Considering a heart rate monitor to see how fast that big old muscle is really beating when you’re working hard? If you’re tracking changes over a long run or activity, we’ve reviewed several heart rate monitor options for you in the past, but if you’d like a quick sampling through your day or workout, you should check out the Instant Heart Rate app from Azumio.
Here are a few pros and cons for this app:
Pro: Fast to Use
This app tracks your heart rate over a period of ten seconds using changes in color in your fingertip, which you place over the camera lens. The app updates you on progress, and gives you the results in an easy-to-understand graphical interface.
Pro: Storage and Sharing Options
The app comes with heart rate timeline tracking, sharing, and a reference chart. Azumio has just released the ability to have a timeline of heart rates for personal tracking. While they did not have this ability before, they did offer the ability to export your results to Facebook, Evernote, and more.
Con: Not So Flashy
There’s a given margin of error with this app, since you have to be sure your finger is covering a camera lens when you might be shaking and sweaty after a workout. Also, if you don’t have a flash on your phone, you have to be in fairly good light for the app to work, since it uses the color changes of your fingertip for measurement.
The app also has a few other advantages. The Instant Heart Rate app is available for both iPhone and Android, and and it’s also free, which is always a welcome feature.
In summary, this is a great tool for when you’d like a one-off heart rate measurement without an expensive unitasker. But be forewarned, since you just put your fingers all over your camera lens, make sure to wipe it off before that sweaty post-workout selfie, or you’ll be disappointed!
The Instant Heart Rate app is available for free at Azumio.com.
