Garmin's GPS-toting watches have never been great lookers, but the company seems to have really made a point to ignore aesthetics for the Forerunner 310XT (above), a new nav-enabled watch tauting an impressive (for one of these) 20 hours of battery life. Also new is the Forerunner 405CX (after the break), an update to the company's popular (and rather less offensive looking)
Forerunner 405, adding "increased accuracy" in calculation of calories burned and comfort improvements to boot. Both work with the company's ANT+ wireless monitors, but only the 310XT is waterproof (up to 50 meters), so you triathaloners know which bit of circuitry to covet in the coming months.
No official price was announced for either, but we'd expect the 405XT to cost near the same as its predecessor, which launched at $299, and we're seeing the 310XT on some early retailers for $399.Update: lcbarron commented to let us know these are now up at the Garmin store. $369 for the 405XT, $349 for the 310XT. Pick your poison!
Read -- 310XT Press Release
Read -- 405CX Press Release
posted Apr 2nd 2009 10:46AM
In my experience these products work as advertised (a somewhat rare thing these days when it come to complex GPS integrated electronics). Sacrificing style for a bit of increased function sounds good to me. No one is going to be wearing these out for dinner anyway.
I disagree that they work as advertised. I ran several miles and it recorded a total distance of about 4.3 feet. Disappointed. Then again, it might have just been picking up some interference from the treadmill's electronics.
@NHAnimator
lol, very good. always worth a /joke for those with a poorly developed sense of humour
( GPS tracked 4.3ft on a treadmill )
The 405 series looks much more bond-ish.
if only it didnt cost the same as a new netbook...
True, functionality is what they are for ..not hot looks.
Prices of both items are listed on the Garmin site. $369.99 for the 405CX and $349.99 for the XT.
the major downside of the 405 is that it is generally non-responsive to touch when you are sweating (which if you are athletic enough to require/desire the use of a GPS watch, is essentially always). I'll stick with my 305 for now. I wonder though if Garmin is going to improve its user interface on it's software. it's cool because you get the info, but i've been spoiled by pretty igui's that tend to soil my generic spreadsheet like experience with the Garmin software on my laptop. :-( anyone seriously interested in these or anything like these and are on a tight budget always keep an eye out at rei.com and walmart.com. i got my 305 (which i LOVE) for $179 last year on walmart.com, amazon usually has good prices too. the newer models you may not have much luck with, but IMO they really don't offer much more than the older ones do anyways.
Ultra-Runners rejoice! I have run with a garmin gps for the last 6 years and the battery life has gone down with each successive model. For us ultra runners we need a watch that can last 24 hours for a 100 mile race but 20 hours is a great improvement from the 8 hours that the 405 gets.
Have you tried the SportTracks software? http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/
A little "prettier" than the Garmin stuff and WAY more functional.
I couldn't disagree more? Where did you here this from because my 405 and all of my other Triathlete friends that use it are able to tap it just fine even in the water. Your 305 is outdated and bulky, and the 405 has a better GPS system. Upgrade my man.
@kevin
that software is awesome! thanks for the link
I was going to buy the 205 last November (08) for $159.99 at Costco but waited.
At the end of November - I bought a brand new 405 for $192 delivered to my doorstep.
Ebay dealer had 10+ available. All new in box for $307.99 w/ Free Shipping.
Then I had a 10% off Ebay coupon and 25% off Live.com. Plus I got my 1% cashback Discovercard.
Have to learn how to link the deals.
I agree with the touch Bezel while running/sweating it doesn't always register. BUT The screen shows 3 fields at once - and each screen can be customizable and rotate (slow, medium or fast) .
This means that the screen can show any of the following:
Total Miles
Total Time
Average MPH or minutes per mile
Then it can rotate to
Average HR
Peak HeartRate
Current HR
But you can program it to show
Current HR
Total Miles
Current Pace
Any of the above and 100's of more combinations. I really don't play with it at all while running. I just glance at it to see my average pace / current pace and current HR.
I mostly bought the 405 on the basis that I wear it as a semi-everyday watch. To work etc and I don't have to worry about bringing something else with me in a box or pocket if I think I'm going to be using it. I just always have it with me.
Where are they in the "Garmin Store?"
Yeah, I don't see them in the Garmin Store. Provide link please.
NHAnimator, you crack me up!
First, it's "triathlete", not triathloner.
Second, the point is not to have something that resembles a Bond watch, but to have a piece of equipment that can aid in training and preparation. Garmin's line generally performs well.
@lgreeenberg:
Here you go: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=142&pID=27335
I prefer this to the iphone.
The 310XT is great but why no sports watch function? I'd be all over the 405cx if it where waterproof for triathlons, or the 310XT if it had a sports watch function.
Guess I'll go for Suunto T6c instead with hrm and either footpod or gps module.
Suunto's GPS is hardly comparable to the Garmins. It is prettier though.
Awesome, if they had A2DP they would be near perfect + I could ditch my nano, tho I will be getting one anyways.
Have they upgraded the sensitivity to the bezel in the 405cx?
Just bought a 305 for ~$150 a month ago. It is the best thing ever to happen to my running/biking. I HIGHLY recommend it. If the new 3-series was cheaper, I would probably sell off my 305 and upgrade.
Wrong site for this product. Let's be real: has *anyone* who has ever read or contributed to this site *ever* run a 5:17 mile? How about 10 of them?... When I was at the Academy on the ski team, I once ran 1.5 miles in 8:14. Then I threw up. Then I pretty much hacked up my lungs for the next 12 hours.
Seriously. "Fat American" or not. Anyone?
i ran a 4:50 mile when i was in the eighth grade...
More than you may think. But you also don't know from the screen shot given what mode it is in. That is not all that fast if they are biking.
Finally a waterproof Forerunner! I have been waiting for this since the 105 series. And as for the styling, I would definitely prefer function over form. I have been using the 305 for awhile, and the size/form has never been an issue, but like RyleyinSTL stated, I would not wear it out to dinner - - well maybe a carbo load dinner before an IM. :>)
The 310XT addresses the three biggest issues I have with the 305. Biggest by far is waterproof, then battery life and satellite sensitivity.
Looking forward to checking these out!
as a pro triathlete that lives with the 305 on my wrist/bike. this is the greatest thing to happen the 405 sucked and i went back to the trusty 305.
waterproof!!! about time thats the best thing that could happen.
hopefully with ant+ my srm powermeter will also work. ordering one right now
it is powermeter compatible this is the best work garmin has done in ages. they finally listened to what people wanted rather than going off on there own and designing pieces of crap like the 405
I have the regular black 405 and it has been great for me- I have taken it around several tracks and the distance has been right on. Also, I have compared the distance it records on hills with that my car records and my nuvi, and still it has been great. The touch bezel has been great also, i have no problems with it whatsoever.
But, for those who train regularly out there, would anybody really buy this new 405cx for the much more accurate calorie reading? Will garmin just phase out the old black 405 for the new blue 405cx?
That looks like what they're doing (re: phasing out the old 405 for this new one). They're priced pretty close (if I'm reading correctly, a 405 with the HR is showing as $350 vs $370 for this 405CX).
I'm surprised they went with the bulky look for the 310... not that there's anything wrong with that (happy 305 user here). I guess they just wanted to keep a more defined differentiation between the two.
405CX looks like mostly firmware updates from the old 405, aside from updated accessories.
I love the speed of Garmin refreshing its product in just within a year, unlike Suunto GPS watches. I am frustrated with the current features in Suunto X10 GPS Watch, they are always the same. Can Suunto please open up and start listening to the public and build a feature-packed adventure watch for the world now? The people wants a normal-sized watch with new and improved features, which are as follows:
1. Wireless pc-watch/ watch-watch connectivity/ANT(like garmin Forerunner 405)
2. Weather station(missing humidity hygrometer)
3. Walkie talkie(eg. WRL-00560 module or VHF module, extensible antenna/antenna around the strap)
4. Solar
5. UV sensor(measure UV index, appears in numerous watches now)
7. Thermometer(facing outward, does not interfere with the wearer’s body temperature)
8. Touch bezel(like Garmin Forerunner 405, to omit spaces for buttons/no bulkiness)
9. Simple LED Torch(very useful during camp)
10. High frequency mosquito repeller(to target tropical adventurer)
12. Laser ignition system(e.g.15mW laser, to start fire autonomously)
13. Thick Sapphire glass with rubber damper side(rubber to absorb shock)
14. Titanium casing, nylon strap(durable)
15. UV germicidal LED(Cure water for drinking)
16. Vibration alert/ alarm(silent operation, e.g. hunting, fishing)
17. Flash memory
18. Voice recording for fast book-logging(useful when resting after hike, especially when bringing paper is inconvenient and you are tired)
19. Simple voice operation for fast menu-switching(e.g. "up", "down", "enter", "back")
I hope everyone loves these and vote for me => better watch.
How about one of those urine->drinking water filtration/recycling units? Like the one NASA sent up to the ISS.
Just got the 405cx yesterday and just to let everyone know...it's awesome! I'm a small woman and the included small size velcro wrist strap is perfect and makes this bulky watch incredibly comfy! My husband immediatly put his Polar 625x back in the box and ordered a 405cx to match! How cool is it to have a GPS on your wrist?
One down side I found out was that the new 405cx won't be able to upload to Garmin Connect till about late May but that's what you get for buying right out of the shoot - the desktop software works great so I don't know if I'll even use the Garmin Connect web software but FYI.
I don't think there is really that much difference between the 405 and the 405cx but I'd have paid the extra $20 for the new wrist straps anyway and I like blue. I do kind of miss how my Nike+ used to over-estimate my calories burned...oh well, one less yogurt per day won't kill me I guess :)
I am having too much fun creating all kinds of interval/time/HR runs and now I can't wait to just go run them!
I bought this after my half marathon last weekend because my husband is a huge believer in knowing your heart rate at all times and he is convinced I'm going to drop dead if I don't know mine. I never cared before but now I'm a total data hound. It only took two days and now I'm trying to figure out exactly how many ounces of sweat I lose per mile. Progress?? Perhaps.
Anyway, loving my new toy - we're getting along just fine now that I have watched every video on youtube about how to program and run it - critical since it doesn't come with an instruction book that tells anything but how to charge it.
Have had my Garmin 405CX for a few weeks now and I love it. It doesn't have the issues previous versions did with GPS tracking in NYC. So far it's been extremely accurate in all my runs. The bezel hasn't been a problem for me at all, and I agree with the previous poster that I just set it to autoscroll with the stats I'd like to see and I don't fiddle with it while I run.
At the 10km race this past weekend in Central Park, every where I turned it seemed like someone was wearing this watch, must be selling well!