Garmin, a popular GPS watch manufacturer has recently introduced their very first GPS Running Watch without heart rate monitor compatibility. It’s called the Garmin Forerunner 10 and is surprisingly affordable given the amount of functionality included. I’ve tested it whilst out running for about 15 times and now I’m ready to give you the details of how it performs and works. This GPS sports watch not only looks good but has a lot of cool features too! In fact you’ll enjoy recording your running progress with it as well as tracking whereabouts you have run at the same time. The built-in GPS receiver in the Forerunner 10 watch allows runners and fitness enthusiasts to track and record their progress throughout the running exercise. Details such as the amount of calories burned while running, the runner’s pace, the distance they have travelled and much more detailed information is included amongst its amazing features. To find out more continue reading.
What’s great about the Garmin Forerunner 10 is its Design
Starting with the Polyurethane strap, comfort would be the first thing that comes to mind upon wearing it. The grooves and holes on the strap and overall design make the Garmin Forerunner 10 watch a comfortable to wear running watch; you won’t get sweaty wrists while wearing it even after a long time. Despite you heavily perspiring while jogging or running the Polyurethane strap retains an excellent traction on your skin and it will stay in place amidst the quick snaps, vibrations and movements from your body.
Normally you would expect to see “high-tech” on the Garmin Forerunner 10 but instead it looks so fashionable with its black matte tint; you might even mistake it for a Slyde or a Zenith Defy digital watch. It has four access buttons to adjust the settings or switch views of the array of items on the display; perfectly integrated into the watch the buttons require only a soft-pressure press for the device to respond immediately to your preferences.
Putting the Garmin FR10 to the Test
The Garmin FR 10 is very user-friendly. Using the buttons that have been ergonomically placed on the sides you can start to input relevant information such as your weight and age and then the watch will automatically link to the nearest geo-synchronus satellite. Please note that using the Forerunner 10 for the first time may require a lot of patience from your end, because it takes about 3 minutes for it to establish the GPS uplink. However, subsequent uses will guarantee a much faster uplink speeds and sooner or later you will notice that the connection is established in approximately 30 seconds give or take a second here or there.
Once the satellite link has been established you need to press the “start” button before you begin your training routine. The Garmin FR 10 is accurate up to 99.9% most of the time, having said that it will show you an approximation of your current speed that you’re running at, in either miles or kilometers per hour, you elapsed time as well as the entire distance you’ve travelled since you pressed the “start” button. It has an LED display that will show you the information it has gathered whether on a cloudy day or amidst the brightest glare of a cloudless sky.
Another interesting feature of the Garmin Forerunner 10 is that it bookmarks your personal stats. While doing that it will let you know when you’ve set or broken your previous performance by making a beeping noise. You can also put the tracker on hold when certain circumstances keeps you from running like for instance you’d stop to tie your shoe laces or cross a busy street or find shelter when there’s rain. Of course you can also reset the whole thing and start over. This is just one of the many reasons why I love the Garmin Forerunner 10.
How to Analyze Your Stats using the Garmin Connect
You can synch the Garmin Forerunner with your desktop or laptop or even your tablet computer via USB 2.0/3.0 connectivity and the GPS watch also comes with its own software installer so that you can view the tally of your running statistics on the computer. You can also link your personal data with their official website called Garmin Connect for free, where you can compare your stats with other people and be among the top runners in the leaderboard. Aside from being able to track your progress (i.e your fastest run, maximum calories burned in a mile, the farthest distance you’ve travelled at a relative speed etc.) perhaps the most interesting feature of the Garmin Forerunner 10 is that you can replay and view your runs via satellite using Google maps. Now that has got to be extremely cool for a web app that’s not even found in iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones or any other hand-held devices for which everybody is going crazy about! But it doesn’t end there because you can share the fun with your friends on Facebook also.
Garmin says that they’ll sell the Forerunner 10 at about $130 USD, like I said previously it’s incredibly affordable for the awesome features it brings. However, this GPS wonder-watch won’t be available on stores until October of 2012 so in the mean time just be ready to purchase one. For a more comprehensive review, click here to find out more about golf GPS watch at UBERGOLF
Author Credit: Thanks to Peter B for this review of the Garmin Forerunner 10. For a more comprehensive review click here to find out more about this GPS watch.