The Electronics Store

The Forerunner 305 features the powerful new SiRF GPS navigation chip for supreme accuracy, even under tree cover and between tall buildings. A coded chest strap heart-rate monitor prevents unwanted interference from other devices. View larger.

The unit's GPS receiver is designed to face towards the sky when you're running.

A more watch-like design makes it far easier to use and wear.

The 305's digitally coded heart-rate monitor--which is worn as a chest strap--sends heart-rate data to the device so you can see whether you're training too hard or not hard enough. Alerts for pace, distance, time, and heart rate are also available. Additionally, the unit tracks speed, distance, pace, and calories burned. Meanwhile, a course feature lets you race against previous runs in order to improve your time or just compare heart rate and pace data at every point of the way.

The 305's easy-to-read, 1.3-inch display has been integrated into a sleek and stylish form factor that is definitely a step up from the larger and more cumbersome Forerunner 301 model. Indeed, the 305 looks and wears like a stylish sports watch, and it's more carefully designed to meet the needs of athletes. The design also positions the antenna with an optimal view of the sky. As an added feature, the case is water resistant to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes).

Accuracy is the name of the game with the 305. The vastly more accurate GPS antenna and receiver, which uses an advanced SiRF chip, offer much faster satellite acquisition times. Plus, the unit can hold a fix in places never before possible. Gone are the days of losing a fix under tree cover or when running between tall buildings. All of these features add up to far more accuracy in recording and tracking your exercise data. And because the 305 uses GPS to track how far and how fast you're going, you never have to calibrate it. The unit also doubles as a basic navigator. Mark your starting point as a specific location, see your current position on the plotter display, and follow an electronic breadcrumb trail back to your starting point.

The 305 features a USB data connection and docking cradle for downloading your speed, lap, exercise time, and heart-rate data into Garmin's Training Center PC software. The unit stores up to 1,000 lap histories, which you can download to your PC for a detailed post-workout analysis. Plus, you can create and schedule workouts using the included software and download them to the unit. A rechargeable internal lithium-ion battery offers up to ten hours of battery life.

For additional post-workout analysis, the 305 is compatible with MotionBased software. MotionBased adds a new dimension to training and outdoor fitness that makes the analytical aspects of a sport more compelling and a lot more fun. You can upload data to MotionBased, a Web-based application that has partnered with Garmin. MotionBased provides in-depth analysis of your workouts, as well as online mapping and route sharing that will take your training to the next level. MotionBased automatically calculates time, distance, speed, elevation, and heart rate, and it displays this information through meaningful charts, illustrations, reports, and maps. With MotionBased, you can also race multiple instances of the same route to see how you are improving or to race other members of MotionBased. You can "virtually race" someone you don't even know.

If you like the features of the Forerunner 305 but don't need heart-rate monitoring, be sure to check out the Forerunner 205.

View Garmin's Forerunner demonstration video.

Choose from 12 data fields to display on the 305's screen. View larger.

The design cleverly integrates the GPS antenna and aims it towards the sky when you're running or walking. View larger.

The simple docking cradle makes charging and data connectivity a snap (Forerunner 305 model shown).

The Virtual Partner function makes your workouts more competitive. View larger.

Choose from three workout modes that help you target your training goals. View larger.

The 305 features rudimentary mapping and location marking functions. View larger.

Design
The 205's design is a radical departure from Garmin's previous generation of wrist mounted GPS devices, which reached a pinnacle with the Garmin Forerunner 301. While the 301 delivered accurate heart rate monitoring, good performance tracking, and decent GPS reception, it didn't quite deliver in the design department. The form factor was bulky and wearing it wasn't much different than duct taping a full-sized GPS device to your wrist.

Not so with the 205. Garmin's engineers obviously burned the midnight oil and have come up with a waterproof design that, while certainly not as small as a sports watch, feels just as comfortable. The curved casing allows the unit's antenna to face the sky when you're running, while the widescreen display is perfectly positioned for viewing when you need it. And the display certainly deserves a few kudos. While it's smaller than the display found on previous Forerunners, its resolution is far higher, offering incredible clarity and crispness.

Garmin has smartly given the 205 a simple button layout and the buttons have a nice tactile feel with good pressure response. The right side houses the menu selection and enter buttons, while the left houses a power/backlight button and a mode button. This simple and elegant solution is a big improvement over the sometimes confusing button functionality of previous Forerunners. View button layout.

The underside of the 205 is pretty nondescript, except for a row of contacts that interface with the included charging and data cradle. The cradle is small and unobtrusive and its single mini-USB port connects to either an included AC adapter, or a USB cable that connects to your PC. In addition to data transfer with the USB cable, you can also charge the 205's embedded lithium-ion battery via a powered USB connection from your computer.

GPS Performance
The big news about the Forerunner 205 is that it features an integrated, high-sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS receiver. What does this mean? It means that the 205's ability to both track, and maintain a lock on, your position is better than anything before it. After an intial battery charge, our product tester had the 205 on his wrist and was tracking speed and distance with GPS satellites within 3 minutes. The next time we used the 205, satellite acquisition was nearly instantaneous. A run through dense trees didn't faze the unit either; tracking remained true and steady. Performance on a bike was equally impressive. Whatever witchcraft has been cooked up by the designers of the SiRF technology, we like it!

While the Forerunner 205 isn't billed as a GPS navigation device, it does have some rudimentary mapping, waypoint marking, and routing capabilities. In addition to marking locations along your journey, you can zoom in or out of a simple map that displays your current direction and path. There's also a "go to location" feature that routes you back to your starting location, or to any location you have defined. Once you have defined several locations, you can save this information as a route, allowing you to travel the same path in the future. As you'll see below, the 205's new "Courses" feature gives you new levels of control over how you define your favorite runs and rides.

Training Functions
The 205 is first and foremost a training tool, and its ability to organize a ton of data types into a user experience that is intuitive and simple is no small feat. Whiz-bang technology aside, if you can't use it and make it a natural part of your exercise routine, it's worthless. When it comes to these factors -- and here's the take home message on the 205 -- this device is successful where many other devices fail.

The heart and soul of the 205 can be found on the data screens, which give you real-time information about all aspects of your workout. In fact, the 305 can display a dizzying array of data, such as calories burned, distance, elevation, grade, and heading, as well as multiple lap and pace modes.

Thankfully, the device makes it easy to define how much or how little data you want to view during a workout. You can arrange the data that's most important to you and then make that data appear front and center on the device. Indeed, within a few minutes of skimming the manual and fiddling with the device setup, you'll have your most important data displaying just the way you like it.

Garmin's Virtual Partner function was cool feature of previous Forerunners and they've decided to keep a good thing going with the 205. If you're the type that performs best when you've got a competitor egging you on, you'll love this function, as it allows you to set up virtual running or biking companions that compete against you.

If you're looking for an complicated workout with a variety of intervals and intensity levels, or just a quick three-mile jog against your best time last week, the 205 has you covered. Navigating to the Workouts menu on the device yields three options: Quick Workouts, Interval, and Advanced Workout. A quick workout is just that; set the distance and time, distance and pace, or time and pace of your planned workout and off you go. Interval workouts are just the same, but they allow you to add repetitions and rest between them. When you really want to get fancy with your exercise, you can step up to advanced workouts, which include goals for each workout step, as well as varied distances, times, and rest periods. You can use the Garmin Training Center software to set up these workouts and then upload them to the device.

PC Connectivity and Software
Garmin has been outfitting their devices with USB connectivity for some time now -- a welcome move for those who struggled with serial port connections in the days of yore. Thanks to USB, the 205 integrates seamlessly with the Training Center software and we quickly had workout history uploaded and stored on the PC (Sadly, Training Center is not Mac-compatible).

In a first for the Forerunner series, the Training Center software also lets you define courses on your PC that you can upload to the device. When course information is combined with uploaded workout information, the Forerunner becomes a complete guide, telling you where to go, when to make a turn, and what kind of workout to do when you're on the road or path. Back on the PC, the software's ability to overlay workout data on maps of the course makes it easy to see where the course offers up the tough hills and the easy recovery spots. Plus, the ability to track historical performance on a given course is a great way to measure your improvement.

The 205 is also fully compatible with Garmin's MotionBased service, which takes your training to another level by connecting your data with the Internet. While we weren't able to use the service, the promise of sharing courses, maps, workouts, and performance data with other users is intriguing. And if you're a serious endurance athlete, you'll be glad to know that the 205 is also compatible with TrainingPeaks.com, an easy-to-use web based training system designed to help athletes train for any event.

Pros

• Radically new design is better in every way
• Amazing accuracy and fast satellite acquisition time
• So simple to set up and use, you will actually use it

• No Mac OS compatibility
• Okay, it's bigger than a sport's watch -- but so much more powerful

The Forerunner 301 offers a wide variety of training features that can help you train at any level you choose.

Included Training Center software allows you to store and analyze data using interactive graphs. View larger.

The easy-to-use, two-piece system consists of the wrist unit and a digital heart rate transmitter that you wear around your chest. The transmitter is coded that so there is no interference from other heart rate monitor users nearby. The 301 unit continuously monitors heart rate, speed, distance, pace, and calories burned. A heart rate zone chart, included with the manual, helps you target specific heart rate zones for optimal training. The unit's built-in alerts help you maintain those heart rate zones. For those who don't want to fuss with the charts, there's an AutoLearn feature that allows the unit to learn your maximum heart rate and set zones accordingly. Pace, time, distance, interval workout, and advanced custom workout alerts are also included. Meanwhile, the AutoPause feature pauses and resumes the training timer based on a specified speed. Finally, the AutoLap feature records lap data when you reach a specified distance. Don't worry about running out of room for your lap data; the unit boasts a 5,000-lap memory.

Like the Forerunner 201, the 301 also doubles as a basic navigator. You can mark your starting point as a specific location, see your current position on the plotter display, and follow an electronic breadcrumb trail back to your starting point. The built-in GPS receiver provides highly accurate data, and there's no calibration required. Just turn it on and go.

The unit's USB data port means that connecting the unit to your computer is easier than ever. The USB connection offers fast and reliable data transmission to any USB-equipped PC. And because analyzing workout data is an important tool in reaching one's fitness goals, the 301 comes with Garmin Training Center software, which allows you to download workout data to your PC for detailed analysis. View data for each workout, including your heart rate, time, distance, speed, path traveled, and altitude. You can also track data for multiple sports and multiple users, and you can overlay workout data onto a map. The unit is compatible with MotionBased and TrainingPeaks, which are popular third-party training software packages.

With up to 14 hours of battery life, the 301's rechargeable lithium-ion battery is designed for extended use. It's also rugged and waterproof for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The unit ships with a 1-year warranty.

Get heart rate and other vital data at a glance.

Customize your workouts with programmable intervals.

Set up exercise profiles for different types of sports.

A built in Virtual partner runs alongside you, graphically displaying your goal pace/speed.

Get the Data You Need
Train inside or outdoors. The affordable Forerunner 50 provides you with instant workout data including training time, pace, distance, lap pace, lap time, lap distance, average and best pace, calories, maximum and average heart rate. It also records both lap and detailed data. Available in 3 different versions (see versions tab), Forerunner 50 comes bundled with different accessories to help you track your progress for whatever moves you.

Listen to Your Heart
Forerunner 50 with wireless heart rate effectively tracks and records your heart rate while you work out, providing instant feedback about how hard your heart is working. The included digital heart rate monitor continuously tracks heart beats per minute which is wirelessly transmitted to the Forerunner 50. Even train in a certain heart rate zone to improve your fitness level. And well after your workout is done, Forerunner 50 is still working, wirelessly transmitting your training data to your PC.

Measure Speed and Distance
Forerunner 50 packaged with Garmin's wireless foot pod lets you track your running speed, distance and calories burned while on the treadmill or pavement. Just snap the foot pod into a clip on your shoe laces, and it's ready to send data to Forerunner 50 as soon as you start moving. After your workout, Forerunner 50 automatically transfers your data to your computer when within range.

101 201 301 1. Allows you to set up profiles for running, biking, and another sport. 2. Set up workouts with specific durations and targets (speed or heart rate). Speed Pace Distance Calories burned Heart rate Sports profiles1 Advanced workouts2 PC interface (serial) (USB) Analyze workout data on PC Size (inches, WxDxH) 3.3 x .9 x 1.7 3.3 x .7 x 1.7 3.3 x .7 x 1.7 Weight (ounces, with batteries) 2.6 2.75 2.75 Batteries 2 AAAs, 15 hours Rechargeable, 15 hours Rechargeable, 14 hours

Although it lacks the rechargeable battery and PC connectivity features of the Forerunner 201, the 101 retains all of the other great features of the 201, at an even more affordable price. The Virtual Partner feature allows you to set your training goal by configuring your Virtual Partner's pace and workout distance. You'll get a graphic perspective of your performance by viewing your pace in relation to your Virtual Partner's pace, so you can always see at a glance if you're keeping up or falling behind.

Almost as important as the training device itself are the accessories to integrate it with your active lifestyle. If you're into cycling, the best way to keep an eye on your GPS while you ride is with a bike mount bracket that straps to the handlebars of your bike, motorcycle, or whatever you're traveling with for easy viewing.

Other Forerunner 101 features:

• Mark specific locations, and then look-up and navigate to these points using an electronic map.
• Amount of calories burned can be tracked and calculated over the course of a workout.
• Lap history--such as lap time, lap distance, and average pace--can be stored for 5000 laps.
• Performance data can be automatically archived and calculated to provide an accurate record.
• Automated stopwatch provides auto-lap and auto-pause features.
• Pace whistle sounds alert when you begin traveling slower or faster than your desired pace.
• Time and distance whistles can be set to sound when you reach a specified duration or distance in your workout.

Auto Menu: Timer pauses when you stop running. Auto lap logs your performance over a predetermined distance.

History: Review training history by day or week.

Map: Navigate back to the start or to a stored location.

Virtual Partner: Set time, pace, and distance goals, and train with a "virtual partner."

The Foot Pod uses a tiny ANT Sport transmitter to communicate with the Forerunner 305.

Dynastream Technology
The Foot Pod is built on Dynastream technology, which solves the challenge of accurately measuring a user's speed and distance in real time. The system was designed to measure each stride via a patented accelerometer, which measures all parameters of each foot stride, computes that data, then wirelessly transmits speed and distance information to the Forerunner 305 wrist unit via a 2.4 GHz signal. To date, Dynastream technology is the first and only commercially viable, accurate stride analysis technology that can be used outside the laboratory environment.

Simple to Use

Dynastream technology accurately measures your stride--whether you're walking, running, or sprinting--using a patented accelerometer.

Once the Foot Pod is turned on, the Forerunner 305 recognizes its wireless signal and asks if you wish to train using the Foot Pod instead of with the Forerunner's built-in GPS. Once confirmed, the Forerunner 305 deactivates the GPS and the Foot Pod begins measuring the workout. The Foot Pod communicates to the wrist unit using Dynastream's ANT Sport wireless technology, a commonly available platform for connectivity and interoperability between sports accessories and equipment. The unit features a simple and secure lace-mounted attachment, and runs on a single AAA battery that offers 70 hours of typical use. The Foot Pod is 97 percent accurate out of the box and 99 accurate percent when calibrated. It can also be worn in tandem with the Forerunner 305's wireless heart rate monitor.

To please folks who are passionate about their exercise and training, Garmin has added something special to the Forerunner 201 called the Virtual Partner. The feature allows you to set your training goal by configuring your Virtual Partner’s pace and workout distance. You'll get a graphic perspective of your performance by viewing your pace in relation to your Virtual Partner’s pace, so you can always see at a glance if you're keeping up or falling behind.

Almost as important as the training device itself are the accessories to integrate it with your active lifestyle. If you're into cycling, the best way to keep an eye on your GPS while you ride is with a bike mount bracket that straps to the handlebars of your bike, motorcycle, or whatever you're traveling with for easy viewing.

Other Forerunner 201 features:

• Mark specific locations, and then look-up and navigate to these points using an electronic map.
• Retrace your steps to a starting point or reverse your normal route for routine variation.
• Amount of calories burned can be tracked and calculated over the course of a workout.
• Lap history--such as lap time, lap distance, and average pace--can be stored for up to two years.
• Performance data can be automatically archived and calculated to provide an accurate record.
• Automated stopwatch provides auto-lap and auto-pause features.
• Lap timer indicates when a certain speed is reached or when you’ve fallen below a pre-set level.
• Pace whistle sounds alert when you begin traveling slower or faster than your desired pace.
• Distance whistle sounds when you reach a specified duration or distance in your workout.
• Download free Garmin software to transfer data from your Forerunner 201 to your PC for storage and analysis.

What's in the box:

• Forerunner 201 unit
• Wrist strap
• A/C desktop charger with serial interface