The trails support is also fantastic. I moved house and so didn’t really know the running routes around here, which always makes you a little apprehensive about going out for a longer run. Thanks to the .GPX route support, I just jumped online and used PlotARoute to generate a predetermined distance based on my starting point, which can also be a circuit. You can also use MapsToGPS in conjunction with Google Maps to easily generate a .GPX route to load onto the watch. When compared with a chest strap on a competitor device, the Spark 3 held its own. Heart rate was accurate, but I did notice a little lag when out. Doing hill runs, for example, meant spikes in heart rate that the watch struggled to display immediately. TomTom also announced a number of software improvements recently, which should be rolling out this month. These include a new Fitness Age score, which is based on your VO2 Max. It’s great to see VO2 Max estimations finally come to TomTom devices, as it’s historically been a rather strange absence considering all the component pieces required were present. This will compare you against other people in your demographic and is designed as an extra measurement metric and layer of motivation. Like the previous generation, there’s also the identically featured TomTom Runner 3 range, which has a slightly different strap design but is available in the same variations and provides the same level of functionality. The main reason you'd consider upgrading from the Spark to the Spark 3 is the new route exploration feature. This basically means you can now go out on a big run and the route will be mapped out on the watch screen, helping you navigate your way home a little easier. You can now add routes to the watch as well, which is handy if you want to run an approximate distance or just freshen up your running routes. It's a feature that usually crops up on more expensive sports watches, so it's definitely a positive to see it appear on the Spark 3.

So what this means in practice is that as soon as you start your run, a little icon appears on a blank screen saying “home” on it. A line is then drawn covering the directions you run in, with each twist and turn being shown on the screen like an etch-a-sketch drawing taking shape.[gallery:3]

Once home,you can review all the details in the TomTom Sports App or export the data to your favourite apps like Strava or Runkeeper, which you’ll probably want to, because the TomTom app isn’t quite up to those standards just yet. That said, on looking at the data when synced afterwards, it appeared to have recorded accurately. In fact, since most people are likely to train in zones, rather than looking at tiny heart rate detail variations, this shouldn’t be an issue; zone movements appeared to keep up. If battery life is less of a concern for you, and you’d rather some smartwatch capabilities, then the Apple Watch Series 2– which is also waterproof and has GPS built in – is a preferable option. But its running options are not as good as the Spark’s, plus you’ll be charging it every day.

The TomTom Spark 3 is a comprehensive offering that works well and is offered at an affordable price, which makes for a very compelling GPS sports watch indeed. First off, you’ve got to do it on a PC or Mac – there’s no way to sync music from your phone to the watch.

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Regardless of which model you choose, all are competitively priced; I just wish that TomTom also sold the Spark 3 Cardio + Music without the headphones. Battery Life This will appeal to anyone with a terrible sense of direction, or those of us who just like to run free and explore new areas without the fear of getting lost. We put it up against a Polar H7 heart rate monitor chest strap for several runs and the sample below of the data compared to the H7 paired with Runkeeper shows it's still a reliable monitor. Mixing things up with some high intensity training yields similarly good results. The Spark 3, like the original Spark, houses one of the best optical heart rate monitors we've tested. And although I came at the Spark 3 from a runner’s perspective, it also has plenty to offer treadmill warriors, cyclists and swimmers – in the case of the latter, it’ll measure strokes, lengths and speeds, with waterproofing to 40 metres. It’s Bluetooth-compatible too, so you can add extra accessories like a chest belt for better heart rate accuracy, though sadly there’s no room for ANT+. And with a recent software update the versions with heart-rate monitors can also calculate your Fitness Age, a simple metric showing how your hard work and exercise is paying off.

The Spark 3 is particularly suited to runners. You can set specific objectives for each part of your run (such as fat burning), or how many calories you want to burn, or what distance you want to cover. The TomTom Spark 3 is, as the name suggests, the third-generation GPS running watch from maps and satnav specialist, TomTom. It’s a headline grabbing list of features for any sports watch, but has TomTom done enough to tempt both first-timers and fully fledged fitness freaks away from brands like Garmin and Polar? Design All that said, the app is clean, easy to use and works well for the sports for which it is tailored. The ability to stream music from your watch without your phone continues to be a feature that gets overlooked by the likes of Garmin and Polar (although that has been remedied with the new Polar M600 Android Wear running watch). The Apple Watch Series 2 and Android Wear watches let you do it, but nobody has really nailed the concept on a GPS running watch yet.It's a similar story for cyclists if you want to capture more ride data by connecting an external cadence or speed sensor. TomTom has tested its own sensor and the Wahoo Blue SC setup as well, but it should technically work with all Bluetooth Smart compatible sensors as well. You need to head into the Sensors menu again and this time go to Bike to get things paired up. Give Spark 3 a reboot But it's not just a meaningless update. TomTom has added route exploration for the first time, building in a compass sensor to make it easier to find your way home or discover a new running trail. All supported activities, including cycling, gym workouts, indoor and outdoor runs, and swimming, have their own menus where you can customize goals and settings. For example, you can adjust your bike's wheel size or the size of a swimming pool. You can also use the watch as a stopwatch, set up and view heart rate zones to stay in, and race against previous times. Unfortunately, you still have to start a new session and then press the up button to view your stats on the watch. What you get instead is a watch with a simple greyscale display, large battery and robust design – something that feels like it can take a battering whether you’re getting it wet, dirty or both. It’s rudimentary, and doesn’t take into account topography, but we found it incredibly useful on a series of wooded trail runs. If, like many people, you’re guilty of doing the same few routes time and again, this is a great way to explore and add interest, especially if you’ve got longer training runs to do. Adding a route

You’ll also earn new Fitness Points based on your Fitness Age. The more intense your workouts, the more Fitness Points you’ll accrue. It’s designed to make you want to run more than just walk, as an example. Finally, there will be Personalised Workouts, covering running and cycling, available to follow from your wrist. The updates are expected to roll out in September and look to be welcome improvements. The key takeaway is that running with music without carrying your smartphone along for the ride is awesome. We relish the freedom every time we hit the roads for our training runs, and along with the top heart rate performance, is why we recommend the TomTom Spark again and again. But there's still definitely some work to be done to make music support more seamless – and our dream of a Spotify enabled running watch is yet to be realised. It’s still a bit short of the presentation and capabilities offered by other apps, though. It partners with the likes of Strava, Nike+ and Runkeeper, so most users will probably prefer to dive into the details of their activity there, rather than on the TomTom Sports app. When you return within range of your phone, you can sync up your activities to the TomTom MySports iOS or Android app, or PC or Mac software. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – right? That appears to be TomTom’s thinking with the Spark 3, which hasn’t changed significantly in the looks department since the first version.

Music, fitness tracking and on-wrist navigation packed into one little watch

According to TomTom, you're not required to calibrate the compass before activity but the Spark 3 will offer to calibrate if it considers it's needed. You can still calibrate whenever you wish as well. That feature is cool, but if you’re after more structured training programmes, Garmin or Polar watches offer more than the TomTom Spark 3. If you don't entirely trust the heart rate data that's being dished out by the on-board heart rate monitor, you do have the option to connect a range of Bluetooth Smart heart rate sensor chest straps including the Polar H7 and Mio Alpha wearable.