route-planning, auto climb fields, graphs, custom alarms, training plans, health and fitness analysis… I could go on…

The “OHR performance is individual” statement might be true, but it is a difference between suboptimal and non-functional.

fejker

@BobMiles good for you. I’m not willing to shell out 500 € for a plastic watch that on top of it IMO looks … well, ugly.

Bruno Tavares

Finally jumped ship, I’m now on Garmin ecossystem because unfortunately I can’t see a bright future for Suunto, plus I felt that we Spartan users were completely disrespected this last few months, and I shiver at the mere thought that we are going to stop to have access to a web view and be limited to a phone app.
My wifes Forerunner 235 with 4 years is still being updated, in fact it just was yesterday!! Nothing can beat their attention to customers and devices.
I hope Suunto can reverse this destructive course, both in updates, new devices and App/Web management, maybe even replace some dudes that apaprently have absolutely no clue on how to run a serious fitness devices oriented company, but I just can’t be here anymore.
Best of luck!

cosme.costa

I’m also jumping the ship but within Suunto. Thanks to a faulty button in my SSU, Amazon’s awesome customer service and a few €, today I’ve received my brand new Suunto S9 Baro.

Lets see how it works.

Anyway, I still hope that Spartans will receive updates, at least to solve bugs and minor improvements.

Bruno Tavares

@cosmecosta said in Spartan update complains:

I’m also jumping the ship but within Suunto. Thanks to a faulty button in my SSU, Amazon’s awesome customer service and a few €, today I’ve received my brand new Suunto S9 Baro.

Lets see how it works.

Anyway, I still hope that Spartans will receive updates, at least to solve bugs and minor improvements.

You will still be limited to the new Suunto App from mid 2020 forward, no more Web View…

cosme.costa

@Bruno-Tavares said in Spartan update complains:

@cosmecosta said in Spartan update complains:

I’m also jumping the ship but within Suunto. Thanks to a faulty button in my SSU, Amazon’s awesome customer service and a few €, today I’ve received my brand new Suunto S9 Baro.

Lets see how it works.

Anyway, I still hope that Spartans will receive updates, at least to solve bugs and minor improvements.

You will still be limited to the new Suunto App from mid 2020 forward, no more Web View…

Well, let’s see if eventually we have something.
Garmin, i do not like the design and the price, Polar was my other option but for the same price range Suunto, IMHO, is quite ahead in design and hardware. Coros looks quite good/promising, but I think they do not have web/desktop app and nobody is saying that is a bad thing. Lately I’m quite happy with SA but I still want a route creation tool in big screen, and supplied by Suunto not third party.

jsuarez

@cosmecosta said in Spartan update complains:

Coros looks quite good/promising, but I think they do not have web/desktop app and nobody is saying that is a bad thing. Lately I’m quite happy with SA but I still want a route creation tool in big screen, and supplied by Suunto not third party.

Well, we are not talking about creating a web frontend but keeping a great frontend that Suunto already has. These last few weeks I tried garmin connect and polar flow and IMO they can’t beat movescount web.

What we are talking about is removing features. It’s like you paid good money for a 6-cylinder engine car and then suddenly your brand removes 2 cylinders and tries to convince you that an inline 4 is enough and it is the way to go. Silly, right?

Bruno Tavares

Exactly, the removal of a web viewer will certainly be Suunto’s death as a serious sports oriented company…it’s sad