Having a GPS app in a smart phone is really handy especially when you want to know your pacing and distance covered. However, it is impractical to carry a smart phone every time you go on a run. It would really feel bulky and might keep your focus out. It is hard to carry on with what you do by carrying a phone. Wouldn’t it be convenient to wear a built-in GPS watch on your wrist? It does not only reduce the extra baggage of a smart phone, but also serves multiple purposes of showing the time as well as the routes. One of the biggest confusion is going for the right GPS watch. With its expensive prices and built-in advanced features, it is hard to decide on one watch – however, the Garmin Forerunner 10 could be set to change all that.
Garmin’s Forerunner 10: The GPS Watch
Garmin is going to release an entry-level GPS watch focusing mainly on time and distance. The watch is going to be available in three different levels: pink, green and black. The watch is going to be a huge hit among athletes as the design is simple with being dumped with too much data. The watch seems user-friendly and people can operate the watch without consulting the user manual.
Its performance is consistent and locates satellites remarkably well and the accuracy is good when compared to the other expensive watches of similar kind. It records the distances on regular basis. It is a great watch to use on a regular basis too. The watch goes into ‘training’ mode with just a push of ‘run’ button and immediately starts searching for a satellite signal. Once the watch finds a signal, you can immediately start the action. The display is more organized and the results are shown in big bold letters: the time taken to run and the distance covered. The next screen shows the calories burnt and the pace in which you run. You can select between the first screen and the second screen as your primary display.
Two new functions:
Apart from the basic displays, the watch has two new functions known as run-walk timer and virtual pacer. The ‘virtual pacer’ helps compare you with a virtual runner who runs at pre-determined pace steadily. An on-screen message tells you how much you are trailing or how much you are ahead of this virtual runner. The run-walk timer on the other hand swaps between two different pre-set time durations. Running and walking can be programmed to last a particular set of time. An on-screen prompt or a beep signals will notify you on the change in pace. This is a great feature for beginners and the watch records milestones set by the runner. Once you complete a run, it tells you if it is your longest run or if it is the fastest. With this, you can improve your next run.
You can also set the watch to ‘auto-lap’ mode with which the watch records a lap after every kilometer or mile. A set-back is you cannot personalize the distance between intervals. However, you have the option to trigger the lap manually even when the auto-lap feature is enabled. The next auto-lap will happen a mile after the point you triggered.
Verdict: On the upside, the watch comes with enhanced features, alarm clock, resistive touch-screen and vibration alert. On the downside, the watch takes a long time to charge; it is not completely water-proof and is quite on the expensive side. The highlight features of this watch are the long battery life, customizable display, a virtual partner and touch screen. It can be a useful watch for beginners.