Garmin announces rugged smartwatch for esports athletes

Garmin Philippines announced the Instinct Esports Edition, a rugged GPS smartwatch uniquely designed for esports athletes and enthusiasts to take their gaming performance to the next level. Using Garmin’s proven health and fitness tracking technologies, the Instinct Esports Edition uses a dedicated esports activity function to track and analyze heart rate and stress during play, as well as offer long-term trend analysis.

Garmin’s new STR3AMUP! PC streaming tool also provides Instinct users the ability to livestream biometric data to audiences for a new streaming experience. And with over three days of battery life in esports mode, users can make the most of their playing time.

“Elite athletes around the world depend on Garmin products to monitor and improve their performance. With the Instinct Esports Edition, esports athletes can tap into that same technology to track and examine how their body responds to intense competition,” said Mr. Scoppen Lin, Director, Garmin Asia. “Players can also use Instinct’s data to make adjustments in their daily lives, whether it be altering sleep patterns or activity levels, which can result in increased cognitive and physical performance during play.”

The Instinct Esports Edition is purpose-built to military standards (MIL-STD 810), yet its exceedingly lightweight design provides a distraction-free gaming experience. It provides up to 80 hours of battery life in esports mode and up to 14 days in smartwatch mode for less time charging and more time gaming. Instinct’s bold black and red colors, high-contrast display and rugged design bring to life a non-traditional smartwatch.

When paired with a compatible smartphone, Instinct also provides smart notifications such as email, texts, and alerts to a user’s wrist so they can stay connected both during and outside of gameplay.

Dedicated esports activity profile

Prior to a match, users simply select the esports activity on Instinct. Once activated, Garmin’s proven wrist-based heart rate technology analyzes and displays a user’s heart rate and stress level in addition to the time of day and a game timer. Similar to other athletic competitions, actively monitoring stress and heart rate in real time can provide the opportunity to manage physical and mental resources for more effective and focused competition.

Once a gaming session has ended, users can sync their activity to the free Garmin Connect app to view, store and analyze their data to see how their body reacts in different gaming situations.

STR3AMUP! livestream biometrics

When using the esports activity, players can utilize Garmin’s new STR3AMUP! PC streaming tool to broadcast heart rate, stress level and Body Battery live and embed this data into their video streams or recordings using customizable overlays. Displaying these metrics allows players to interface with their audience and showcase – in real-time – the physical and mental demands of competitive play.  STR3AMUP! allows audiences to be further engaged with their favorite player or team.

Body metrics tracking

Designed with an emphasis on elite-tier competition, the Instinct Esports Edition provides a variety of valuable body metric analytics features, so users can analyze and fine-tune how their body reacts to competitive play. These include:

  • Wrist-Based Heart Rate – Get heart rate data along with alerts if a user’s heart rate stays too high or too low while at rest, and gauge how hard their heart is working during specific gaming moments.
  • Advanced Sleep Monitoring – Users get a full picture of how they are sleeping with a breakdown of light, deep and REM sleep stages. This allows users to interpret and make lifestyle modifications for more focused play.
  • Stress Tracking – Using Garmin’s heart rate variability, the Instinct Esports Edition can calculate an individual’s stress level score, giving them the opportunity to optimize stress management to conserve mental and physical resources.
  • Body Battery Energy Monitor – Uses heart rate, stress and sleep data to determine how much energy a user has – letting them know when to play and when to rest.
  • 30+ sports apps and robust activity tracking – Users can train with preloaded activity profiles outside the gaming world. For athletes who want to monitor performance even further, an optional Heart Rate Monitor chest strap is available for purchase separately.

Partnership with Tier One Entertainment

Garmin Philippines has confirmed a partnership with Tier One Entertainment, the first esports talent agency in Southeast Asia, for an upcoming collaboration with a few esports personalities. They get to prove their grit and fight it out in a game of Valorant while donning the new Instinct Esports Edition watch, tracking and broadcasting their biometric data for their audiences.

This collaboration will take place in the first quarter of the year. It will be streamed live on the Facebook pages of AMPLFY, the personalities, as well as Garmin Philippines.

“Through this partnership with Garmin, we can show that esports is more than just playing the game; it requires mental and emotional strength, as well as physical readiness.” said Mr. Brian Dacanay, Director of Commercial Partnerships, Tier One Entertainment. “With the Instinct Esports Edition watch, our talents will get to broadcast their biometrics data for the audiences while they are livestreaming. We look forward to delivering more exciting esports livestreaming experiences for our audiences.”

The latest innovation from Garmin, the Instinct Esports Edition is available now for a suggested retail price of PhP 16,995 in all Garmin Brand Stores, official Garmin online stores: Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, Kinetic.com.ph and Garmin PH Viber Community.

GARMIN BRAND STORES
Garmin SM MegamallGarmin SM City Pampanga
Garmin SM Mall of AsiaGarmin Shangri-La Plaza
Garmin Uptown MallGarmin SM City Baguio
Garmin Alabang Town CenterGarmin Glorietta 1
Garmin SM Aura PremierGarmin SM City Cebu
Garmin SM City North EdsaGarmin SM Lanang Premiere
Garmin The PodiumGarmin Festive Walk
Garmin Ayala Malls Vertis NorthGarmin SM City Bacolod

Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized the wellness industry. Committed to developing wearables and health measurement tools that help people of all activity levels lead healthier lives, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday.

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5 best affordable laptops for online classes and WFH (2021)

With online classes and WFH setups becoming the new norm, it’s more important than ever to invest in a reliable laptop. Not all notebooks are equal, however. You need to pick one that suits your specific needs and fits the budget.

For this list, we prioritize three factors: brand, specifications, and price. We highly recommend purchasing from reputable brands and shops because they offer reasonable warranty for their laptops.

For specs, it’s important to aim for at least a Core i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU; anything lower than those could cause stutter during heavy usage. Lastly, we chose a price limit of PhP 30,000, which excludes certain models such as those from Microsoft and MSI.

While you could find laptops cheaper than the ones listed below, you run the risk of subpar performance or trade-offs such as cheap keyboards or low-resolution displays. When it comes to long-term gadgets, it’s best to invest in the best.

SEE ALSO: 5 best affordable tablets for online classes and WFH (2021)

Acer Aspire 5

 

Specifications and Price:

  • 14-inch 1080p display
  • Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • Intel UHD graphics
  • 256GB SSD
  • PhP 27,999

Acer’s Aspire 5 does everything right: an 11th-generation Core i3 processor, the bare minimum 8GB of RAM, and a healthy 256GB SSD. On top of all that, it comes with a two-year warranty. It’s tough to beat its value, especially since it’s well below the PhP 30,000 mark.

Its design is unremarkable, but if you’re spending most of your time at home, no one’s going to notice.

ASUS ExpertBook P1

Specifications and Price:

  • 15.6-inch 1080p display
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • Radeon Vega 3 graphics
  • 128GB SSD
  • PhP 26,995

The ASUS ExpertBook P1 has a large 15.6-inch display and a number pad, both of which make this laptop great for heavy data crunching. In addition, the Ryzen 3 processor with its Vega 3 graphics make Chrome and Photoshop usage smooth.

On the other hand, the 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD definitely need to be upgraded down the line. Fortunately, at PhP 26,995, you’ll have extra cash to spend.

Dell Inspiron 3501

Specifications and Price:

  • 15.6-inch 1080p display
  • Intel Core i3-1125G4 processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • Intel UHD graphics
  • 256GB SSD
  • PhP 29,990

While this Dell Inspiron looks plain on the surface, its hardware has a nice mix of the aforementioned Acer and ASUS laptops. You get the larger 15.6-inch display, 11th-generation Core i3 processor, and generous 256GB SSD.

However, this is another model that requires a RAM upgrade for its measly 4GB. On the bright side, Dell’s home service applies to this laptop’s warranty.

CHECK OUT: Value for money gaming laptops starting at PhP30K

Huawei MateBook D 15

Specifications and Price:

  • 15.6-inch 1080p display
  • Intel Core i3-10110U processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • Intel UHD graphics
  • 256GB SSD
  • PhP 31,999

The MateBook D 15 goes above the P30,000 limit, but Huawei often includes freebies such as a backpack to the package. It’s certainly worth spending extra for this model: it comes with all the essential hardware, plus some nifty features, such as a fingerprint reader for logging in, USB-C charging, and Huawei Share for easier pairing with your smartphone.

The only downside is its recessed webcam above the keyboard; people on the other end of the video call would have a clear view of your nostrils.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3i

Specifications and Price:

  • 14-inch 1080p display
  • Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • Intel UHD graphics
  • 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD
  • PhP 29,995

If you’re after lots of storage, the IdeaPad 3i is your best bet. In addition to the 128GB SSD, it includes a 1TB HDD for all your locally saved files. It also comes with a physical shutter for its webcam, allowing you to cover it when not in use.

Other than those, this IdeaPad has run-of-the-mill specifications from its 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor to the 14-inch Full HD display.

Alternatives

Apple MacBook

It’s time to address the elephant in the room: you can’t score a brand-new MacBook at this price point. Alternatively, you could find secondhand or refurbished models on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace.

A MacBook’s main advantage would be its macOS operating system. You’d have access to apps and software that you can’t use on Windows laptops. MacBooks also tend to last longer than their Windows counterparts thanks to sturdier build quality and service centers specifically catered to repair Apple products.

Chromebook

If you aren’t loyal to Windows or macOS and are on a tight budget, the next best thing is a Chromebook. They hover around the P10,000 to PhP 15,000 range from known brands including ASUS and Lenovo. The catch is that the build quality may not be as solid as the laptops above and your apps will be limited to what Google allows you to install.

Thankfully, Chromebooks have access to the Play Store, providing a similar experience to what you’d find on an Android smartphone except with a much larger screen.

Final thoughts

You can’t go wrong with any of the aforementioned Windows laptops. If we were forced to recommend only one, it would be the Acer Aspire 5. It has every specification covered, and it’s one of the cheapest Core i3 laptops you can find brand new.

Best of all, the two-year warranty is unmatched in providing peace of mind during your online classes or work from home. Our runner-up would be the Dell Inspiron 3501.

If you have an extra stick of RAM to insert, it’s easily the most complete 15-inch laptop you can find at this price point.

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