GARMIN Forerunner 405 Black GPS Enabled Sports Watch HRM

Garmin International is pleased to announce the Forerunner 405 GPS-enabled sport watch. During a run, this slim, sleek watch accurately tracks distance, pace, calories, and displays it all on the easy-to-read screen. Tap or slide a finger around the innovative touch bezel to change information without fumbling for a button. The optional foot pod can also be used to gather speed and distance information indoors. ANT+Sport wireless technology automatically transfers workout data to and from your computer when your device is within range. No cables, no hookups, the data’s just there. Users can upload data to Garmin Connect, a web-based application that lets them analyze, share and store workouts. Zone training, heart rate zone training, supports 5 heart rate zones Compatible with GSC 10 speed/cadence bike sensor – monitor pedaling cadence and wheel speed Compatible with foot pod – measures speed and distance and runners cadence when indoors Watch features – time of day (12/24h), dual time zone, (day/date), daily alarm Training and motivational features – Virtual Partner, courses, workouts, goals GPS features – mark waypoints, back to start, save location ANT+Sport wireless technology lets you automatically transfer information back and forth between the watch and the PC Unit-to-unit – transfer workouts and locations to other Forerunner 405’s Dimensions – 45.75mm x 70.5mm x 16.4mm Weight – 2.11 ounces (60 grams)

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Minor tweaks would go a long way
This product has so much potential. As far as I know, it is the only one with built-in GPS (no extra device required like polar) and HRM and all the stuff you would need. I continue to use it even though there are two pretty major issues that need to be addressed.

1) Battery Life. I do long distance triathlons including ironman and the watch just does not have the battery life to go the distance. It should easily be able to do 12-16 hours and it does not even come close. I have had it die during a sub 5 hour 1/2 ironman which is beyond frustrating.

2) The user interface is horrible. Sure, it is elegant, but it is not usuable. It is very difficult to do the scrolling around and you always accidentally select something. Luckily you dont need that mid-workout, but in order to get battery life you need the GPS off when not using – trying to do that between swim, bike and run (GPS ON, GPS OFF, GPS ON) is impossible. The interface also does not work AT ALL when wet or you fingers are cold and/or sweaty. I dont know why they dont have simple buttons with a little scroll dial.

Too bad since the device is almost perfect.

5 Stars I actually read the instructions…
When I was trying to decide between the 305 and the 405, I read every single review from a couple of different websites…it seemed that there was a lot of negative reviews on the 405, but also some hidden gems that make regular use of the watch a pleasure. I was shocked by how much Mac users seemed to hate the thing…since I own a Mac I knew I was going to have to work a bit harder to get the data to my Mac. For me, the deciding factor for the 405 ended up being the usability of the watch as an actual watch….it does look pretty sharp…and for $350 it better get more use than for an hour a day on a run…

Here is what I’ve seen with my own use over the last couple of weeks:

The set up on my Vista PC was actually pretty simple…I followed the directions to the letter and went to the[...] site which helped me get everything set up pretty quickly. There are some pretty good directions there…I can’t see how anyone could screw this up honestly…but it seems that some folks have had trouble with it…I was able to update the firmware right then and that went well also (just be patient as it seems to update one firmware version at a time and not all at once)…

Once I got my PC all set up, I downloaded Trailrunner on my Mac…which supports the .tcx files of your runs that you can export out of the Garmin Training Center software (which really isn’t good)…I don’t know if there is a similar software package for the PC, but since I rarely use my PC, I really didn’t take the time to look…

After I got done with some runs, I came home and was amazed at how easily the Ant+ stick picked up my watch…it even picked it up once when I left the watch downstairs…which I thought was pretty cool (but I haven’t tried to see if I could do it again, I just bring my watch upstairs)…I would assume that if you have your watch in the same room as your computer it would pick it up pretty easily…

From this point I really wanted to get the data back on my Mac and into Trailrunner…and this seems to be the difficult part for most Mac users (the Garmin site says to get VMware and run it through that way-which is insane, but some might not have a PC box in their house like I do, so it would be the only way at this point)…What I end up doing is importing the data wirelessly, then pull it into Garmin Training Center…then export it as a .tcx file which I email to myself and pull up from my Mac…then save it to a folder and “open” into Trailrunner from there…sounds like a lot, but takes maybe 5 minutes at the most…and the newest version of Trailrunner is awesome…

I also have seen some reviews where the watch is not responsive to the bezel touching…what I ended up figuring out after watching the video on the Garmin site, is that when the watch is in powersave mode you actually have to wake it up before it will respond…which can be done by clicking either side button…then the bezel responds to touch etc…this is really a much cooler feature than you would think…it really helps avoid draining the battery during regular “watch” use…

As far as getting going on runs and using the HRM…it picks the HRM and Satellites up really quickly…which is surprising based on what I’ve seen in some reviews…it actually picked them up while I was in my house…and as of yet, I haven’t had any trouble with using it on my runs…it shows my Heart Rate in huge numbers and the first screen shows pace/total time/total distance big enough that I can see it while on the move…I don’t really need it to do much more than that as I am not what you would consider a fancy runner at this point with sprints or crazy heart rate work…I just have it auto-lap my time at a mile and call it good…

The GPS has been darn near 100% accurate so far (I live in Houston TX)…and everything that comes through on Trailrunner is also within 1%…

I took the advice of one of the reviewers and bought it from a running store in our area that is known for good customer service (Luke’s Locker in Houston) and they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy that covered me in case anything crazy happened…I was nervous with all of the complaints about it not working when wet…but that hasn’t happened to me yet (I even licked my fingers to see if anything strange would happen and nothing did)…

I really like the watch and would hope anyone considering it would really do their homework…I really like the watch and give it a huge thumbs up!

3 Stars Works grreat, no support for Mac
I bought the watch on July and although it works great I have experienced software problems such as it freezing up. Garmin told me the problem could be fixed by upgrading the software. They promised to have software available for the Macintosh Computer by this Fall and now say Winter 2009. If you use a Mac DON’T buy the 405 until they have the software for the Mac which might be never. Also if you call Garmin Support plan on being on hold for at least 30 minutes.

4 Stars Nice device! Glad I switched from the 305
I originally ordered the 305, but it was so big and awkward looking I returned it. Against some of the less than stellar reviews of the 405, I bought it anyhow. I love it. It just looks better, is lighter, and does not feel like a PDA on your wrist. Granted, the touch dial takes some getting used to, but chances are you are a gadget person like I am, and once you get it wired, it’s pretty user friendly. I am bummed that the MAC compatibility is not handled yet, and their support team is fairly unresponsive on this point. When I asked about it their website’s statement that the mac software would be out in 4th Q 2008, they simply apologized that they did have a firm date for this. When I asked for clarification as to if they would meet the 12/31 deadline, they had no response.

Overall, I’m glad I bought it. I have had no accuracy problems with GPS and the battery life is better than my iPhone. As long as I do not do any 40 hour runs I should be fine, and there is no risk of that happening.

3 Stars Love it, but quirks a plenty
I recently got into jogging and decided I need a new watch to time how long my laps are taking. Being the nerd I am, I went hog wild and ended up with a full blown HRM, GPS and stop watch. Overkill? Certainly! Do I love it though? Of course! That said, I have a number of reservations that keep me from giving it 5 stars.

The bezel is finicky, requiring very exacting presses. When I’m at rest I don’t always get it to behave as I would like. When I’m running or biking, forget about it. How can I be expected to subtlely press the bezel? Some times I’ll touch the bezel and nothing will happen, other times it’ll take the wrong action. For example, I wear a biking jacket that seems to trigger the watch to think I hit the bezel when I didn’t. Work around is to lock out the bezel while riding. UGH! A similar problem with pressing the lap button. I thought the lap button didn’t work for the longest time, until I realized I was touching the bezel then the lap button. Silly me. The bezel is a neat idea, but it doesn’t work for something you need when exercising. I think Garmin should replace it with a button or two.

Transferring data to the PC is extremely slow too. Data from a 40 minute bike ride took 2 minutes to download. Come on! And where’s the Mac support? Having to use boot camp or Parallels/Fusion isn’t a real option.

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GARMIN 010 00375 00 Forerunner 301 GPS Receiver Personal Training Device

Get results in a heartbeat with the Forerunner 301. This training partner continuously monitors your heart rate, speed, distance, pace and calories burned so you can train smarter, more effectively. The Forerunner 301 combines the popular features of the Forerunner 201 with a proven heart rate monitor and Training Center software to create a highly integrated personal training system.Whether you are a triathlete in training or just want to see tangible results, the Forerunner 301 sets the pace with innovative features: Compact, lightweight and waterproof with an easy-to-read display on an ergonomic wristband; Embedded GPS sensor provides basic navigation capabilities to tell you how far, how fast, even how to get home; Digital coded heart rate monitor so you can see whether you are training too hard or not enough; Training Center software, a powerful PC-based application that lets you analyze and create workouts; Highly flexible – offers multiple sports profiles so you can use it for running, biking and other sports; Easy to use – no calibration required, just turn it on and go.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Product so far!
I’ve only had it for a bit over a month, but it’s been great so far! I love the results it gives me (Avg. HR, HR over time, Pace, etc); it’s just what I wanted. The GPS map on the computer can be a little off (it can show your path as being in a river if you’re close to one), but it records the actual path well, with respect to turns, etc. I have seen that some people have troubles getting the HR monitor to work (no HR shows up). This has happened to me twice, but by wetting the contacts on the inside of the chest strap and/or readjusting my strap (placing it lower or higher), I got the HR to show up again.

4 Stars Tighten the chest strap
I got a 301 when they first came out. I’ve used it for hiking, running and bicycling. Most of the time it works great. The heart rate monitor works for me only if the chest strap is really tight. And you must keep checking it every day. It loosens up constantly. It must be slightly uncomfortable to reduce the erratic readings. The pace read out is no good, so I just ignore it. I get better GPS results when I wear the 301 on top of my hat. Then I cannot see the pace number. I just set the unit to beep every mile and look at my stop watch. That’s good enough for me. I live in the south SF Bay area and the only place I’ve been where trees are a problem is Uvas County Park. There are steep canyons there too. I’ve had great success transferring data to my computer. Nearly everybody says the Garmin Training Center software is unsatisfactory. Well, it’s not great, but it works. I started running in 1969 and if I thought then I would have the function this unit provides in the future, my friends would have thought I was crazy. Of course, back then I had no such ridiculous thoughts…

5 Stars My running+biking companion
I was looking for a bike monitor that could analyze my speed and distance. Went for a lookout of Polar products but they where just too expensive.

Found this alternative with gps tracking that not only gives you speed, distance but also elevation and hear rate monitoring.

When I took up running this was it, it has presets for both sports, counts your calories burned based on your age, height and weight profile nd gives you detalied info when you plug it on your PC.

ADVICE: If you use a Mac try using TrailRunner, it’s a free app thet integrates with Google maps to give you a detail on your routes and keeps a log of your workouts.

5 Stars I love my garmin 301 forerunner wrist
Thank you for alowing me to share my joy with this unit. I love the garmin 301 forerunner wrist GPS. It has alot of features and not difficult to program. I choose this unit for the window size so I can see the information quickly. I use garmin forerunner 301 for a multiple of functions. First, I utilize the miles per hour to increase my speed in walking and running. It has a virtual runner in the window which will pass you up if you are not maintaining your speed. I also used the unit while I trail ride on my horse in the deep woods. It not only allows me to mark a spot, after riding some 15 miles, I then can re locate my original mark spot and it will direct me to the exact location. In addition it has a bread crumb picture that you can also follow. I had return from a ride just as it got dark and I used both functions to find my way in the dark and in the woods. Plus you always have the compass of north, south east and west. I love it and I use it a few times a day. It is true that the heart rate sometimes does not pick up. Just make sure the placement is correct and good contact. If you are active, you will love this. thank you.

4 Stars Nice GPS for the price
The Forerunner 301 is a nice GPS unit for the price. It’s fairly simple to use, but has a variety of functions for geeks who like to play with such toys.

A few issues that I have had with this unit though is the heart-rate monitor is a bit finicky and depending on where you are the GPS signal isn’t the best, but these problems rarely occur. Overall a great buy!

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Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

Just when you thought Garmin had cornered the market on powerful, affordable, and effective wrist-mounted GPS devices, here comes the Forerunner 305. The release of this device is a major achievement from a design and technology perspective. This isn’t just marketing-speak; the Forerunner 305 is the most accurate, most reliable wrist-mounted performance and GPS tracking tool we’ve ever tested. Yes, it’s that good. While no device this compact can do everything (yet), the 305 pushes the boundaries of what is possible from something strapped around your wrist. The 305 model includes wireless heartrate monitoring and it can also be connected to Garmin’s wireless bicycle speed and cadence sensor. If you don’t need these features, consider the lower-priced 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 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 305’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 305. 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 305 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 305 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 305’s embedded lithium-ion battery via a powered USB connection from your computer.

GPS Performance
The big news about the Forerunner 305 is that it features an integrated, high-sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS receiver. What does this mean? It means that the 305’s ability to both track, and maintain a lock on, your position is better than anything before it. After an intial battery charge, the tester had the 305 on his wrist and was tracking speed and distance with GPS satellites within 3 minutes. The next time we used the 305, 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!

The simple docking cradle makes charging and data connectivity a snap.

While the Forerunner 305 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 305’s new “Courses” feature gives you new levels of control over how you define your favorite runs and rides.

Training Functions
The 305 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 305 — this device is successful where many other devices fail.

The heart and soul of the 305 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. The 305 adds the ability to track heartrate, lap heartrate, average heartrate, and heartrate zones via the included coded heartrate chest strap. With the purchase of a separate wireless cadence and speed meter, you can also track bike performance data.

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. The ability to display heartrate is a big plus, too, as it’s a fairly good indicator of excercise output, fatigue, and fitness level. The 305 has all the heartrate functions you’d expect from a full-function monitor, including the ability to set target zones and alerts to maximize the effectiveness of your workouts.

Garmin’s Virtual Partner function was cool feature of previous Forerunners and they’ve decided to keep a good thing going with the 305. 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 305 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 305 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). Not only does Training Center make it easy to track your performance, you can graph data such as heartrate alongside your speed and distance. Over time, this is a great way to view your fitness levels increase, and it also helps you see what types of workouts are necessary to strengthen your weaknesses. For instance, if you see your heartrate begin to spike after a certain distance, you know you need to increase your endurance workouts to train that area of fitness.

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 305 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 305 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

Cons

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

What’s in the Box
Forerunner 305, Garmin Training Center CD-ROM, heart rate monitor, docking cradle, expander strap, A/C charger, USB cable, owner’s manual, quick start guide.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars I love it!
All I can say is I should have bought it sooner. I wanted this watch now for over a year and the price kept me from buying because I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it. Now I can’t imagine doing a run with out it. My only advice to anyone that’s into running or any sport that tracks mileage is BUY one you are going to love it.

5 Stars better than previous model
The Forerunner is great. Compared to model 301, this model has a better heart rate monitor, locks on to satellite quicker, and is more accurate in measuring location and speed.

5 Stars Awesome
Love having the freedom to run anywhere that I want and not having to worry about distance,pace, time. It keeps up with everything for you. My favorite things is knowing the elevations, grades, and weather (including wind speeds, temps – highs, lows, avg). My only negative is that it’s so big on my wrist that it hurts my wrist bone. However, bought a wrist band and I put the watch on top of it. No more problems.

5 Stars great gadget for running and biking
Works great. Great for showing your pace, distance, and heart rate, while you are running. Good to see where you went when you return. The included Software that you use to download the data is not that great and has poor export capabilities, if you want to share your runs with your friends. I think that this is available for and extra fee to upgrade.

5 Stars Fantastic training watch
Pros: Mac and PC compatible (despite what the description says), excellent features, easy to configure if you read the manual, good user interface

Cons: Mac users should run the software update, elevation tracking not perfect near sea level, watch battery is rechargeable but not replaceable, watch is big

As a runner, I am thrilled with this watch after using it for a week now. In addition to heart rate, it accurately tracks pace, calories, distance, and multiple other data points. Its three data screens are totally customizable. The GPS signal is accurate as long as you’re not between tall buildings or in a tunnel (I use it in NYC parks with no problems). The included Garmin Training Center (which IS fully Mac compatible on PPC and Intel, despite what you’ll see in descriptions of the watch online) is decent, not great, but you can download a free web utility to upload your stats to motionbased.com to perform much more detailed analyses. (Mac users: be sure to also download the update to Garmin Training Center from Garmin’s website.)

The watch comes with built-in workouts in which it prompts you to speed up/slow down/etc. You can add your own custom workouts on your computer or (with a little patience) on the watch. You can also customize a workout easily on the fly. You can use its included heart rate zones (auto-calculated based on your age) and pace zones or customize your own (I’m totally happy with the built-ins). And of course you can just hit the “Start” button and start running, to let the watch track your time, distance, pace, heart rate, and plot your path.

Plus, if you’re exercising in an unfamiliar area, it even has a mode where it’ll guide you back to your starting point.

I was very reluctant to spend more than $50 on a watch of any sort — I’m the type who shops at Filene’s Basement and Costco — but made the plunge after reading its nearly all positive reviews here. So totally happy that I did.

Someone previously mentioned that negative reviewers had stated problems (e.g. small heart rate readout, difficulty customizing, etc) that could be resolved by reading the manual. This is absolutely true. This watch is the most customizable I’ve ever owned, including where and how large the heart rate readout should appear. With a little patience, it’ll do exactly what you need. Don’t be turned away by the negative reviewers.

The only really accurate negative I’ve read about is its size. Yes, it’s big. Think G-Shock, but larger. The two included straps help in finding the right size, but it’s not going to fit like your Swatch does. But that’s a small negative to a really excellent product.

So a word to the wise: read the manual! The watch is easy to use if you read how first. It’s not a simple heart rate monitor, though, and you may not figure it out on your own. Give it a little time and it’ll be very good to you.

I really can’t recommend it highly enough!

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