MBlog

Editing Multiple Activities

Recently, you may have seen a Newsletter item or MBlog post about editing your Activity under the Activity Options feature.  We frequently see requests for information on being able to change more than one Activity at a time.  Here's the scoop.  You can change more than one Activity following these simple instructions:

1. Login to MotionBased and go to your Activity Digest

2. Check the boxes next to the activities you wish to change - you can choose up to 10

3. From the "More Actions" drop down menu, select "Activity Options"

(If you have pop-up blockers you'll need to hold the "Ctrl" button so that all the separate windows open up)

4. Make your edits and Save each Activity

That's all there is to it.  No need to open up an individual Activity's Dashboard in order to access the Activity Options link.  Happy editing!

Units of Measure

Happy New Year!  With the New Year comes new users with new devices.  To help you get going on MotionBased we're going to give you some tips over the coming weeks.  These are solutions to some of our most frequently asked questions. 

Tip for this week?  How to change your Units of Measure from Standard (U.S.) to Metric, or vice versa.  Along with a slew of other feature adjustments, you can set your Units of Measure to your preferred unit by selecting the Units tab under Account Preferences. 

Revisiting Data Recording

MotionBased's continued growth means that new users are signing up every day.  It also means that there is even more information we need to provide for you to have the most enjoyable experience possible.  This installment of the MBlog revisits your devices Data Recording capabilities, and what works best for uploading to MotionBased.

Smart Recording: This is the best setting for almost every activity.  When the device is set to Smart Recording it intuitively records trackpoints along your ride/run/etc when necessary.  This setting won't unnecessarily hog valuable recording memory, so you can capture that longer ride or run.

Every Second Recording: While not intuitive, this setting is valuable for very few activities.  Setting your device to record Every Second means that it will record a trackpoint every second regardless of terrain or speed.  This can get you into trouble if you're moving too slowly.  Trackpoints will be recorded one on top of the other.  Even if your activity is fewer than 5,000 trackpoints, it may still show inaccuracies due to the over abundance of data.  It will also be slow to view at MotionBased.

Use Smart Recording and everyone wins!!

Saved Reports

Available to our Standard Subscribers, utilizing Saved Reports is a fantastic way to keep your training in order.  Maximizing this feature will allow you to:

1. Keep your favorite routes available with the click of the mouse.

2. Keep track of friends and potential competitors.

3. Sort your own training into specialized reports.

And those are the "easy" filters that take no time to run!  You can run a search for multiple users and then save the report so it loads the new activities for those 2 users.

Another cool feature is the Map Filter.  Once you've searched for your favorite Activity, you can search a geographical location by using the Map Filter.  You'll get a report that looks similar to this:

Read more about Saved Reports, and of course the Filters to run in order to run the report you want, on our Knowledge Base.

Device Reset Tip

Our good friend Peg at Garmin's Blog reminds us how to reset Garmin fitness devices. We mentioned this in a previous post, but since they bring it up again we're following suit...we're tight like that.

The Forerunner or Edge 205/305 occasionally lock-up:

• When Searching for satellites
• After removing wall charging or USB cable
• During use

The fix, a soft reset:

• Forerunner or Edge 205/305 - Hold down the 'mode' and 'reset' buttons
• Forerunner 201/301 - Hold down the 'power' and 'reset' buttons

Having the latest device firmware is always a good idea. See the WebUpdater post for tips on upgrading firmware.

Thanks Peg

Upload Process, HR Preferences, and More...

Things are a little different at MB. That's right, we recently released the latest version of MotionBased. Our engineers have been working hard to enhance the experience, add functionality, and fix some annoyances.

Here's what changed:

Upload Process - We learned that processing activities, and lots of ‘em, puts an enormous load on MotionBased. So we added a queue to regulate the flow. Now, after the MB Agent sends your activities to MotionBased, they get added to a queue for processing. When complete, they arrive in your Inbox. Don’t sweat it 'til you try it, it's not that bad. For those who practice good MotionBased upload habits (see tips below), your activities may be processed by the time you visit the Inbox. [read more]

Tips for faster processing

1. Use the MB Agent to upload your data (Windows PC users only).
2. Do NOT send .hst files unless you need to send your Garmin Training Center history for the first time to MotionBased.
3. Do NOT use one second data recording on your GPS device - except for special cases.
4. Mac users -- please delete the device history after each upload.

Heart Rate Zones Preferences - Configure your Heart Rate preferences as they appear throughout MotionBased.

Search - Improved keyword search for finding activities Digest and TrailNetwork. [read more]

Google Maps - Support for Europe!!

Activity Type Assignment - Your most frequent activity types are listed first for easier assignment.

Data Recording

More data isn't always better! Data points that is. The new Forerunner and Edge 205/305 devices have two data recording settings – 'Smart Recording' and 'Every Second'. Even though the owners manual says, "most accurate record possible", 'Every Second' should ONLY be used for specific activities that are short, fast, and tight. Like track running, track cycling, or downhill mountain biking. You may think all your activities are 'Every Second' worthy, but that’s not the point and most of the time it works against you.

Things to know about 'Every Second' recording.

• Usage - 'Every Second' isn't bad. If used properly it's a great recording technique, but should be reserved for special circumstances.

• Storage - Device storage is limited. 'Every Second' fills up the memory in approximately 3 1/2 hours, then starts erasing/overwriting data. 'Smart Recording' allows for days of recording.

• File Size - Large activity files slowdown MotionBased, and even may be rejected. Transfer time, processing speed, and page loads (especially the Map Player) are negatively affected.

• Quality - Because it's recording more track points doesn't necessarily mean the data is more useful.
  

'Smart Recording' is smarter than you think. It continuously monitors your speed, direction, and location, and records track points when it detects change. If descending a winding route at varying speed, the device will record more track points than a steady pace on a straight path. Smart Recording is the default setting. So unless you have specific need, don't change it.

Firmware Update- WebUpdater

Get a GPS tune up! Update your firmware, the best way to improve your GPS device and MB experience.

What is Firmware:
Firmware is software embedded in a hardware device. Similar to the operating system on a computer, firmware is the software that runs a GPS Device. Just like the firmware on your iPod or digi-camera, manufactures routinely fix bugs, enhance performance and distribute via firmware updates.

Firmware Updates:
The biggest problem with firmware updates is that no one does 'em. Why? Mostly because no one knows they're available. From now on, we'll post here when an update becomes available for Garmin's fitness devices.

What Firmware version is on my device?
The firmware version is displayed on the device and MotionBased. Choose your device to see where you can find it:
Edge 205
Edge 305
Forerunner 205
Forerunner 305

How do I update firmware?
Even if your device is fresh-out of the box, an update may be available. The easiest way to know for sure, is to install and run the Garmin WebUpdater - a great little utility that uses the Internet to check of updates, and installs the latest firmware appropriate for the connected device.  It's really that easy. The only confusing part is the default installation destination (C:\Garmin\WebUpdater). See the WebUpdater for instructions and links.

Stay tuned to the MBlog, we'll let you know when new firmware updates become available. In the meantime, check your device into the firmware clinic.

Training Center Import

Yee-haw! You can now import Garmin Training Center history (.hst file) into MotionBased. "What took so long?" I'm not exactly sure. I heard some chatter in the server-room, it sounded complicated and way over my head.  But who cares, it's here now.

Keep in mind, this should be done as a one-time history dump. Training Center exports your ENTIRE history, it's a "process" and puts a burden on our servers. In the future, if you want data in both places, upload to MotionBased via the MB Agent and Training  Center separately.

The Drill:

• First, you need the latest Garmin Training Center, plus a MotionBased account and MB Agent.

• Next, "Export History" from Garmin Training Center (save file locally to computer)

• Launch MotionBased Agent

• Click Import Files

• Browse and open History File (????_history.hst)
• Check radio button "Send to MotionBased"
• Send   
  

 

• Get comfy with this page, it can take a few. The MB agent is working hard, and most importantly 'zipping' your file to expedite the transfer. Note - DO NOT upload through the MotionBased Upload page via your browser. The file will be rejected by our server.
  

• Voila, it's in your Inbox.

• Now get busy on the Inbox, get those puppies in your Digest
• That's it, not bad huh?

Like anything that's easy, there's a down side. MotionBased cannot import the heart zones associated with the activities. MB assigns the default heart zones. This only pertains to imports, and not the case with activities received from the device. We plan to resolve this with heart rate zone preferences in the next release. 

Firefox Extension - Open in IE

Like many of you, the MB Crew are BIG fans of Firefox. Believe us when we say, we want MotionBased to work in Firefox as bad as you do. And we're moving in that direction, but it may be a bit. Cross-browser compatibility means scrapping the SVG viewer and re-writing the Map Player, Analyzer, and Dot Racing. Not a small project, but one we're committed too. Until then, here's a little tip that makes it easy to jump from Firefox to Internet Explorer.

IE View Lite is a Firefox extension that makes it easy to open links in Internet Explorer. Once installed, right click Map Play or Analyzer and 'Open Link Target in IE', launching IE with desired page.

You'll discover that it doesn't work on links that use java script, like activity links. The drop down is the give away here - it will say 'View This Page in IE'. Another negative is session recognition. IE doesn't know that you are already loginned in via Firefox. So, if you're a hardcore Firefoxer and only open IE when absolutely necessary, open in IE for Map Player and Analyze then close resume session in Firefox.

Happy browsing,

Mike
madmax.motionbased.com