Heart Rate Monitor is a Windows Phone app published by GPS Tuner, the developers of Turn by Turn Navigation. The app, as you would guess, measures and tracks your heart rate.
Heart Rate Monitor is very similar to easyHeartRate in that it uses your Windows Phone camera to monitor the slight color changes in your finger tip as your heart beats. Heart Rate Monitor reads these changes and converts it to a heart rate reading.
Heart Rate Monitor has a simple, straight forward interface. Just tap the start button, gently place your forefinger over the camera lens and in about fifteen seconds, you'll have a heart rate reading. There's even a preview windows showing you the pulsation in your finger. Once you have your reading, you can save it to keep track of things.
In giving Heart Rate Monitor a try, the accuracy of the heart rate reading gets you in the ball park. As the developer notes in the Marketplace description,
Please note that due to the limitations of your phone’s capabilities, the measurements should never be considered accurate nor should your phone be used to replace a dedicated Heart Rate Measurement Device. The values are indications and should not be use for a medical conclusion of any sort.
Heart Rate Monitor gives you more of an indication of your heart rate than a precise reading.
I did find Heart Rate Monitor a little on the sensitive side with respect to how you placed your finger over the camera. Press too hard and your pulse registers way too high. If you don't press enough, you're a zombie with no pulse. At any time the app fails to register your pulse, the countdown timer stops and you'll need to start over again.
Additionally, some Windows Phone cameras aren't compatible with Heart Rate Monitor. For example, the app ran smoothly with the HTC HD7 but could not get a reading when used on the HTC Titan II. Heart Rate Monitor also ran smoothly on the Nokia Lumia 900. For this reason, we recommend you download the trial version first to make sure your Windows Phone is compatible with Heart Rate Monitor.
The full version of Heart Rate Monitor is running $1.99. Additionally, GPS Tuner is running a promotion on Heart Rate Monitor where if you submit your email address from the trial version, GPS Tuner will send you a promotional code to activate the full version for free.
Heart Rate Monitor can be found here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.
