Garmin have recently unveiled a brand new Forerunner GPS watch, the Garmin Forerunner 910XT, building on the tradition of the 305 and 310XT Forerunners with their multisport focus that triathletes will find useful and beneficial. The former watches are very popular and were well received by triathlete and athletic communities, the new Forerunner watch adds new features to Garmins proven model. The new watch offers several new enhancements, that is sure please aerobic athletes of various persuasions, especially swimmers. So let’s take a closer look at the latest offer from Garmin.

What’s New

The Garmin Forerunner 310XT was known for being the first GPS watch to be safe to use while swimming in the water. The Garmin Forerunner 910XT GPS, follows in that tradition and adds a whole host of new swim metrics on top, allowing you track your swimming sessions in greater detail, adding the following swim metrics to its list of abilities: distance, speed, stroke count, stroke type

Forerunner 910XT without HRM (MSRP. $399.99) – Buy Now
Forerunner 910XT with HRM (MSRP. $449.99) – Buy Now

Unfortunately, the new watch fails to address a couple of flaws of the 310XT.

Its inability to track speed and distance in the water; the inability to receive a GPS signal underwater is an unfortunate phenomena all GPS watches suffer from, there really is no way to address this due to limitations in the technology.

Its lack of heart rate reception under water; Garmin use the ANT+™ protocol for their heart rate monitors, which unfortunately will not transmit underwater. This ability is only found in the Polar RCX5, which uses a non-ANT+™ protocol.

On the plus side, both the 310XT and 910XT feature an open water mode for swimming, which works on the basis of the watch re-establishing the GPS uplink mid-stroke while your hand is out of the water. Open water mode is not 100% accurate, but gives you a rough idea of a swim course.

A more accurate technique that a lot of triathletes use is the watch-under-the-swimming-cap trick, that keeps the GPS antenna out of the water throughout the swim.

Other changes in the Garmin 910XT watch include a thinner form factor. The display screen of the new watch is identical to the 310XT, but with less thickness. The watch also features a brand new high-tech design and has a shiny black color scheme over the silver/orange of its predecessor. The Forerunner 910XT is Garmin’s first ever GPS watch to feature a barometric altimeter. This delivers greater elevation accuracy than GPS based elevation, which has a degree of inaccuracy in vertical measurement. This puts Garmin in league with top-line Suunto and Polar watches in terms of real-time altitude measuring.

Like the recently released Forerunner 610, the new Forerunner 910XT Garmin adds the Training Effect sports metric, an indication of how effectively you have trained and previously only found in Suunto watches. So the latest Generation of Garmin GPS watches are now have a greater competitive advantage compared to the best offerings from Suunto and Polar. If you want the ultimate all-in-one GPS watch, a Garmin is really the only game in town.

The new watch also adds new sports watch modes including support for a run/walk reminder feature. The run/walk training method is popular among those new to the sport who are not yet fit enough to continually run for any length of time. The new reminder feature allows you to pre-set times for walking and running and will alert you when it is time to start jogging or take a break. The Virtual Racer feature introduced in the Forerunner 610 is also present, it allows you to train or race against previous performances on pre-saved courses. Unlike Garmins popular Virtual Parter feature, the pace of your virtual competitor will vary, which is more realistic when you take hills and off-trail segments of your course where your pace is slower into account.

Summary of FR910XT enhancements:

• slimmer external case
• new swim metrics
• barometric altimeter
• training effect
• run/walk reminder feature
• improved ANT+™ based cycling power meter support
• virtual racer

Traditional Forerunner Sports Features

While the Garmin 910XT Forerunner offers plenty of new improvements over its predecessor, the advanced sports watch features found in older Garmin Forerunners that have worked well have been included unchanged. The 910XT remains a high-end watch with endless ability to configure data pages and tweak settings to maximize your training experience. In the 910XT, Garmin have designed a watch that ‘does it all’, and in many ways Garmin have really hit the nail on the head. The Garmin 910XT HRM contains the following “traditional” features that have been successful in the Forerunner 305 through to the latest offerings.

Customizable Display: Customize multiple data pages with up to 4 data fields per page
Auto Scroll: Set up the watch to scroll through data pages in sequence.
Auto Lap: Automatically registers a lap in memory
Auto Pause: Pauses the stopwatch when you stop running (like when you stop at traffic lights), and resumes when you continue
Alerts: Alerts you via a visual, audible or vibration signal based on time or distance
Virtual Partner®: Train against a virtual competitor moving at a pre-set pace (but without variations)
Courses: Run against a previous activity on a previous course
Multisport Mode: Pre-programmed transition sequences for swimming, running, cycling. One button-press transitioning
Advanced Workouts: Use Garmin Connect™ to create advanced structured workouts with goals
Interval Training: Setup repetitive hard/easy session with warm-up and cool-down

What is lacking in the new watch is the “simple workout” feature, where you can input a time, distance or calorie goal. I guess, this is due to the impractical nature of running until you reach a certain distance or for a certain length of time, I mean unless your run mindless laps of your athletics track, you are left in the middle of nowhere and must somehow get back.

Advantages For Runners

The Garmin Forerunner 910XT HR watch, offers similar benefits to those of the Forerunner 610 and former Forerunners. When you go for a run you can record details of how far you went, how fast and a course of your run is saved in memory. The advanced sports modes (see the list above) allow you to to perform advanced training based on a structured sequence of activities with options for goal-oriented training, target zones and various different alerts that can be set up.

Advantages For Cycling

This particular watch from Garmin is more friendly towards cycling than other Forerunners, with support for up to five customized bike profiles with parameters for wheel size, weight, speed, cadence and power as well as support for major ANT+™ sensors geared at cycling.

These are generally:

• power meters
• cadence only
• speed-only
• speed/cadence combos

The 910XT has nearly the same general functionality as the Garmin Edge 500, but can only display up to 4 data fields instead of 8. The 910XT offers a lot more than the Edge 500 for runners and swimmers, but if you are pure cyclists that does no swimming or running, you will probably be better served with the Garmin Edge 500 (no mapping) or Garmin Edge 800 (with mapping).

Of great interest to the cycling community and triathletes is support for pedal based power meters for cyclists like the Garmin Vector, CycleOps, Power2Max, SRAM/Quarq, SRM as well as cleat power meters like Brim Brothers Zone and O-Sycne. However the Garmin watches are not compatible with Polar’s Look/Keo power meters as these are based on the Polar W.I.N.D. protocol and not ANT+™.

The cycling power meter metrics that are supported in the Forerunner 910XT are:

• power
• 30s average power
• power in kilojoules
• power current lap
• power of last lap
• power max
• power max current lap
• power in watts/kg
• left and right power (for upcoming Garmin Vector pedal power meter)

and included are the following Training Peaks metrics:

• intensity factor (IF)
• training stress score (TSS)
• normalized power (NP)

The Training Peaks metrics will also soon be available in Garmin Connect™.

Advantages For Swimmers

The Garmin 910XT GPS watch is the first Garmin to have integrated swimming metrics that can help you keep track of your swimming sessions in a pool. The watch lets you set the distance of the pool and the stroke type. It will display your SWOLF score (efficiency) and will register the following main swimming metrics:

Lengths: num lengths, lengths current interval, lengths last interval
Stroke distance: stroke distance average, stroke distance current interval, stroke distance of last interval
Stroke rate: stroke rate overall, stroke rate current interval, stroke rate of last interval, stroke rate, last length
Distance: distance overall, distance of current interval, distance of last interval
Pace: pace average, pace of current interval, pace of last interval,
Efficiency: efficiency average, efficiency of current interval,efficiency of last interval
SWOLF: swolf average, swolf of current interval, swolf of last interval, swolf of last length

The 910XT Forerunner GPS watch, like the 310XT is waterproof to 50 meters and as mentioned will not transmit heart rate or GPS distance information while underwater, although it can link up to the GPS satellites in the open water mode, allowing you to register speed, distance and save position plots for mapping purposes.

Garmin Forerunner 910XT vs 310XT vs 305

	Forerunner 305	Forerunner 310XT	Forerunner 910XT
MSRP	$199.99	$349.99 wo/hrm $399.99 w/hrm	$399.99 wo/hrm $449.99 w/hrm
Specifications
Dimensions, WxHxD	5.33 x 6.86 x 1.78 cm 2.1" x 2.7" x 0.7"	5.4 x 5.6 x 1.9 cm 2.1" x 2.2" x 0.8"	4.8 x 7.1 x 1.6 cm 1.88" x 2.78" x 0.646"
Display Width	3.3 x 2.0 cm 1.3" x 0.8"	3.3 x 2.0 cm 1.3" x 0.8"	3.3 x 2.0 cm 1.3" x 0.8"
Unit Weight	77 g	72 g	72 g
Battery Type	Rechargeable	Rechargeable	Rechargeable
Battery Life	10 hours, typical	20 hours, typical	20 hours, typical
Heart Rate Support
Map Navigation
Swim metrics
Barometric altimeter:
Customizable Screens
Display Data Fields	4	4	4
Device Support
Bike speed/cadence support
Foot Pod support
Power meter compatible
Touch Sensitive Bevel
Memory
Lap History	1000 laps	1000 laps	1000 laps
Waypoints	100	100	100
Routes	50	0	0
Software
PC transfer	USB cable	ANT+™	ANT+™
Garmin Connect™
Garmin Training Center®
Features
Training Effect (measures impact of an activity on your aerobic fitness)
Virtual Partner® (train against a digital person)
Virtual Racer™ (compete against other activities)
Courses (compete against previous activities)
Auto Pause (pauses and resumes timer based on speed)
Auto Lap (automatically starts a new lap)
Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout)
Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button)
Simple Workouts (input time, distance and calorie goals)
Advanced Workouts (create custom, goal-oriented workouts)
Pace Alerts (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace)		(advanced workouts)	(advanced workouts)
Time/distance Alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal)
Vibration alert (choose between alert tones and/or vibration alert)
Interval Training (set up exercise and rest intervals)
Heart Rate Based Calories

The Verdict

The Garmin Forerunner 910XT GPS watch is an attempt by Garmin to produce a watch that has it all, and in that respect Garmin have once again delivered in spades, especially in respect to the pool metrics for swimer that have been added and its enhanced support for cycling power meters. The addition of a barometric altimeter also puts it in league with the high performing Suunto t6d and Suunto RS800CX watches. The added walk/run feature is another nice touch, though I suspect if you are buying a watch of this calibre you will already be very fit, and more likely the ultra-fit category. This feature can still be a useful for time-based reminder that activates independently of other alert systems.

As a capable sports watch for competitive triathletes, the FR910XT watch is in a league of its own, with its advanced multisport abilities, you can seamlessly transition between a swim or a run leg, a run and a cycle leg or any pre-configured sequence you need. For swimming and cycling it offer an unparalleled number of advantages over most watches in the market and it is the near equal of the Forerunner 610, indeed it has a much longer battery life, but on the other hand lacks the tap-screen advantage of the 610 which is more a performance runner’s watch.

If you are a pure runner or a pure cyclist, then this watch is over-kill for your needs. The same can be said for casual runners, who can get what they need out of the Forerunner 110 or Forerunner 210 watches at about half the price. In terms of price, it is always smart to look around the internet for the best Garmin Forerunner 910XT price, however the cheapest offers are usually found on the Amazon website. At the time of writing this review, the new Forerunner is yet to be released. But if you would like to buy Garmin Forerunner 910XT you can head over to Amazon and pre-order.

Forerunner 910XT without HRM (MSRP. $399.99) – Buy Now
Forerunner 910XT with HRM (MSRP. $449.99) – Buy Now

The options for hardcore athletes looking for the next gadget to give them the extra edge that will take them past their competitors to the finish line for a race win just got another boost with the release of the Polar RCX5 watch. Earlier this month, fitness gadget maker Polar finally rolled out the new watch design from its shelves after months of offering free testing on prototype units to get the initial pulse of the tech-savvy and highly conscientious fitness community. The result is the Polar RCX5 Heart Rate Monitor watch that builds on the success of its predecessors but retains some unique elements that are expected to make it a heavy favorite for runners, swimmers, bikers and sports enthusiasts alike.

The first thing that one should know about this most recent Polar release is that it offers the most complete package in terms of training in various sports specifically those that cater to the Triathlon market. Because of this versatility and flexibility designed to meet the various niches of the sport, athletes are dubbing this release the Polar RCX5 training computer watch. The complete kit comes flushed with accessories including the watch itself which has a very slim and elegant profile, the G5 GPS pod, the Wearlink+ Hybrid Heart Rate Strap, the S3+ stride sensor or footpod, and the wireless Polar USB Datalink stick which enables online downloading and transmission of training data to a nearby computer. The package gets you suited up for any condition – outdoor, indoor, wet, dry, remote, urban; name it, the Polar RCX5 fitness monitor watch is all geared up and ready.

Building on its reputation as a premier provider of heart rate sensors, this RCX5 Polar heart rate monitor watch is a formidable piece of fitness equipment. The Polar RCX5 heart rate monitors give accurate readouts of heart beats per minute which helps to quantify intensity of the workout and determine areas that require improvement. Without the Polar RCX5 HRM, it would be difficult to determine one’s level of performance accurately; however, with the heart rate monitor fully engaged, an athlete can concentrate on the workout and later review the available data to look for trends that would point to the best areas for improvement. This is made possible by the fact that it is easy to trend and chart data from previous workouts so you can see how your heart rate varies versus elevation, speed, distance and duration of the training and many other elements that you can customize in the watch interface. All told, the Polar RCX5 heart rate monitor review written by both those who purchased the watch shortly after release or even those who have long had the prototype versions available for testing are satisfied with Polar’s continuing emphasis on personal fitness via heart rate monitors.

Another fancy upgrade to the Polar heart rate monitors RCX5 is that it comes with a hands-free feature. Once workout screens are optimized, you can switch between different pages of data by utilizing the HeartTouch feature. Simply swipe the watch across the Polar heart rate monitor RCX5 and the watch appropriately flips through the various data screens to give you what you need. This eliminates the constant need to fidget with buttons while running so you can get to the screen view that you want; instead, a simple swiping motion replaces the work of a few button touches.

The new Polar release is perfect for any segment of the triathlon community. Its slim profile makes it a suitable Polar RCX5 female watch but it’s elegant black and red combination does not dismiss it from being a Polar RCX5 mens watch. It’s universally designed to meet all sorts of needs in all sorts of conditions instantly transforming from a Polar RCX5 ladies watch to a high-tech Polar RCX5 heart monitor, or a full-fledged, high performance, high intensity gadget that suits any environment. Swimming is a breeze with the Polar RCX5; so is cycling! The watch is guaranteed to revolutionize your workouts and bring it to a whole new level.

Of course, we cannot proceed without nitpicking on a few details just because we know it’s bound to come up at some point. First off, the displays are a little small compared to other models. Debating between the Polar RCX5 vs RS800CX in terms of display is just about the only thing that will benefit users who want to stick with the now old RS800CX. Secondly, some screens can be quite loaded and messy, another thing that would swing the Polar RCX5 vs RS800 debate just a bit, but still not quite.

Outside of these two minor complaints, the Polar RCX5 reviews by many users dub it nothing short of a winner. Whether you prefer the Polar RCX5 red, the Polar RCX5 black, whether you want it to be a Polar RCX5 female heart rate monitor watch or a Polar RCX5 mens heart rate monitor watch, this is one release by Polar that is sure to gain a few enthusiastic and loyal supporters, perhaps even convert loyal advocates from rival brands to be staunch Polar users. If nothing else, then the drive to make this an acceptable Polar RCX5 ladies heart rate monitor watch in the eyes of many conveniently serves the intended market strategy of making it a true darling of the running, cycling, swimming and triathlon community.

Given the strength of many a Polar RCX5 review on the internet, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an explosion of new Polar RCX5s in the next event nearest you. The Polar RCX5 price is a relatively cheap $400 for the base kit which only excludes the $10 bike mount and the G5 GPS pod. Base kits from competing brands sell for $400 but don’t include the foot pod sensor and other accessories making this Polar release a true leap in both technology and customer value. Buy Polar RCX5 and be ahead of the curve the next time you’re out on the road for a workout or on the route for a race. With the Polar RCX5, you will never have to skip a beat again.

Buy This Watch On Amazon

If you’ve been following the running scene and you dig new cool-looking gadgets, then you have surely heard of the latest Garmin Forerunner 610 watch release. For a while now, Garmin has been leading the revolution in terms of delivering high quality running watches complete with features that runners and even triathletes deem important to excellent running performance on race day. From highly accurate GPS readings leading to reliable and real-time pace, distance and elevation data, to systematic online training logs to help you keep track of every workout so you can properly analyze your performance, Garmin has been the undisputed leader in running watch technology for many years now. With the latest Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS watch, Garmin has pushed the envelope further in terms of performance, function, reliability, and style.

Among the many things that set the new Garmin GPS 610 watch apart from older Garmin versions is size. A common complaint among many Garmin users is the sheer bulk of the old Garmin models highlighted by the extremely popular but massive Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Compared to the Garmin Forerunner 405 and 410 watches, the two previous releases prior to this one, the same watch diameter is maintained but on-screen pictures at any given time has been increased from 3 to 4 displays. Advancements in electronics technology have also led to a thinner Garmin 610 watch, hence the Garmin running watch 610 now feels less like a prop from an old science fiction movie and more like the futuristic gadget that it has been promising to be all these years.

Over and above the improvements in size, the Garmin 610 Forerunner watch has grown leaps and bounds in terms of reliability which is a key concern in previous releases such as the Garmin Forerunner 410. The latest version utilizes Hotfix technology which remembers your latest position relative to satellites that it needs to constantly talk to for accurate location information. This allows the Garmin Forerunner 610 to establish signal reception in less than 10 seconds when you’re prepping for a run. If you have been a long-time GPS watch user, then you already know that those few seconds you spend waiting for a signal reception while trying to hold yourself back from pounding the road feel like eternity. In addition, Garmin offers a variety of packaged options that you can purchase depending on your need. You can choose to purchase the base kit with just the watch and GPS function or go for the additional heart rate monitor (HRM), footpod for treadmill or indoor runs, and the bike speed or cadence sensor to make the watch equally useful for multi-sport purposes. If you choose to go for all three configurations, you will be pleased to know that Garmin has simplified the setup for pairing with ANT+ sensors: you would only need to turn on your Garmin Forerunner 610 with HRM, ask it to locate compatible devices, and setup the pairing and the next time, the watch will do all this automatically leading to an effort free integration with critical sensors including the USB device that downloads your training data so you can put it up on the Garmin online database for extra analysis.

Of course, one of the raves in the few Garmin Forerunner 610 reviews that you will read is the new touch screen technology powered by Edge 800 cycling computers. This feature has reduced the number of keys that you need to operate the watch; now you only need a power/light button, a lap split/reset button, and a start/stop button to aid you in your runs. Most other functions are done via the touch screen technology which works very well even in tough conditions like rain or when you are wearing gloves. Overall the Garmin Forerunner 610 review in this area is more than favorable as the watch indeed delivers on its promise to simplify navigation while in mid-run. Besides, once you’re on the road, you’d only really be flipping from left to right to look through pertinent running data so it simplifies your life without having to go through the old Garmin Forerunner 410 bezel design which I personally found to be mildly distracting.

Of course, no Garmin release would be complete without a heart rate monitor and the Garmin 610 is no exception. The Garmin forerunner 610 HRM builds on the success of many old releases to offer data that is readily available while you run. You can configure the screens to contain essentials like pace, distance, time, and heart rate. The watch records all this data in mid-run so you don’t only get real-time readouts of how you are doing but in the end, you can export all these to view trends and charts. The Garmin forerunner 610 HR trend, for example, is a very useful measure in determining which areas you need to work on to improve your running overall – if your heart rate showed an increase while running hills or beyond a certain speed, then you know those are the areas that you can go back on for improvements.

It goes without saying that if you have owned a Garmin for a while now, there is no obviously no reason to not buy Garmin Forerunner 610. In many respects, the Garmin 610 is a significant upgrade over older models. I have already mentioned in passing comparisons between the Garmin Forerunner 610 vs 410 and how this release builds on the success of the Garmin FR 310XT and Garmin FR 405/410 to deliver a more reliable, more user-friendly, and more versatile training partner. While the watch is not meant to replace the multi-sport functions of the Garmin FR 310XT which considerable has more functions and better water resistance built into its very bulky frame, the Garmin FR 610 serves the purpose of runners from the newbie to the elite.

You will also be happy to note that Garmin conscientiously offers the Garmin Forerunner 610 sale in two packages so you can choose one that is appropriate for your need. The first package contains the watch, the USB ANT+ stick for data downloads, and the magnetic charging cable and sells for $349. The more advanced version includes the heart rate monitor and sells for $50 more. The footpod and bike speed sensors are sold separately. For now, this is the Garmin Forerunner 610 best price that you will find on the market considering that it’s a fairly new release. You can always choose to wait a while to see how the prices will be adjusted depending on sales performance but given the relative strength of the Garmin FR 610, I don’t think you would want to torture yourself by waiting.

The Garmin FR 610 is a laudable running watch with many admirable enhancements and now significant trade-offs despite its sleeker profile. (For more in-depth reviews, you can read them here and here.) It’s the perfect running partner for your training runs and most definitely a reliable ally on race day.

Garmin Forerunner 410 Watch

Price: $249.99

Garmin have just announce that they are soon to be releasing two new watches. The Forerunner 210 is a more advanced version of the Forerunner 110, which is a light-weight GPS watch that is quick and simple to set up. Both of these watches utilize the new SiRFstarIV chipset, which is smaller than the old SiRFstarIII chip as well as more accurate and reliable, as does the new Forerunner 410, an incremental upgrade of the Forerunner 405CX watch and is something to definitely look forward to when it is released into retail stores later this year.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of the Garmin Forerunner 410 (and this will be a great relief to many runners) is that, due to the smaller chipset, it has been made sleek and streamline and more like a normal sports wrist watch. Another of the gripes of the old Forerunner 405-style watches are problems with the bezel, which athletes often complained to be over-sensitive. The new watch features a new and enhanced touch-bezel that allows runner to quickly scroll through a list of features while they are running and in almost all weather conditions.

The new watch transitions smartly into power save mode which utilizes less battery drain, however the watch will alert you when it is doing so, so you have a chance to manually override it if you wish to. When you have completed your workout the Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS watch allows you to wirelessly transfer your data to a PC or Mac and then to “Garmin Connect”, Garmin’s online training community portal. The ANT+ stick also allows you to link up to ANT+ devices such as heart rate monitors, foot pods, bicycle cadence devices and various types of exercise fitness equipment.

In terms of features, the Garmin GPS Forerunner 410 delivers the full “swag”, allowing you to customize the display screen with the ability to show three consecutive fields and up to 30 different data fields to choose from. You can even decide how many fields to display on the screen and have the choice to show one ultra-large field, or three smaller ones. Basically, the Forerunner 410 watch is the choice for athletes who want the maximum number of features and customizeability. It is also possible with this watch to have training pages scroll while you are on your run so you can view multiple information in a pre-determined cycle.

The Forerunner 410 supports Garmin’s advanced workouts feature, which allows you to set up complicated staged workouts and personalized goals. In terms of heart rate training, the 410 Garmin watch offers the ability to set up heart rate training zones with out-of-zone alerts and the new watch support’s Garmin’s heart rate based calorie consumption measurement feature.

The new Forerunner 410 watch is scheduled to be displayed at the upcoming Chicago and New York marathons before being released into retail stores. This exciting new watch offers several improvements on the older 405CX watch, most significantly the newer chipset which makes the Forerunner GPS watches, sleeker, lighter and more comfortable than ever!

Garmin Forerunner 210 Watch

Price: $249.99

Garmin have just announced a new GPS watch into their Forerunner line, the Forerunner 210 GPS running watch. The Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch is designed to be as easy to use as the model released prior to it, the Forerunner 110. Like the 110 watch, it is designed for runners who want the power of a GPS watch, but without the complexity and endless convoluted menu systems that were the burden of many of the older Garmin GPS watches. The Forerunner 110 answered the call and now the followup watch, the 210, takes it one step further.

Utilizing the new SiRFstarIV chipset, the Forerunner 210 delivers much more power and accurate GPS tracking ability in a much smaller chip. This allows the wristwatch to be offered in a much smaller, lighter, more comfortable size. The watch uses Garmin’s “HotFix” technology that enables the watch to quickly obtain and maintain a satellite signal. Where the new watch offers benefits over the 110 watch is in some extra training modes it offers to runners. With the Garmin GPS Forerunner 210 watch a runner has the ability to create customized interval training sessions. We have talked about Interval Training in the past, and have harped on about the fact that they are one of the key training workouts for improving fitness and performance. Garmin’s advanced interval training features allow you to view your current pace for each interval.

The new watch also allows you to set up heart rate alert. A heart rate alert notifies a runner that their heart rate is above a max threshold or below a min threshold, effectively allowing you to define an optimal intensity and stay within it for the course of a training session. The 210 Forerunner watch also supports a food pot device in addition to GPS which allows for indoor training and offers additional information such as your running cadence and steps per minute which can be viewed when you transfer your personal training history to the Garmin Connect online community portal.

The new watch is available in a trendy looking glossy black/black design that looks extremely fashionable and high-tech. Like the Forerunner 110, the watch features a lighter battery, that is rechargeable and can sustain GPS/training mode for 8 consecutive hours and will keep the watch running for up to three weeks in power save mode. Data can be transferred to Garmin Connect via a USB connection. The watch does not support wireless ANT+ transfer like other Forerunner watches, however this is not a huge drawback. Both watches support a heart rate chest monitor that allows accurate heart rate information to be displayed on the watch as well as the new heart rate based calorie consumption feature that is present in the latest Forerunner watches.

If you enjoy simplicity in a watch with a blend of power and you are serious enough about your training to utilize some of the advanced features of the Forerunner 210 watch like its interval training feature and heart rate alerts, then considering it’s utilization of the new chipset, it’s comfort, size and lower weight profile, the Forerunner 210 delivers an outstanding package when compared with other Forerunner watches that are bulkier, heavier and have more convoluted requirements when activating features.

This exciting new model is due to feature at the Chicargo and New York City marathons, before being released in retail stores, so look out for it soon.

Garmin Forerunner 110 Watch

Price: $199.99

The Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS running watch is Garmin’s answer to runners who requested a watch that has GPS and is “simple as pie” to use. The new watch not only delivers on this reuest in spades, but it utilizes the new GPS tracking chipset SiRFstarIV, enabling a watch that is not just far more accurate and reliable, but due to the smaller size of the new chipset, is far less bulky than other Forerunner watches and so looks and feels much more like a normal wristwatch. In essence, the new Garmin GPS Forerunner 110 watch is made for runners who just want to know “how far and how fast?”

The Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch is ideal for runners who want an “entry-level” watch that is capable of tracking their goals and progress when they train and exercise. The new watch is capable of display your running pace in two ways:

- Averaged out over the current lap/mile (using auto-lap)
- Over the duration of the entire run

Like other Foreunner GPS running watches, the 110 watch also allows you to set up a heart rate monitor chest strap. This can be purchased with the watch initially or purchased seperately at a later date, the strap allows you to monitor your exercise intensity while at the same time your running pace, speed and distance travelled over your run. The more recent Forerunner watches support the a new calorie consumption measuring mode, that uses your heart rate data to calculate consumption far more accurate than in the older watches.

The new watch is water-resistant, and as stated, is a much slimmer feel on the wrist due to the fact that it uses the new high-sensifitvity SiRFstarIV GPS chipset which also has support for Garmin’s “HotFIX’ technology. It allows a runner to acquire satellite reception much more quickly than with watches that use older chipset and handles areas that have traditionally been troublesome for a GPS receiver such as in forrests and urban canyons where there are large buildings to obstruct the signal. The new chipset also consumes much less power, which has allowed Garmin to reduce the battery size and reduce the weight of the watch. The watch is rechargable and can sustain up to 8 hours in GPS/training mode and three weeks when the watch is set to “power save” mode.

The Forerunner 110 comes in three very attractive colors schemes: gray/pink, charcoal/red and black/gray. This watch does not support wireless ANT+ technology, but allows a runner to upload data to software using a USB cable and then to upload data into “Garmin Connect”, Garmin’s online community that alllows like-minded athletes to collaborate and share experiences.

The Garmin Forerunner 110 watch has the capacity to store up to 200 hours of training data and will present accumulated totals to athletes on the watch, without needing to transfer their data to computer. The computer software and Garmin Connect allows much deeper analysis, however, allowing runners who want to analyze their data further, the opportunity to review and tweak their training methods and performances.

The Forerunner 110 watch is a relatively cheap GPS watch that is far more user-friendly than older Forerunners which tended to be bogged down with convoluted menu systems and other complexities. Add to the fact that this watch utilizes the current generation SiRFstarIV chipset and you have a sleeker, lighter, more comfortable Forurunner watch that is setup quickly and easily, allowing you to simply put it on and start running.

Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS

Price: $249.99

Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS With HRM

Price: $299.99

In recent years, Timex have not offered any GPS watches that featured a self-contained GPS aerial. While the company offer watches that are GPS-capable, the Timex Bodylink watches for instance, these watches require you to attach a seperate GPS device to your arm. Timex do not currently offer a one-piece watch piece that is fully equipped with a GPS aerial. But that’s about to change. Timex have a new GPS watch in the works, the Ironman Global Trainer GPS Watch. It looks a bit like a Garmin, but will it perform as well as the popular Garmin Forerunner GPS watch? Time will tell. The watch has not yet been released. Lets look at a few of the features promised in this new Timex GPS Watch.

The new Timex Global Trainer watch is the next generation in the Timex Bodylink series. Timex’s most sophisticated athletics watches. The current Bodylink watches are sold as a tri-bundle that includes wrist-watch, heart rate monitor chest strap and GPS device. The new Golbal Training Bodylink watch looks like it will mount the GPS aerial inside the wristwatch itself, offering a watch that is similar to a Garmin.

Its GPS features are driven by a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, the same type that the Forerunner and other leading GPS watch manufacturers use. The SiRFstarIII ensure the watch will maintain a reliable signal that, once calibrated, will acquire satellite signals faster and lose the connection less frequently than watches with older chipsets like the Forerunner 101, 201 and 301. SiRFstarIII is now a somewhat standard GPS chipset in modern timepieces, which will ensure that the Global Trainer watch’s signal is about the same as other GPS watches. The new Timex watch has the ability to calculate speed, pace and distance in real time as well as measure altitude ascent and descent rates and distances.

The new watch has a screen that is split into four quadrants in a very similar layout to the Forerunner watches and presumably will offer similar display something similar in terms of screen customization. There is no information about the full range of data fields that can be displayed. Knowing Timex, they will deliver something that will keep athletes well and truely satisfied.

The Global Trainer also offers better navigation than Timex’s current navigation watch, the Bodylink Trailrunner watch, with the ability to store up to 100 waypoints with track back feature and 50 custom routes.

The performance features of this watch are impressive too and are well suited to runners, cyclists and triathletes, but could just as easily be used by any athlete in any sport on dry land, that is based on movement. The new watches maintains a 20 workout history log with the capacity to store up to 1000 lap times. Some of the existing Timex Ironman features are included including 100 hour Chronograph, Interval Timer and Countdown Timers. This Timex watch loses none of it’s Ironman charm. It also offers a performance pacer that helps you judge your finish time, calorie calculation, hands free GPS operation – it essentially starts and stops the stopwatch based on your movement – no buttons required! There is also a multisport event mode which allegedly records, activates and transitions in one sequence.

Like recent innovations in the Timex Race Trainer watch, the new Timex Global Trainer GPS Watch allows you to transfer your performance data to personal computer (PC or Mac) where you can import your performance and route data to Timex’s Online Training Software, powered by the Training Peaks platform. Here you’ll be able to share your experiences with a community of active and like-minded people. The software provided with the Timex GPS Global Trainer Watch also allows you to configure your watch via computer. The USB connector recharges the watch battery, although there is currently no word on how much battery liive this watch will offer. The watch can be used with all Timex heart rate monitor chest straps and bike senors as well as ANT+ third party bike power sensors.

I have to admit, the prospect of this new Timex Ironman GPS Global Trainer hitting the market has got me a wee bit excited! Will this new Timex Ironman GPS watch rival the wildly successful Garmin Forerunner watches? Time will tell. There seems to be no reliable release date on the new Global GPS Trainer, but look out for it’s release on Amazon and other watch stores soon.

Photo courtesy of Matt Biddulph.

GPS watches tend to fall into two distinct categories in functionality with some crossover in between. GPS running watches and GPS navigation watches.

This article discusses GPS watches with navigation.

Navigation GPS allow you to find your way in the world. Most common navigation feature sets allow you to enter routes into the watches memory, enter specific locations or waypoints, follow a route or go to a specific location and in the case where a GPS has a larger screen, view your position on a map.

The Navigation mode of a GPS watch can be used to pre-plan a destination and ensure that you find it. You can also create a “waypoint” at specific locations that can be uniquely tagged and navigated to later.

Navigation mode can shows you the:

• distance
• direction
• estimated time of arrival (Suunto X watches only)
• and other essential information for all the waypoints of the selected route

A GPS watch can also guide you back to your starting point.

The following GPS watches can be considered to have at least a basic level of navigation features:

• Garmin Forerunner 405 and 405CX (basic waypoints and compass)
• Garmin Forerunner 205, 305 and 310XT
• Garmin Forerunner 301
• Garmin Forerunner 201
• Timex IRONMAN Bodylink Trail Runner
• Suunto X9/i and X9M/i
• Suunto X10
• Globalsat GH-615
• Globalsat GH-625

In the next section we will look at some of these common navigation features.

There are X general navigation features in GPS watches that support navigation. They are:

• Map Mode – The ability to view routes and waypoints in a graphical map representation
• Mark Waypoints/Locations – The ability to enter a location into the watch’s memory
• Create Routes – The ability to create a conjoined series of waypoints
• Breadcrumbs or Track Logs – The ability to automatically lay down a route in real-time
• Navigate to Waypoint – GPS watches have the ability to direct you to a waypoint
• Navigate Route – Navigation watches have the ability to direct you along a route

Map Mode

Most GPS tracking/navigation watches feature a visual map that allows you to view your position and nearby waypoints or your entire route within the current vicinity. Map modes are available in the Forerunner 205, 305 and the new 310XT and the GlobalSat watches GH-615 and GH-625. Not all GPS watches support a map viewing mode. On a watch screen size is limited, and in watches that attempt to reduce the burden of size and bulkiness often present in a GPS watch, the ability to present a map is often sacrificed.

The Forerunner 305 Map Mode	The GlobalSat GH625 Map Mode

Marking Locations/Waypoints

The ability to flag a location in three dimensions (latitude, longitude and elevation), in the watch’s memory is a feature of all GPS watches that offer you the ability to navigate, whether that be entered via computer software or the watch (flagging the current location). The waypoint can be saved using the watch’s unique numbering system with the option of assigning it a custom label.

Garmin Forerunner 205 and 305 waypoint entry	GlobalSat GH-625 waypoing entry

Creating and Modifying a Custom Route

A route is a straight line path between two or more points on the map. Navigation GPS watches let you create and save routes into the watch’s memory, then navigate to a specified route. Locations can be entered and saved in the watch’s memory and then used to construct routes.

Navigating. Finding a Waypoint, Compass View and Finding Your Way Home

Watches featuring GPS navigation have the ability to navigate to an individual waypoint and about a sequence of waypoints within a route. Some GPS watches lie the Forerunner 305, GlobalSat feature a compass view screen that graphically displays the direction to the next waypoints, the distance to the next waypoint and in some watches, the ETA to the next waypoint.

The Forerunner 305 Compass mode is displayed here presenting the direction to the next waypoint, distance and estimated time.	Selecting NAVIGATE in the Forerunner 305 your route will appear as a dark line connecting each location within the route.

Finding Your Way Home

A useful navigation feature is the “return to start” of a run or route that directs you back to your starting position, based on your most recent run.

The “back to start” feature of the Forerunner 205 and 305 is displayed here the route of your most recent run.

How GPS Navigation Watches Compare So how do navigation watches stack up? Below is a chart that illustrates how navigation gps watches differ:

	Map View	Waypoints	Routes	Track Logs	Compass
Forerunner 405 Buy For Forerunner 405CX Buy For	No	100	No	No	Yes
Forerunner 205/305 Buy For $249.99 Forerunner 310XT Buy For	Yes	100	50	No	Yes
Suunto X10 Buy For	No	500	50 (up to 50 waypoints)	25 tracks (max. 26000 track points)	Yes
Suunto X9i/X9Mi Buy For $549.99	No	500	50 (up to 50 waypoints)	25 tracks (max. 8000 track points)	Yes
Garmin Forerunner 301 Buy For $199.99	Yes	100	50	No	Yes
Garmin Forerunner 201 Buy For $199.99	Yes	100	No	No	Yes
Garmin Forerunner 101 Buy For $259.99	Yes	100	No	No	Yes
Timex Trailrunner Buy For $349.99	No	10	No	No	No
Globalsat GH-625 Buy For $109.95	Yes	60,000	6,000	6,000	Yes
Globalsat GH-615 Buy For	Yes	60,000	6,000	6,000	Yes

]]> http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/gps-watches-for-advanced-navigation-and-tracking-2/feed/ 0 http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/timex-gps-watches-speed-and-pace-smoothing/ http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/timex-gps-watches-speed-and-pace-smoothing/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 02:00:40 +0000 admin http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/?p=3528

The article that follows highlights a particular feature found in GPS capable, Timex Sports Watches A more exhaustive article on Timex GPS watches can be viewed here. Timex Watches with GPS A complete guide to Timex Ironman Watches can be viewed here. Timex Triathlon IRONMAN Watches

Serious about your training? A powerful training tool you might consider purchasing is a GPS Watch.

A GPS does not only tracks your time and your splits like a regular sports watch, it is capable of measuring both speed and distance and allows you to set speed/pace alerts and distance alerts which can assist you in tracking your runs in an event or in your training.

Timex is a brand that has established a reputation for it’s affordable and reliable sports watches. Timex have the uncanny ability to be able to strike the right balance between the sport watch features that athletes need and price.

Timex have several GPS watches on the market. You will find Timex GPS capable watches within their Bodylink and Speed + Distance lines.

Timex GPS watches utilize the Navman GPS receiver, an external device that straps comfortably onto your upper arm, or clips neatly into your running shorts. Timex Bodylink GPS watches feature 3D GPS while the cheaper Speed and Distance watches only measure speed and distance horizontally.

Both product lines support speed and pace smoothing. Smoothing is a feature that you can utilize when you feel that the reported speed or pace on your unit seems too up-and-down and erratic. This can occur if the GPS device is updating too frequently, what pace smoothing does is to average out the GPS readings over longer periods.

The downside of this is that, when smoothing is switched on, the readings can be slow to respond to changes in your speed, although If you are moving at a relatively constant speed, it should not be too big an issue.

Smoothing can be applied to both speed and pace separately, so you might like to experiment a little with the combinations available to ensure you find a solution that works best for you.

Buy Timex GPS Watches

Select a product below to buy a Timex GPS watch, see a product description for a particular product or read customer reviews.

This article describes a feature found in Timex GPS watches For more information on Timex watches with GPS, here is an article that compares Timex GPS Watches, feature by feature. Timex GPS Watches To view a comprehensive guide on Timex Ironman Watches, visit our Ironman information page. Timex Ironman Watch Page

Do you HATE stopping at traffic lights when you’re out on a run? Or when your path is blocked by people or a car coming out of a driveway forcing you to stop!

Not only does it break your rhythm, but it forces you to fumble for the darn watch button to pause your running time.

The inconvenience of having to unexpectedly stop in the middle of a training run is actually addressed in Timex’s GPS watches with a “Hands Free” operation that starts and stops the timer based on your motion.

The ability to link to GPS satellites lets your Timex watch track subtle changes in your motion. When you stop moving, your Timex watch detects it and pauses the Chrono timer accordingly. When you start moving the watch starts the Chrono again, so whether you run continuously over the entire run, or are forced to stop several times, you never need press a button on your watch.

The Timex Navman GPS device communicates wirelessly with the wristwatch. The device can be attached to the upper arm as illustrated in the picture above or can be clip onto your running shorts

Achieving this of course requires you have the Timex Navman GPS device strapped to your upper arm or clipped into your running shorts. Timex GPS watches support an external GPS that sends data wirelessly to the wrist watch. The GPS is optional – the running watch can run perfectly fine without it.

Hands Free can either be switched ON or switched OFF. When switched ON, the stopwatch chronograph will start when your velocity climbs above zero (or a minimum threshold speed) and will stop when your velocity drops below the threshold or to zero.

While auto start/stop is functioning, you may still start and stop the chrono manually.

Another hands free option is the Auto-Split feature.

Auto-Split enables the chronograph stopwatch to automatically record splits based on the time or distance traveled. Auto-Split can also be toggled ON or OFF and when switched ON, allows you to take a split manually without affecting the net criteria for automatic splits.

To configure the automatic split feature first set the “type” to be either OFF, BY DIST or BY TIME. Next set the interval value and press DONE.

As you can probably see, hands free mode in Timex GPS watches has some incredibly convenient applications, either for joggers who want to avoid the extra stress of having their runs interrupted and runners who want to do interval training without thinking too much about split times and button presses.

Until recently, athletes wishing to run repetitions away from an Olympic measured running track, have always had to take their best guess about distance. With Timex GPS technology and hands free mode, this is now a thing of the past.

Buy Timex GPS Watches