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.
