TomTom Touch + Cardio

UNIQUE STATS UNDONE BY POOR PERFORMANCE.

AT THE RISK of being slapped through these pages, how fat are you? TomTom’s simple-looking fitness tracker aims to give you the truth in a startling-easy way. The Touch + Cardio wraps around your wrist like any other tracker here, but two contact points — one underneath the small OLED screen, the other on the opposite side pressed against your wrist — form a circuit when you press your forefinger on the small silver dot on the top. An imperceptible current runs between your wrist and your finger, measuring your body fat percentage and muscle mass. Very clever, and unlike any other fitness tracker on test and in the market right now.

However, the Touch + Cardio will measure those stats only on the top half of your body, as the current finds the shortest circuit it can. That’s when it decides it’s going to work, as it was also reluctant to take measurements at times, requiring multiple attempts, and you need to open the app to view results, which is an odd design choice. So while you can’t truly rely on the Cardio + Touch, it does at least offer some indication of your body’s composition, and will also measure steps via its pedometer, and keep track of your heart rate throughout the day — very useful if you’re trying to bring your average HR down.

Battery life is so-so, running out after three days, though a simple Micro USB port makes it convenient to charge. Although the app is friendly and easy to navigate, it’s a bit of a fizzer compared to Garmin or Fitbit’s version, only showing off total time asleep rather than light, deep or REM.