by Anura Guruge
on September 22, 2022
Much cheaper alternatives at Amazon.
ALL they lack is ‘integration’ with ‘Garmin Connect’.
Some of them do provide an APP. So, yes, you can store or SHARE (e.g., e-mail) that data electronically.
This is very much a damp squib on the part of Garmin. While others are adding blood pressure monitoring & EKG functions to their smartwatches, Garmin has the audacity to announce this. I am not impressed & am glad that I am no longer a Garmin shareholder (having been one for many, many years).
It is hard to justify when its ONLY redeeming factor is that it will send your bp data directly to the Garmin Connect APP so that you can keep track of it along with your other fitness-related data. Yes, that has appeal BUT not at this rip-off price. Bar the camera APP, Garmin Connect is easily the most used APP on my phone. But, I would feel exploited if I spent $150 to get this.
While I fully understand that others might have different needs, I don’t have any pressing reason to have my BP data on Garmin Connect. OK, confession time. I no longer measure my BP on a regular basis (though there were times in the past when I did so). Yes, for now, I also don’t need to keep a record of my BP — THOUGH my excellent $30 wrist-cuff BP monitor does have a built-in memory function. IF push comes to shove, I will admit that I would feel most at ease IF I just recorded my BP on a notebook.
Well, enough said. You get my point. $150 is just a crazy, outlandish, EXPLOITATIVE price for this. Garmin is NOT ‘playing the white man’!
