Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Broken After Battery Change

garmin-hrm

The Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor and the Garmin Standard Heart Rate Monitor both rely on the CR2032 battery. When replacing your battery, it can sometimes cause a power overload of your device and can make your Heart Rate Monitor inoperable, leaving you befuddled as to how it’s not working when you just replaced the battery! This is actually a very common problem that many users have come across.

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Troubleshooting Your Garmin

It can be frustrating when you’re just heading out for a long run, and you realize your trusty Garmin isn’t working. Panic that you’ll have to run without your GPS, fear that it is truly beyond repair, and sadness that you may have just lost a good friend all run through your mind at once. Luckily, troubleshooting your Garmin isn’t too time consuming, and may save you from having to buy a whole new watch.  This article is how to reset your Garmin. Here’s an article about your Garmin warranty.

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Garmin Forerunner 220 GPS Running Watch

Garmin Forerunner 220 GPS Watch

The Garmin Forerunner 220 GPS watch provides both the real-time encouragement and long-term trend analysis. Built for the runner who’s willing to go the extra mile, it’s simple to use, lightweight to reduce fatigue, and one of the most popular GPS watches on the market. As the little cousin to the Garmin Forerunner 620, the FR220 holds its own. [Read more...]

Garmin FR620 GPS Running Watch with Heart Rate Monitor

Garmin Forerunner 620 GPS Running Watch

Wow. I haven’t seen or heard as much hype about a new running watch in a long time. The Garmin Forerunner 620 is one of the latest and greatest GPS watches on the market. As the “big brother” to the Garmin FR220, it has more features, its more accurate, and has greater capabilities to improve your personal goals. I’ve only had a day to look at it, but here is my Garmin 620 review. Click here to buy one now.

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How many years will the battery in my Garmin Forerunner last?

I don’t often get asked how many years will the battery in my Garmin Forerunner last? This is something that I haven’t really thought about.

Usually, I get asked how long the battery will last between charges. That is a fairly simple question to answer. As a matter-of-fact, Garmin answers this on their own website. For example, on the popular Forerunner 410, they tell you to expect 8 hours of battery life.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=142&pID=83274#specsTab

However, in real usage, that number is a variable, especially since satellites aren’t 100% predictable and the watch will sometimes lose a signal.

Regardless, the real question remains, how long will the battery last in my watch before I need to get a new one?

Properties of the Battery in my Garmin

First, let’s take a look at the battery itself. Garmin uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. There is a lot written about these types of batteries. For the average person, Wikipedia will tell you a lot on the Wikipedia rechargeable lithium-ion battery page.

Pay attention to cycles. Cycles are simply the number of times that you can fully recharge the battery before the battery cannot hold an acceptable charge. Wikipedia is very broad saying that the rechargeable li-on batteries can be cycled anywhere from 400 to 1200 times. Unfortunately, that’s a broad range, so we’ll have to make assumptions to narrow it down.

For simplicity, let’s say that the average life of the battery is 600. I use 600 cycles instead of splitting the range to 800 because most people don’t fully discharge their battery. Now that may be old information that you must fully discharge before recharging, but I would rather be conservative, which is why I selected 600 cycles as the useful lifespan for a runner.

Calculating Lifetime Battery Life

Now, how do we convert 600 cycles into something meaning for a runner? We need to estimate how many times a week the average person will recharge their Garmin Forerunner. Based on my inexact method of asking about 15 people, the number is between 2-3 times per week. Now, let’s make some calculations.

Our formula is: 600 cycles / number of charges per week = number of useful weeks

Years of Useful Life: 5.8

Low Number of Charges is 2 per Week: 600 / 2 = 300 weeks of charges (5.8 years)

Years of Useful Life: 4.6

Medium Number of Charges is 2.5 per Week: 600 / 2.5 = 250 weeks of charges (4.6 years)

Years of Useful Life: 3.8

High Number of Charges is 3 per Week: 600 / 3 = 200 weeks of charges (3.8 years)

Now that you have the formula, you can make changes to develop your own estimate.

As a final note, when considering buying a used Garmin, look at these numbers and compare to the age of the watch you are buying. If the watch is going on 4 years, it is probably smart to avoid buying that particular watch.

Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS with Heart Rate Monitor

The Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor running watch comes with a broad range of features for the running enthusiast who is looking forward to refining his running skills. This running watch offers both a GPS and HRM, to help prepare for a big race day when slight variations in time and distance could spell the difference between meeting personal goals or just missing them. The watch is simple to look at, yet extends basic functions in various dimensions to suit a range of running styles. Read ahead to see if this watch could be considered one of the best GPS watch for runners. Check pricing on this GPS heart rate monitor watch.

Click to Buy the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor Features at Amazon.

Full Review

Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor Design 

Basic Physical Features of the 410 with HRM

The Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor measures only 1.88 inches in width, 2.78 inches in height and 0.646 inches in depth (4.8 cm width, 7.1 cm height and 1.6 cm depth). With a display screen a mere 2.7 cm in diameter and a screen resolution of 124 by 95 pixels, the watch does not deliberately feature a touchscreen, which would become oversensitive and unsuitable for the marathon runner prone to body heat and sweat.

The chargeable lithium-ion battery incorporated in the Forerunner 410 heart monitor watch goes on for almost two weeks when in power saver mode. In the training mode, with full power consumption, it is built to last for a minimum eight hours, during which time anyone participating in a marathon for the first time would be able to achieve their finish.

Customizable Display of the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor

The Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor has display options that are customizable to minimize clutter in the display area and enable you to display selected pieces of data, preferably two or three details at a time. This is in conjunction with the details of heart rate function.

Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor Usability

Usability Incorporated in the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor

This Garmin with GPS and heart rate monitor functions at a constant pace for up to eight hours. Among user-friendly features of the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor is the wrist band with a quick release snap feature for quick and easy removal. The color scheme looks much neater, with a sense of power and majesty and controls are neither too sensitive nor seem too awkward while pressing. This allows the wearer to be able to push the control buttons even when wearing hand gloves or similar protection when the weather gets colder.

The advanced controls that respond to touch are designed for a number of different displays and enable you to accomplish a large number of operations much faster and more conveniently than ever before. The Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor also features several automatic tracking functions as part of the GPS, such as Auto Pause for stoplights and AutoLap for automatic lap initiation.

As a heart rate monitor and GPS, the 410 displays important notifications regarding your time exhausted and distance accomplished, heart rate monitoring and pace notifications as well as calorific consumption based on heart rate data.

Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor Features

Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor Features Superior Heart Rate Observation

The 410 is a variant of the Garmin 405 watch and exactly like the 410 without the heart rate monitor. However it is much more superior when compared to the Garmin 405 and includes a chest strap besides better controls. The Garmin Forerunner 410 HRM features a premium chest strap that is much more comfortable than the most chest straps and aids the heart rate monitor capture precise cardiac rhythms. The strap is slightly wider than some others, but you won’t really notice it.

The Tempo Monitoring Function in the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor

The watch features a tempo function with which you can set up a pre-selected tempo based on your goals and monitor your tempo in real time against the pre-selected tempo. This enables you to ascertain whether you went faster or slower than your pre-selected tempo. This is a very useful feature for the marathon trainer who is often at a risk of overtraining or undertraining. Since the goal of the marathon training schedule is to build endurance gradually, without having to lose time from unintended mishaps, this tempo monitoring feature is an indispensable watch function.

Data Integration Capability of the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor

The data collected in the 410 HRM can be transferred using a wireless network or through a USB cable attached to your computer. The data integration capability of the watch works across the Microsoft Windows as well as the Macintosh platforms. Also a number of standard browsers are supported, including Safari. All data can be reviewed on your computer and uploaded to various Internet services for additional analysis.

Indicators of Training Accomplishment through Your Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor

The HRM watch has built in functionality for both basic training routines as well as enhanced training workouts. While basic routines work with preset time, calorie and mileage targets, enhanced routines are designed for programming custom workouts. While working with these advanced routines, there is an option to setup alerts when you deviate from your intended pace for that session or when you accomplish a goal in terms of time or distance. Another useful feature to help you train better is the ability to create intervals for exercise sessions and rest periods.

Additional Features of the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor

Besides basic features, the Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor includes certain useful attributes including automatically synchronizing data with your PC and using the Garmin connect interface to share data and analyze it in an internet community. Besides, the watch comes with the Garmin Training Center software and allows Automatic Browse, a feature designed to traverse through information during your training session.

Other automatic functions included is the Automatic Pause function which is a program in the chipset that stops and starts an inbuilt timer based upon your running speed. This is a great feature should you run on city streets with a lot of stop lights. The Automatic Lap function is included in the watch design to enable the beginning of a new lap without any manual intervention.

Garmin Forerunner 410 with Heart Rate Monitor: A Multifunction Concept

In a nutshell, the running watch is a multi function watch for the ambitious runner, and incorporates several combinations of basic and advanced features to let the marathon trainer precisely focus on training goals across a range of dimensions. The watch offers great features for a very competitor price making the Garmin Forerunner 410 with heart rate monitor one of the best running trainers around.

Help support Running Watch Review. The Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS with Heart Rate Monitor is available from Amazon: Buy | Reviews

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How to Fix a Broken Garmin Running Watch

Garmin has some of the most popular watches for runners. This includes the Garmin Forerunner line, from the 110, 210, 410, 610 and 910. Of course, there are older models in the 05 series, such as the 105 and 405. In addition to the Forerunner series, Garmin watches for running include FR 60 series of GPS watches.

Garmin GPS Watch Repair

Read our Garmin GPS watch reviews if you are in the market to buy a new GPS watch for running.

When your Garmin watch is broken, or not working properly, there are a few steps you can take to fix it. Garmin has a fairly good reputation in service and support, and contacting them directly is always an option. That said, before you delve into contacting Garmin, we advise that you do a little troubleshooting of your own. Troubleshooting Your Garmin is a great resource.

Your watch battery may also be causing a problem. Check out my page on How many years will the battery in my Garmin Forerunner last? if you think this might be your problem.

When you need your Garmin watch fixed, you need to determine whether your watch is still under warranty or out of warranty. Remember, the 1 year warranty is a limited warranty. So, if you damage the watch by smacking it against a tree on a trail run, they will not fix it.

Covered by Warranty Garmin GPS Watch

If your watch is covered by warranty, the process is simple and Garmin provides clear instructions on their site at:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/warranty.html

You can request a repaid by calling their customer service number at 1-800-800-1020 (U.S. only). At that point, they will provide you with instructions on what to do. They will also provide you with an RMA number and a docking number to ship the watch back with. Make sure you include this information. You don’t want to be the one with your watch lost while already at Garmin. And, omitting this information can result in a delay of your repair.

Out of Warranty Garmin GPS Watch

If you are out of warranty, well, it will cost you to repair the watch. However, repair will be a lot cheaper than buying a new watch for running. To get repair service, you complete the request on the Garmin site at:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/outofwarranty.html

One nice thing about Garmin is that they will provide you with a price for repair before you ship the watch back to them. So, you know exactly what it will cost you to repair.

A Note on Shipping

When sending your GPS watch to Garmin for repair, please package it in a box and not an envelope. It may be cheaper, but you may end up having the watch damaged even further due to shipping. So, any small box with a little crumbled up paper for padding would be ideal. Make sure to include insurance as it is required by Garmin for shipping. Unfortunately, you may be required to pay the shipping cost to Garmin, depending on your situation.

Repair Warranty

Garmin provides a 90 warranty on their repair work. They also have a 1 year warranty on the product if you purchase it new. If you have a problem covered by your warranty, the good folks at Garmin will let you know how much time is left on your warranty.

Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch

The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch is highly acclaimed for its ease of use and targeted comfort to the women’s segment, including a large portion of marathon runners, working out their marathon training plan and building endurance for their very first marathon run. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 is a GPS watch with an affordable price tag and a trendy smooth appearance that will appeal women.

Click to Buy the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 at Amazon.

Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch: Design

Feminine Appeal of the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch

The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS watch is designed to completely imbibe the sporty and vivacious personality of the female marathoner. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch comes in a cool grey color with a bright pink liner which gives it the feminine touch.

Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch: Usability

Low Power Consumption by the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch

It is surprising to note that the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch, which features the SiRFstarIV chipset consumes a mere 8 mW of power during its run. When compared to the standard 20 mV of power consumed by most watches in a similar market segment and configuration, the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 seems to be at an advantage in terms of leaner power usage and high performance.

Features of General Appeal in The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110

The fact that the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch weighs only 52 grams makes it all the more attractive in the form of a good function tracker for the marathon runner on her training stride. The battery takes only around an hour to charge for first time use. Initial questions programmed into the watch for basic resetting functionality at startup require less than a minute to complete and get the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 functioning smoothly. Since the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 relies on satellite data for certain functions, you might have to wait for another half minute to let it locate satellites and power itself up before beginning your running plan according to the training schedule for your marathon run.

Convenient Function Layout in the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110

The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch features a round medium sized dial with four buttons along the periphery for monitoring lap times, illuminating the front panel with the inbuilt light and activating or deactivating the menu. The two main areas of the screen along the vertical axis are designated for displaying the pace and distance of the marathon runner as she sprints across the race track. The four push buttons are not too sensitive, putting the women marathon runner at an advantage, since long runs can get sweaty and a sensitive interface or buttons could get on your nerves, should they give rise to troublesome operation in the middle of your running track. Convenient operation is a terrific usability feature in the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch.

Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch: Features

GPS Powered Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110

The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 is powered with a GPS, specifically the SiRFstarIVTM GPS chip. The GPS battery included in the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch is designed to last comfortably for a full eight hour cycle.

Pace and Vital Function Measurement in the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110

The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 includes a meter to calculate the current pace and incorporates internal calculations that enable it to display the pace as an average function for either the current lap, the current mile or for the entire run on that particular long-run day. A related output of this function is to monitor and display the heart rate in conjunction with calories consumed, as you work your way through your usual long runs. For the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110, heart rate is an optional feature and you could choose a model that suits your requirements. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 which features the heart rate function also comes with a monitor in the form of a strap that is supposed to be worn around the chest of the marathon trainer.

Workout Data Storage and Transfer Featured in the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110

The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch is programmed to automatically store data about your workout in the history space allocated by the watch. This space is designed to hold details of up to 180h of workouts during your marathon running training schedules or your final marathon run. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 connects to your computer through its USB cable and allows you to easily transfer workout data. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 recommends uploading data to the Garmin connect account that is a useful interface to view data in the form of charts and possibly share the same with friends.

The Garmin Connect interface for workout data captured by the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch shows charts indicating heart rates and statistics about timing and elevation. The web interface allows you to visualize recorded data. Among the several features in the web interface, the ability to look into data on your runs on a geospatial platform like Google Earth makes the application an interesting choice. The Garmin Connect Interface allows you to make this data public, so as to allow everyone to view the data. Alternatively, you can keep it private or share it only with a closed group of people.

Simplicity and Essential Function Combined in Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS Running Watch

In conclusion, the Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 is the simple time keeping equipment without elaborate functionality, but with the wise inclusion of important functions that might be preferred by the vast majority of marathon trainers. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 is specifically designed for outdoor running, hence includes basic indispensable information about pace, heart rate, time as well as distance. It enables women to keep track of their progress and make informed assessments about their performance during their running marathon training schedule. The Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 is designed with careful consideration to the most important needs of women runners and women need not look any further before grabbing an attractive Garmin Women’s Forerunner 110 GPS running watch before starting their marathon training.

Help support Running Watch Review. The Garmin Women’s Forerunning 110 GPS running watch is available online:

  • Buy at: Amazon.com

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Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch for Runners

The Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS watch for runners has forgone the virtual training partner, multi sport modes and other features of its more expensive counterparts like the Garmin Forerunner 410 and 310XT. The Garmin Forerunner 110 has taken a much simpler route to being the basic runner watch. Hence it has the basic displays of a runner watch that shows time, distance, pace and mile splits. Though the Garmin Forerunner 110 has been targeted at the mainstream runner it is not ideal for someone who wants to train seriously. It is a watch for running that a casual runner would prefer.

Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch for Runners - Design

The design of the Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS watch for runners is not bulky or chunky and defines the goal of the watch: overall simplicity. The choice of colors also has intrigued many customers with a hot pink for women and standard black and hot red for men. The simple features and simple look of watch make it look like a normal watch not a feature laden computer on your wrist.

The Garmin Forerunner 110 has a simple interface bezel with no touch screen option unlike its counterpart the Garmin Forerunner 410. The bevel of the Garmin Forerunner 110 is surrounded by four basic buttons of a runner’s watch namely, light, page/menu, lap/reset and start/stop.

Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch for Runners - Usability

The Garmin Forerunner 110 has simplified the complex features of most of its counterparts and has the basic features which many serious athletes will vouch is all you need. Giving up on the overwhelming customizations the Garmin Forerunner 110 is perfect for the casual runner. Plenty of storage, easy interface, easy to read screen and a simple GPS tracking make this watch extremely easy and a pleasure to use. For the casual runner the Garmin Forerunner 110 is the perfect watch to launch into the GPS watch line.

The only downside to the Garmin Forerunner 110 is that though it is waterproof to support underwater use at 30 meters for 30 minutes the screen begins to fog up after barely 20 minutes of underwater use.

Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch for Runners - Features

Running

The Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS watch for runners is undoubtedly designed for running and with just a tap on the page/menu button the GPS is turned on and ready for running. Once you are done with your running a tap on the start/stop buttons stops recording and you can then view the distance travelled, time taken and pace details. If you have a heart rate strap you can also view your current heart rate on the Garmin Forerunner 110.

Auto Lap

This is a great feature characteristic of every Garmin Forerunner. The Auto Lap helps you create automatic splits/lap every time you set the desired distance. Most casual runners do this to set mile markers, the Auto Lap feature of the Garmin Forerunner 110 does this automatically for you. By default the Auto Lap feature is set to split at 1.0 mile, you can customize this and set it to any desired distance. Pressing the lap button will provide information about your total time and average pace rate.

Heart Rate Monitor

The major reason any individual would take up training is to keep the heart fit hence the Garmin Forerunner 110 allows you to use the ANT+ heart rate strap to monitor your heart rate. The current heart rate will show up on one of the data pages which can be further analyzed on Garmin Connect.

Using Indoors

The Garmin Forerunner 110 comes with an indoors mode which allows you to only monitor your heart rate. Even if you are training indoors you can use this feature. This mode does not display the distance, time or pace.

Backlight

The backlight of the Garmin Forerunner 110 is extremely bright and stays on for about 8 seconds. But unlike its counterparts the time the backlight stays on cannot be adjusted on the Garmin Forerunner 110.

History

Holding down the page/menu button of the Garmin Forerunner 110 displays the history. You can then navigate to view different activities and also view the summary of each activity which includes distance, time and pace.

Cycling

Though the Garmin Forerunner 110 was simplified to be a single sport watch, it can used for cycling by switching the display mode to ‘speed’ from ‘pace’. You can then strap it onto your wrist or use a bike mount to record your training. Except for pace the monitor shows speed otherwise there is no difference between the summaries for running and cycling.

Swimming

The downside of the Garmin Forerunner 110 is that it isn’t quite waterproof. The screen of the FX110 fogs up with barely 20 minutes of use underwater. Hence training underwater with the Garmin Forerunner 110 isn’t quite a good idea.

GPS

The GPS feature on the Garmin Forerunner 110 is accurate and has simple route tracking to help the first time user of GPS watches. The GPS chip of the Garmin Forerunner 110 is very fast in comparison to the other Forerunners and takes less than 20 seconds to find the satellites and lock in.

Battery Life

The Garmin Forerunner 110 promises 8 hours of battery life with full GPS usage. It also comes with an auto power saving mode which enables the watch to go back to regular mode after 5 minutes of inactivity.

Software

The Garmin Forerunner 110 comes with Garmin Connect and can be used with Training Peaks as well as Sport Tracks to record and analyze training sessions. These softwares provide feedbacks and help design better training schedules. The Sport Tracks helps you choose a track and then schedule or customize your training on the specified track.

Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch for Runners - Summary

The loss of many features for simplicity does not sit well with the heavy dent caused to the wallet otherwise the Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS watch for runners is a step towards better technology for the casual runner. Not too complicated yet reliable with faster GPS connectivity and easy interface the Garmin Forerunner 110 with the lack of the Virtual Training Partner and Foot Pod sticks to the basics while still doing well. Being slim and pretty it records plenty of data without issues of data loss or drops. It’s probably one of the best running watches for runners looking for an affordable GPS watch.

Read more GPS Watch Reviews.

Help support Running Watch Review. The Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS running watch is available from these online stores:

  • Amazon.com
  • Backwoods
  • Altrec

Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS Running Watch

The Garmin Forerunner 410 is  an upgrade to the previous generations of FR405 and FR405CX, and has added to the number of GPS watches that look ‘normal’. Ideal for someone who needs a training aid when looking to push their training to the next level, the Garmin Forerunner 410 is a trainee’s companion. This might look like an ordinary watch but packs in itself a touchscreen bezel that is easy to use and is also waterproof. Automatic synching with your computer, large amount of data storage capacity, heart rate monitor, lap time, analyzing your performance, this watch has it all that an athlete would need for some serious training.

Garmin Forerunner 410: Design

An advanced GPS device, the Garmin Forerunner 410 was designed to help athletic activity. It is operated through a bevel with a touchscreen and is sized closer to ordinary sports watches available in the market than to previous Forerunners. It has also been designed to look less chunky and bulky than the previous devices produced by Garmin.

The digital display around the bevel has four labels on it, namely menu, Time/Date, GPS and training. Designed to feel like using the trackpad of a laptop, using the touchscreen of the Garmin Forerunner 410 is an absolute delight. The bevel has two side buttons for the timer and lap splits to retain the typical sports watch look but the touch bevel makes it top notch.

Garmin Forerunner 410: Usability

The Garmin Forerunner 410 is a ‘multisport’ watch meaning that it can be used to train across a variety of sports with ease. Also waterproofed the Garmin Forerunner 410 can support your training underwater at 1 meter for almost 30 minutes. Hence training outside in rainy weather is no big deal now. The touch bevel works just the same as it does in sunny conditions. The GPS is an absolute delight on the Garmin Forerunner 410 supporting GPX, KML files and geotagging. It can be easily used to track a variety of activities from hiking, parachuting, kayaking and flights. The Garmin Forerunner 410 also has the option of being powered down to being a normal watch during non-training periods.

The down side is a rather frustrating touch bezel which does not respond very well when operated with gloves and tends to be slower to touch underwater proving that work still needs to be done in the waterproofing area. Though it can connect to ANT+ speed/cadence sensors and foot pods it does not support ANT+ power meters and weight scales.

Garmin Forerunner 410: Features

Virtual Partner

The Virtual partner tempo function is a big favorite amongst users of the Garmin Forerunner 410. It allows you to set a specific pace then ‘race’ against the virtual companion on the watch and check how far/behind you are in terms of distance and time.

 

GPS

The Garmin Forerunner 410 promises eight hours of operation with complete GPS function supporting GPX and KML exporting files that are directly transferrable to your computer.

Touch Bevel

The new touch bevel allows faster browsing of displays and operations; receive time and distance notifications along with heart rate notifications. The color scheming has also since been improved as compared to the previous Forerunners. Though using the touch bevel with gloves on can sometimes be quite frustrating due to slow response it is definitely much better than the previous models and benefit for cold weather conditions.

Data Transfer

The Garmin Forerunner 410 offers wireless data transfer through USB and also offers support across two time zones. It is suitable for use on the Windows operating system and Macintosh. You can create workout on your computer and then download them onto the Garmin Forerunner 410.

The Garmin Forerunner 410 downloads over the ANT+ protocol that requires Garmin ANT Agent to be downloaded into your computer. Softwares like Garmin Connect and Sport Tracks provide in-depth analysis of your workout while others like Training Peaks and Golden Cheetah help you schedule and plan workouts. Specs such as heart-rate, speed, time and distance can be added into the workout plans. The plans can be created in Garmin Training Center which is included in the package and then download them into the watch.

Additional Features

Auto Pause

Fantastic for stoplights while training on city streets, that requires constant start/stops without having to worry about starting or stopping the timer.

Autolap

Another favored feature which automatically calls out lap splits based on predefined distance/position.

Cycling

The Garmin Forerunner 410 can also make a fine bike computer for the occasional cyclist. The Garmin Forerunner 410 though does not come with a bike mounting kit the generic Garmin Forerunner rubber mount works just as fine when strapped onto the handlebar.

The Garmin Forerunner 410 also has the ability to create ‘courses’ that can help you make up a route to train on. Though it does not create or support the concept of street similar to a car GPS it does tell you when you are off-track.

History

The basic history view makes visible the summary data from where you can choose to view individual recorded activities. It also allows laps and average paces per lap view.

Battery

The Forerunner 410 promises eight hours of battery life on GPS mode which does not compare to a conventional watch but is acceptable for the casual trainer who switches often between the GPS and non-GPS mode.

Garmin Forerunner 410: Summary

The Garmin Forerunner 410 is an update of the previous generation Forerunners. The slim design has formed the primary selling point of this watch. Coupled with an improved bezel this watch has become a must have for serious trainers. Unlike the FR110 and FR210 which were aimed at casual runners the FR410 has an expanded feature set suitable for casual runners and serious athletes alike.

The touch bezel has improved much since the FR405 and hence a capacitive touch will be a welcome addition. The Garmin Forerunner 410 is otherwise impressively designed and comes with cutting edge technology capable of pleasing athletes of various sports and levels. Though it does not sit as lightly on the wallet as it does on the wrist the Garmin Forerunner 410, flagship of Garmin is definitely one of the best GPS watches available in the market.

Read more GPS Watch Reviews.

Help support Running Watch Review. The Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS running watch is available from these online stores:

  • Amazon.com
  • Paragon Sports
  • Altrec

Garmin FR60 GPS Running Watch

The Garmin FR60 running watch is an advanced GPS running watch that has been created keeping the needs of runners and triathletes in mind.  It has everything one may look for in a GPS runner’s watch: all the advanced features that are required by today’s athletes to train. This watch follows from the Garmin Forerunner line and has some of the best features offered, as well as other innovative features. The high price tag and the extra baggage are thankfully missing. Confused as to whether or not to buy the Garmin FR60? Read our GPS watch review before you decide.

Garmin FR60: Design

The Garmin FR60 running watch is light and small and you will have no trouble with it when you go swimming or running. It looks sleek enough to be worn as a daily wear watch as well. It has a good audible alarm clock that is perfect for those times when you are afraid of missing an early morning training session. The Garmin FR60 watch is available in black, lilac and red. Accessories you can buy with this watch are bike sensor, heart rate monitor and foot pod. The compact look of the watch and the way all the features fit inside one tiny package makes us give thumbs’ up to Garmin once again!

Garmin FR60: Usability

The Garmin FR60 is a running sports watch that is perfect for both athletes and the casual wearer. Its compact design and light weight makes the wearer feel quite comfortable when it is strapped to the arm. It has advanced sports features that athletes and trail runners can use in it and the great thing is that it is extremely user friendly. Setting up the watch is easy and so is programming it in a way to suit you! Also, learning to use all the features is really not difficult at all.

Garmin FR60: Features      

The Garmin FR60 is totally water resistant. This means that you don’t have to worry if you sweat a lot during your training sessions. You can even take it out on a swim without being worried about whether it is going to work later on! It is triathlon- friendly. This watch is a training aid and can keep track of the current pace, speed, hear rate, average pace, distance and time and also lets you train within your specific Heart Rate Zones. Of course, the GPS records every mile that you can download to your computer. When the watch is turned on for the first time, it will record your age, height and weight. It can also be used to set up alerts for training. The Virtual Trainer Mode is another feature worth mentioning. When you connect the Garmin FR60 to a foot pod, you get a continuous stream of live data like your speed, pace and distance. It can also be connected to a heart rate monitor or bike sensor if you want more data. Minus points? None we could find!

Garmin FR60: Summary

The Garmin FR60 is a must buy for athletes looking for a complete solution to their training needs; plus a watch!

Help support Running Watch Review. The Garmin FR60 GPS running watch is available from these online stores:

  • Amazon.com: Men’s FR60 | Women’s FR60
  • Paragon Sports: Men’s FR60 | Women’s FR60
  • Altrec: Men’s FR60 | Women’s FR60
  • Backwoods