The things that will set the
Suunto N3 watch apart from other SPOT watches will be the
Suunto quality, style, and warranty, not so much a bunch of additional features. Putting in additional features beyond the basics and the SPOT system would only drive the price up, while not adding much value for the majority of buyers, who would be buying the N3 for the internet features, and not to check their altitude or
compass bearings.
I assume that the thinking is that the new SPOT technology that allows one to receive instant messages, news, appointments, etc on one's watch is more than enough of a selling point, especially for the comparatively low price of $299.
That said, there is one major difference between
Suunto's version and others; only
Suunto will feature an antenna that is in the bezel, instead of the
strap. This means only the
Suunto N3 will be water resistant (up to 100 meters/330 ft); other brands will not be.
Hope this helped.
 |  |  |
 | Compass |  | Compasses are sensitive, absolutely crucial instruments to precision navigation. The earth's magnetic field, inclination, and your longitude and latitude all influence the horizontal plane of a compass needle. As a result, compasses are balanced for different geographical zones. Suunto Compasses overcome this limitation to traditional compasses by using a simple 'Two Zone System'. With a Suunto Compass, the only 'balancing zones' are the northern and southern hemispheres. In addition to this innovation, certain Suunto Compasses come equipped with useful features like luminous needles and marks, centimeter/inch scales, magnifying glasses, clinometers, sighting notches, and more. | |  |
 |  |  |