Forerunner
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Garmin updates its mid-range running watch for the first time in three years
Garmin has revamped its Forerunner 200-series watch for the first time since 2019, and it's launching its first solar running watch at the same time.
Garmin’s latest running watch packs music and payments
We get it: All you wanna do this year is go for a run and leave that pricey, thousand-dollar smartphone at home. That's why almost every running watch worth its salt now comes with built-in music playback that'll push tunes to your Bluetooth headphones. Garmin's support for this cause now includes the new Forerunner 645 Music, which, clue in the name, is a running watch that packs storage for up to 500 songs. As well as the music on your desktop, you can also pipe in songs from either iHeartRadio or Deezer to take on your outdoor jaunts.
Garmin's latest smartwatch can play music during your run
Yes, you can listen to music on a smartwatch without keeping your phone nearby, but that usually means settling for relatively simple fitness tracking. Garmin may have a solution that eliminates those compromises, however -- it just introduced the Forerunner 645 Music, a GPS running watch that (surprise) stores up to 500 songs for playback over Bluetooth earphones. You can track your runs (or bike rides, or swims) and the detailed stats to match while listening to tunes you've saved either from your computer or from streaming services like iHeartRadio.
Garmin's Forerunner 935 smartwatch knows how hard you work out
Two months after updating its Fenix line of multisport fitness watches at CES, Garmin revealed its latest GPS-enabled timepiece, the Forerunner 935. However, unlike the Fenix family, which was designed more for general outdoor adventuring, this new tracker is built specifically for serious athletes looking to get the most out of their training.
Garmin's newest smartwatch slims down, but packs on features
After going high-end with the Fenix Chronos, Garmin is getting back to its core focus with the new Forerunner 35, a feature-packed smartwatch and all-day activity tracker. This latest addition to the Forerunner line packs GPS tracking, a high-contrast display and Garmin's Elevate wrist-based heart rate monitor into a sleek new design with up to nine days of battery life.
Garmin's latest low-cost running watch gives you live tracking
If you've been jonesing for a Garmin running watch that will talk to your smartphone without trashing your bank balance, you're in luck. Garmin has rolled out the Forerunner 25, a follow-up to the 15 (but not a replacement) that's much more at home in a connected world. If you link the newer wristwear to your phone, you can share live workout tracking with your friends, get important notifications and automatically upload brag-worthy results to the company's Connect service. It's easier to gauge your progress mid-run, too, since the active display space is 32 percent bigger than before. Both small and large versions go on sale later this summer at $170 for the core model, and $200 if you want an external heart rate monitor at the same time.
Garmin's running watch finally tracks your heart rate by itself
Garmin is more than a little late to heart-tracking watches (even TomTom had one last year), but it's making up for that today. The company's new Forerunner 225 running watch has a built-in, Mio-developed heart monitor that saves you from buying a chest strap just to find out whether or not you're pumping blood at an ideal rate. You'll also get some of the perks of Garmin's nicer wristwear, such as step counting, an accelerometer for tracking indoor runs and data sharing with your smartphone. If you're eager to prep for a marathon with Garmin's help, you can pick up the 225 sometime this quarter (no later than June) for $300.
Garmin's multi-sport GPS watch now talks to your phone
Garmin's GPS watch lineup has had an imbalance as of late; while more modest athletes have had luxuries like color displays and phone integration, you've had to make do with monochrome and old-school PC syncing if you need multi-sport wristwear like the Forerunner 910XT. Thankfully, you won't have to make that sacrifice any more now that the company has launched a much-needed follow-up -- not surprisingly, the Forerunner 920XT. The new watch tracks your biking, running and swimming stats like its ancestor, but catches up on 2014-era tech through a color screen, phone support (including call and message notifications) and advanced data like your running gait and oxygen volume estimates. It should be lighter, thinner and more comfortable than the 910XT, too, so you won't notice it quite so much while you're in the middle of a practice session. Just be ready to pay up if you want Garmin's most capable wearable. The 920XT starts at $450 ($50 more than the 910XT) all by itself, and you're looking at $500 if you want a heart rate monitor at the same time.
Garmin Forerunner 15 review: sports watch first, fitness tracker second
As the reviews editor for this tech blog, I often get asked which fitness tracker I own. And I tell people: I don't need one, silly; I run marathons. Maybe that sounds snotty, but it's true: During training season, at least, I'm probably more active than most people buying a fitness band. And besides, I already own a running watch to track my time, distance and pace. That doesn't mean I can't use a little extra motivation, though. My activity slowed to a crawl this winter, precisely because I was burned out from all those long training runs. (The frigid weather didn't help either.) At one point, I didn't exercise for nearly two weeks. I gained back the weight I lost last year, and my muscle mass shrank. It now hurts to do squats. Even so, asking me to wear another device is a tough sell -- especially when it means my stats are getting spread across different services. For people like me, there's the Garmin Forerunner 15, a sports watch that doubles as a fitness tracker. Like other running watches, including those made by Garmin, the Forerunner 15 tracks your distance, pace and time. It's offered with an optional heart rate monitor, and has a handy run-walk setting. But it also tracks your activity between workouts, telling you how many steps you've taken and how many calories you've burned. It issues not-so-subtle reminders to move, lest you spend too much time in your cubicle. At the same time, it doesn't do everything a standalone fitness tracker would: It doesn't automatically monitor your sleep habits, and you can't log your food intake directly from the app. Priced at $170 ($200 with the heart rate monitor), it costs more than your typical fitness tracker, but it's cheap for a running watch. So is it a good deal? That all depends on your priorities.
Garmin's fitness trackers now help you master your calorie balance
There are plenty of apps and gadgets that track the calories you burn during exercise. But comparing those figures with the calories you're taking in? That's harder, which is why Garmin has teamed up with MyFitnessPal to provide a clearer picture of your energy balance. The collaboration melds the calorie consumption data from Garmin devices with MyFitnessPal's activity and nutrition info to create a Calorie In/Out section on Garmin's Connect page. You'll quickly find out if a long run was enough to offset that big dessert, or if you need to eat more to keep up with your workouts. The MyFitnessPal integration is currently limited to the Forerunner 15 GPS watch and the Vivofit tracker, but all Forerunners and Edge bike computers should support the feature this summer.
Garmin's new Forerunner watches can predict your endurance and race times
Many running watches aren't very interesting to... well, watch. You can't say that for Garmin's new Forerunner 220 and 620, both of which carry one-inch color screens that provide clearer visual cues and new run / walk alerts. Either device will sync data to a PC or phone through Bluetooth, and the 620 (pictured at left) can connect through WiFi. The 620 is also keenly aware of its wearer's abilities. It can gauge peak oxygen volumes, and estimates race times based on likely endurance; an optional companion for the 620, the HRM-Run, measures gait with an accelerometer and suggests days off based on heart rate history. Interested athletes can pick up the Forerunner 220 and 620 this fall at respective prices of $250 and $400. They can also spend $50 more to bundle a heart rate monitor with the 220, or the HRM-Run with the 620.
Potential spoilers for Halo 4 story unleashed in official assets
A barrage of Halo 4 media and pre-launch information has led a few fans to uncover more about the story than 343 Industries may have intended. The following information may be considered a spoiler; it names the supposed main antagonist and contains a snippet of the motion-capture script revealing a potentially pivotal scene with him, Master Chief and Cortana, as collected by NeoGAF:
Garmin's Forerunner 910XT sport watch begs to become your new swimming buddy
After introducing the Forerunner 610 alongside its lineup of runner-friendly watches, Garmin has introduced a new high tech gadget that's targeted to hardcore swimmers and triathletes: enter the Forerunner 910XT. With a price tag of $400, it's certainly intended for the most dedicated (or affluent) jocks, but for the outlay of cash, you'll find it provides detailed metrics such as swim distance, pool lengths, along with stroke identification and count. It even goes so far as to report one's SWOLF score, which is a measure of a swimmer's efficiency (calculated as the number of strokes to swim a lap, plus the time to travel said distance). The Forerunner 910XT is water resistant to 50 meters, but it's certainly apt for use on dry land, too. For instance, it provides stats about one's elevation, heart rate and speed, and offers built-in GPS. The battery life is limited to 20 hours, although we'd imagine your endurance will give out long before that time. If you've found your new obsession, you'll find the full PR after the break.
IRL: Sony NEX-C3, Garmin Forerunner 110 and the Elgato Turbo.264 HD
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's been a hectic week, what with Amazon trotting out a little something you may have been expecting (along with a few things you weren't). We won't lie: some of us now know what we're getting our friends and family for the holidays, but gadgets we may or may not be purchasing doesn't cut the mustard for IRL, now does it? Until we pull the trigger, we'll keep on talking up and dressing down the stuff we're already using. This week, Jose from Engadget Spanish takes his newly minted NEX-C3 on vacation, Dana outgrows her Forerunner 110 and Darren shows you just how your hands-on video sausages get made.
Garmin updates GPS watch line with Forerunner 210 and 410, data-craving runners rejoice
Runners love to tell you about their post-workout highs, but they rarely mention the mid-workout delirium that comes when muscles deprive your brain of blood, leading to doubts about how long you've been running, what your target heart rate should be, and indeed how to get home again. Garmin's updated Forerunner 410 (above) can help you out with all those things, and the larger touch bezel means oxygen-deprived cardio hounds can easily scroll through data describing things like pace and heart rate, even when it's raining -- or you're sweating excessively. Once back home and showered this $325 watch automatically syncs to a USB dongle via ANT+, uploading data to Garmin Connect, just like its predecessor the 405. Then there's the $300 210, pictured below, a follow-up to this spring's 110 and providing a more simple display of real-time distance and heart rate without a bunch of other confusing data. Both models will be on display at the upcoming Chicago and New York City marathons before pacing themselves into stores this fall. Update: The 410 can indeed help you find your way back home thanks to a simple navigation mode that will direct you from one waypoint to the next. Great for finding new routes -- or new tactical insertions.
Garmin's Forerunner 110 GPS watch handles just the basics, please
Garmin has managed to do GPS watches right with its long-standing Forerunner line, but the vast majority of 'em have been useful only to nerds who aren't deterred by lengthy setup procedures. The new Forerunner 110, however, changes all that. Designed to provide just the basics to runners and other fitness freaks, this SiRFstarIV-infused timepiece provides near-instant access to distance, pace and time "within seconds of stepping outside." Marketed as an entry-level solution for those who don't need added complexity in their life, it can also be used in conjunction with heart rate monitors to display current thumps per second and heart rate-based calorie computation, both of which can be logged once you sync it to your PC via USB. The inbuilt battery will last up to eight hours in GPS / training mode or three weeks in power-save mode, and while there's no mention of a price, we are told that it'll be available in black / gray, charcoal / red and gray / pink color combinations. Good luck choosing the most badical one. Update: Looks like it's on sale now directly through Garmin for $250. Thanks, Dara!
PSA: Halo Legends 'Origins Part 1' available today only
Today's the day, folks. The last weekend of a two-month long, mostly bi-weekly Halo Legends release on Xbox Live Marketplace. While you can find the "Making of" version of this week's episode next week, "Origins Part 1" will mark the last free episode of the soon-to-be-released series. And yes, that "Part 1" modifier certainly does indicate a cliffhanger ending -- particularly considering this episode includes information on the barely talked about Forerunners of the Halo franchise. And now, if you'll excuse us, we're off to peep this joint for ourselves.
Garmin intros Forerunner 405CX and 310XT with GPS, a face only a triathlete mother could love
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
Garmin's FR60 Fitness Watch won't help if you're lost, might help you lose weight
We're not quite sure what's up with Garmin, a company known almost exclusively for its navigation technology, releasing watches that lack GPS, but it seems to be a trend on alternate years. Back in 2007 there was the receiver-less Forerunner 50, then the happily GPS-enabled Forerunner 405 made made an appearance last year, and now we have the FR60, new but again bereft of any ability to tell you where you are. It sounds much the same as the older 50, including wireless connectivity with ANT+ devices to monitor heart rate, running pace, cycling cadence, and cycling speed, as well as the ability to sync automatically and wirelessly with a PC or Mac. New is the slim and (debatably) fashionable package -- that's the men's above, women's model in lovely lilac shown below. No word on availability or price, but we certainly hope the company won't charge a premium for a styling tweak and a shorter name. Update: Looks like they're up for pre-order at $129, shipping next quarter.[Via gizmag, thx Noodlehead]
Garmin introduces Forerunner 50 sport watch
Garmin's Forerunner sport watches haven't always been the most wearable, but the company has been making steady progress in that department, and it now looks to have produced its most watch-like device yet. Helping in no small part to keep the size of its new Forerunner 50 watch down is the lack of GPS found in previous models, but it will still provide a fair bit of functionality, and it'll wirelessly interface with a heart rate monitor or "foot pod" to monitor your speed, distance, and other vitals. When you're done with your workout, the various devices will also automatically sync up with Garmin's USB ANT Stick (Bluetooth, we presume), which will let you log and share your information on Garmin's online training site. A number of different bundles are set to be available this October, including one with just the heart rate monitor for $99, one with the foot pod for $149, and one with both devices for $199.
