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Garmin confirms a cyber attack took its systems offline
Garmin is finally giving its users more information about the system outage the company has been dealing with since the morning of July 23rd. The company has just confirmed earlier reports that it was the victim of an external cyber attack that encrypted some of the company’s systems. Crucially, Garmin says it has “no evidence” that any customer data, including payment information stored in Garmin Pay, was accessed by the perpetrators.
Garmin's services are slowly coming back to life after a major outage
Late last week, Garmin suffered a major services outage — and now, more than four days later, things still aren’t back to normal. Yesterday, activity-tracking app Strava confirmed that it was again able to send workout data to Garmin’s Connect service. Ian in Mountain View wrote in to let us know that recent activities were syncing to Strava from his Garmin Fenix watch and that notifications had started to work again, as well.
Garmin updates some of its most popular watches with solar charging
The addition of solar panels squeezes an extra few days of life out of the sun.
The best gear to help you stay fit during the school year
All of the gadgets and apps that can help you stay health and fit even in the midst of a challenging college semester.
Hype and hope: Wearables in the covid era
It’s a pretty cool idea, but my point is that it’s the app making the claim, and not necessarily the ring.
Garmin's feature-packed Forerunner 235 GPS watch is just $140 on Amazon
The Garmin Forerunner 235 is on sale for its lowest price ever.
Get Garmin's entry-level Forerunner 35 GPS watch for $90
Once $200, Garmin's Forerunner 35 GPS smartwatch is currently $90 at Amazon and Best Buy. That's a great price for a watch that's perfect for newbie runners.
The best gifts for your dad, the outdoorsman
In honor of the dads who'd rather be camping, grilling or relaxing in the backyard, here are the best gifts you can get for Dad, the outdoorsman.
The best deals we found this week: the iPad, Google Nest WiFi and more
The best deals from this week include the base, 10.2-inch iPad for $300, a Nest WiFi bundle for $200, and $100 off the Apple Watch Series 5.
Garmin’s Forerunner 35 GPS watch is an even better bargain at only $90
Once $200, Garmin's Forerunner 35 GPS smartwatch is currently $90 at Best Buy, making it a great fit for newbie runners.
Garmin’s Forerunner 35 GPS smartwatch drops to $100 at Best Buy
Garmin’s Forerunner 35 GPS smartwatch is a Best Buy deal of the day today. The Forerunner lineup is designed specifically for runners, and this feature-packed smartwatch includes GPS tracking to record distance and speed, as well as wrist-based heart rate monitoring. Garmin says the Forerunner 35 will last up to nine days in smartwatch/activity tracking mode, but battery life will vary widely based on how you use the device.
Tell us if the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music is worth buying
The Garmin Forerunner 645 Music is nearing the ripe old age of two soon, but it's still one of our favorite fitness devices to recommend. Reviewer Cherlynn Low complemented its battery life and ability to lock-on to GPS fairly quickly, which is essential for accurately tracking a jog. However, the 645 Music's biggest drawback was actually its marquee feature, the music player. The watch often struggled to connect via Bluetooth and had limited app compatibility. At the time we couldn't recommend it for the price. However, there have been a few sales since it came out, making the watch a much better buy.
US will investigate Fitbit and Garmin following Philips complaints
The new year isn't getting off to a great start for some wearable device makers. The US International Trade Commission has agreed to investigate Fitbit, Garmin, distributor Ingram Micro and two Chinese manufacturers (Inventec and Maintek) over Philips' patent violation claims. Allegedly, the Fitbit and Garmin devices are infringing on technology such as activity tracking, alarm reporting and motion sensing. Philips maintained that it had been negotiating with the companies for three years before talks fell apart and forced its hand.
Byton's infotainment system will feature Garmin and ViacomCBS
Since its inception, Byton has been touting its in-car experience as driver-centric. So while the company's electric cars aren't on the road yet, it's back at CES to show off the latest iteration of what it'll be like to sit in their vehicle when it launches in China in mid-2020.
Garmin's Forerunner 645 (a staff favorite) is 50 percent off at Amazon
As you may have heard, Team Engadget is spending some time this week perusing Black Friday deals. I was sifting through some sales today, and it turns out my favorite running watch received a temporary price cut. In fact, I'm wearing it on my wrist as I type this. At full price ($400) I might not have recommended the Garmin Forerunner 645/645 Music to everyone; I probably would have suggested most people step down to the mid-range 245. But with a price drop today to $200, the higher-end model suddenly becomes much easier to recommend than it was when we first reviewed it. Like any Garmin (or GPS watch from any brand, for that matter), it'll track your distance, pace and elapsed time. Here, you also get built-in music storage allowing you to stream through wireless headphones, without the need to bring a phone. (Or, in my case, clip on an iPod shuffle that's on its last legs.) There's also a heart rate sensor built in (no need for one of those uncomfortable chest straps) and features that monitor your training in a more long-term sort of way, including V02 Max ratings, workout loads and a so-called performance status. This is a good way to confirm what I often already know: that I'm over- or under-training. As for battery life, I've completed five-hour-plus marathons with plenty of juice to spare. The design has been durable enough for many a run in the rain. The distance tracking is also more accurate than the last several generations of Apple Watches. (Apple Watches tend to say I ran longer than I did, which means my calculated pace is also faster than what I probably achieved.) The Forerunner has admittedly been slow at times to find a GPS signal before I start my run, though a recent firmware update seems to have improved things. There are some more smartwatch-like features on board, but that's not why I recommend this. I never use Garmin Pay, the contactless payment system. And the smartphone notifications are crude and unhelpful. If you want a smartwatch experience (not to mention, something that looks a little more stylish that Garmin's rubbery watches), get an Apple Watch Series 5. (Yes, that's on sale today too.) Buy Garmin Forerunner 645 on Amazon - $200
The best fitness gadgets for the athlete on your list
Pro tip: Don't buy the athlete on your list socks. (Unless they have specific tastes and love odor-resistant wool.) Instead, consider the gadgets they may or may not have in their arsenal. For some, that means a fitness-oriented smartwatch or, perhaps, a single-purpose wearable designed to go deep on a single sport. You might also consider wireless headphones that won't fall out or malfunction in the face of sweat or raindrops. Or a Nintendo Switch game for your favorite sedentary athlete who has trouble finding motivation otherwise. Our list includes some oddball entries too, including a doo-dad that straps your phone to your sports bra while working out, and a vibrating muscle massager that pro athletes swear by. Heck, we'd even make a case for smart shoes. Not all of them, by any means, but we found a pair even us skeptics can get behind. Have a look. And seriously, don't go with socks.
The best fitness wearables
There are smartwatches, and then there are fitness wearables. And while it's easy to think they're the same, they aren't. The former offers deep integration with your phone and the option to use apps, music players and mobile payments. Those aren't to be mistaken with fitness watches, which have an emphasis on durability, reliability and accuracy. If you're looking for a watch that's less of a jack of all trades (just a master of a few), this is where we'd have you look.
Garmin’s Venu is a great fitness wearable pretending to be a smartwatch
There's a big difference between smartwatches made by consumer technology companies and those made by fitness companies, and that's 'friction'. The friction that you have to deal with on a regular basis to make use of your watch. It's the one thing that dogs Garmin's Venu, a watch that's just a little bit too annoying for me to recommend it.
Garmin's new nav system can emergency land small planes
Flying in a small plane is thrilling (and at least slightly terrifying) when things go as planned. It's another story when the pilot of the small plane is, for whatever reason, suddenly unable to fly or land it. Most passengers would have no idea what to do. And for that reason, Garmin has introduced Garmin Autoland. With the push of a button, equipped planes can navigate and land themselves.
Garmin's pretty Venu watches pack a long-awaited AMOLED upgrade
Garmin is known for its capable fitness watches, but it doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to style. That's about to change, thanks to a slew of new devices the company unveiled today at IFA 2019. In addition to different case and band options for devices like the Vivoactive 4 and 4S, as well as various designs for the entry-level Vivomove, Garmin also showed off a whole new range of watches called Venu. Not only do these come in four attractive case color options, but they also stand out for being the company's first wearables with AMOLED screens.
