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.

Tags: Forerunner 110, Garmin Forerunner 110, Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch, Garmin GPS Forerunner 110, GPS Running Watch, gps running watches, GPS Watch