Becky,

I have the women's version and the strap is tightened as far as it will go. Keep in mind that My bra band size is 30". But, I still think the strap is made more for men. I compared it to my Polar straps and it is no larger, except that Polar offered smaller sizes.

Yes, you need the pod to download the information but it was easy to install.

The software is ok, pretty basic, you can download it and take a look. You can enter most information manually. There are other websites that support Suunto that are more advanced and the T6C has very advanced software but it doesn't come in a woman's model.

The "coach" feature is nice but I don't use it. It didn't mesh with my cycling training.

I love the size of the watch vs. the bulkiness of the Polar, it's thin and light and doesn't look bulky on my small wrist. I've seen some complaints about scratches on the crystal but I've had mine for a year now and there are very few scratches. I also love that you can lock the buttons which is great for traveling as the timer doesn't accidentally start while packed in luggage.

I bought mine from REI in case I had problems, they are very good to deal with when there are issues with a product. I also have a Suunto Lumi, which I also love. The band that came with it was poor design and broke within a year. I read a lot of complaints about it on the web. When it broke I called REI and within a few weeks they had a replacement band. I don't wear my T4C for everyday so I can't speak to the quality of the band, but I haven't seen complaints. Suunto seems very good about replacing defective products.

Checkout Suunto's users forum for more thoughts. http://www.suuntosports.com/discussions/default.asp