Sportsim Weblog

More data on Forerunner 305

Garmin has now announced the replacement of the Forerunner 201 and 301 series with the new Forerunner series 205 and 305.

As we did indicate in our post from Nov. 22nd the looks are confirmed and will include an improved antenna design and new GPS chip set technology from SiRF.

An interesting additional note is that the Forerunner 305 (with heart rate strap) will have an option to add a cadence sensor.  This is a great option for cyclists and we believe many will choose this one instead of the new Edge 305 which is not suited for e.g. running/skiing.

The Forerunner 305 will become the most multifunctional GPS we have ever seen!

We congratulate Garmin with this new lead development as they set new standards into 2006 that will be full of new stuff on hardware and software for active GPS users.

New Training GPS from GlobalSat

GlobalSat from Taiwan is about to launch a new training GPS with the new GPS chipset from SiRF and on the outside it looks like a Garmin Forerunner 201 with colors.  However on the inside it varies since the Garmin does not use the SiRF chipset that will receive signals better than other commonly used chipsets in training GPS devices.  It will also include a Barometric Altimeter to correct mishaps in GPS altitude data - and thats nice :-) 

We miss the heart rate opportunity on the new product compared to the Garmin Forerunner 301. For many athletes could this be an affordable option to the new Garmin Forerunner 305 that will probably be a bit more pricey with its heart rate function.

Have a nice Christmas!

New Garmin Forerunner 305 - Sport watch?

Only a week ago we had a post on The winning GPS for sports - an article about what we would look for in a GPS sport watch for the near future.

Question: is something already in the pipeline?

Maybe, there is no official information available from Garmin, so this might be a rumour. But, the same thing happened to the pre-launch of the Forerunner 301 that was announced ahead of time from a Norwegian Garmin dealer. Now the same thing could have happened to the Forerunner 305 by an Italian Garmin dealer, so lets take this one seriously. 

Some of the reasons why this might be a reality:

1. Garmin has started to use better GPS chip sets from SiRF and this facilitates smaller sized batteries and improved GPS signal reception to fit a watch sized GPS.
   
   
2. Garmin Forerunner 201 and 301 are somewhat bulky and uncomfortable to wear compare to a Sport Watch from Timex, Polar or Nike.
   
   
3. Garmin has a reception problem on the Forerunner 201/301 series partly because of the GPS antenna location.  A trick has been to wear the Forerunner on the wrist toward the body to make the antenna face as much as possible in a horizontal level facing the sky.
   
   
4. Garmin has learned more about the sports market during the 2 years of selling the Forerunner 201/301 devices.

Of interest and why we think this is a real thing is if you look at the device design and particular the bend.  We think the antenna area is located in that smaller bended part with the Garmin name. This makes sense since you would like the antenna to face towards the sky while using it as a sport watch.

This antenna design is then an improvement from the Forerunner 201/301 antenna design.  Combinding this design with a better GPS chip set would enhance signal reception capabilities.

It’s also clear that the 2 large buttons on top are aimed at activity control (tracking) start/stop and lap function. This makes sense and will make the device more user friendly than the Forerunner 201/301 with smaller sized side buttons.

If this is the real deal, we would like to know more about:

1. GPS signal reception capabilities in cities and forest
2. USB or wireless data transfer
3. Size and weight
4. Is it comfortable to wear?
5. Price!
6. Battery and memory capacity
7. Does it come as a modular system with optional heart rate strap and cadence sensor?

Could this be a winner?

Well this is for sure:

The crew that designed this knows a lot about GPS technology combined with athlete demands on the design level.  In the end will the combination of price and performances tell us if this is a winner or not.

Have a nice day :-)

Gjermund

The winning GPS device for sports

Since we started Sportsim in 2001 we have been dreaming about the perfect GPS. It’s funny to think back only 2 years ago when Garmin launched the Forerunner 201 in November 2003 introducing the first GPS suitable for training and 3rd party PC analyzis, but it had a big flaw.  The memory was insufficient for a 4-hour marathon run!  Luckily could Garmin make a quick fix on their firmware to solve the problem.  Later we have seen several other fitness devices coming out from Garmins active product line and the next one will be the Edge for cycling in February.  This year Timex launched their 3D GPS with the Trailrunner.  This is the first time you can download position data from a Timex device.

There are also other producers out there as FRWD, GPS Sports, and Suunto that focus on in-house software. Navman SportTool is an interesting new player this year, but you can't retrieve data and analyze it on your PC, and thats no fun for sportsim users.

Point is:

- this is a growing market, so incumbent and new HW vendors will increase their efforts to flood the market in 2006 with new and better models.

OK, Lets give them some help! What do we want?

First - forget about the additional nicetohave requirements as online capabilities and MP3 player. Let’s focus on what we really want from our training device, right now.

My answer:

- we want a sport watch with added GPS and Heart Rate capabilities and this is how it will look like and function:

2-piece design

1. Sport watch (NOT larger than a Polar or Timex sport watch) with GPS chip, build in memory

2.  Heart rate strap

Basic GPS Function

1st push on big button will engage the GPS,

- Clear symbol and loud noise guidance when GPS receives satellite lock

2^nd push on big button will start time and tracking.

GPS options

Option to follow route with big arrows and guidance noise to indicate direction (similar to car navigation)

Option to follow route back (trackback function if you are lost)

Batteries

2 days – then we can bring it on a short hike, leave the hand held back home - this is way cooler!

GPS Chip

Get signals anywhere - in cities and in forest

Data upload/download

Wireless IR connection from watch to PC

Price

USD 150

Have a nice day :-)

Gjermund